radiator. what should i shop for?

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KramerSwinger70

KramerSwinger70

70 Dart Swinger360
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so my dart will eventually have a mild 360. i have no clue what i should be getting, radiator wise. i know 0 about radiators other than they cool the motor haha! so lets just say the motor has 400hp(it wont, but lets just say..) what size/kind of radiator would i want? auto trans.

also, my uncles 73 charger's radiator is bad an need to be replaced. what size radiator would he need. is it worth the extra cash for an aluminum? its just his cruisier, not dragin or anything like that. its a 400ci completly stock with an auto
 
I would say get on Ebay and look there. They have some that will cool 400 HP. I will most likely get mine there. My engine builder recomended I get a 4 row to cool 500 HP. Remember though if you go from a 2 row to a 4 row or whatever make sure it will not hit fan. I know a few people that have got the Champions and not had any problems. also you want a cross flow I believe. You might wanna see what s senior members says also, they could probly give you a better idea.
 
Aluminum radiator will cool MUCH better (more efficiantly) than a copper/brass unit of the same size. Aluminum has better heat transfer properties, and most alum radiators have much larger tubes than copper/brass units.
You are limited to 22" wide in an A Body due to the size of the opening in the rad support unless you plan to do some cutting.
I have a Bee Cool cross flow alum rad in my 69 Dart. It's 22" wide and 19" tall, and with a flex fan & plastic /6 shroud (installed upside down) it keeps my built 440 COLD. If I don't run a thermostat the needle on my temp gauge barely comes up off the stop pin.
These radiators can be had for about $300. Might be a bit pricey at first, but if you buy something inexpensive, it might not do the job, or might not last very long.

If you want some pix, just ask!

Good Luck!

George
 
Whats wrong with the factory one??..been running the stock radiator in my '70 duster for 4 seasons cooling both my 416 and 360 with no overheating issues..unless you don't have one to begin with then i'd look at the ones Summit Racing offers..
 
Benefits
# There are several benefits to both aluminum and copper. It is scientifically proven that copper transfers heat better than aluminum transfers heat. Copper is also easier to repair than aluminum in most situations. Aluminum, however, is generally 30 to 40 percent lighter than copper. Aluminum can also be polished to a mirror-like finish for those interested in a show appearance.


Read more: Aluminum Vs. Copper Radiators | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5616155_aluminum-vs_-copper-radiators.html#ixzz19Dz1iwid
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http://www.ehow.com/about_5616155_aluminum-vs_-copper-radiators.html


http://www.caparadiator.com/aluminumvscopper.html
 
Aluminum radiators can also use wider tubes that create more surface contact area from the tubes to the fins and helps dissipate the heat quicker. Most aluminum radiators use 1” wide tubes and some manufacturers like Griffin offer 1.25” and 1.5” tubes as well. Traditional copper radiators usually use ½” tubes so a 4 row copper radiator has slightly less fin contact area than a 2 row aluminum core with 1” tubes when you take into account the loss of contact area at the curved ends of the tubes. Most OEM copper radiators were built with the tubes on 9/16” centers from each other. All aluminum cores are built with the tubes on 7/16” or 3/8” centers creating a denser and more efficient core than a standard copper core.
 
A copper radiator core can be made more efficient by changing the tube spacing and fin count. As I stated earlier the radiators that were made from the 1950�s to the 1970�s generally used �� wide tubes placed on 9/16� centers from each other. If you counted the fins you might get as few as 6 or 8 fins per inch (FPI). If the tubes are placed closer together and the fins are packed in tighter a denser core is created that throws off much more heat. A high efficiency core can have tubes on 7/16�, 3/8� or even 5/16� centers and fin counts increased to 12 to 14 FPI. That may not seem like a big deal but the surface area is greatly increased. As an example; a 26� wide radiator core with tubes on 9/16� centers has about 45 tubes from side to side. A high efficiency core of the same width has 57 tubes from side to side. Combined with all the additional fins between the tubes this provides approximately 25% to 30% better cooling than the OEM radiator had. A three row high efficiency core will cool about the same as a regular four row without taking away another 5/8� of fan clearance.
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As I look at all of the radiator options, websites, etc. I really don't see any options for the '64 Cuda?? Not trying to hijack the thread, but anyone know what my options are on the 64 273?
 
mnewmanfla said:
As I look at all of the radiator options, websites, etc. I really don't see any options for the '64 Cuda?? Not trying to hijack the thread, but anyone know what my options are on the 64 273?
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whats the measurements on the one ya have now? think a 22" is what i had in my 64 valiant. i had core from a 71 dart that was made into a 3 row staggered core rad. kept my 440 nice and cool all year around,
 
I bought a Griffin radiator with 1.25” tubes for my 360. It was a straight forward bolt in. Matched the original holes from the factory on the radiator support. Even had the holes for the proper shroud on the radiator! Nice piece.

This radiator cooled down the engine, engine bay, and even the cabin of the cuda. I mean the whole car cooled down tremendously compared to what it was with the factory rad.
 
stroked 340 said:
Whats wrong with the factory one??..been running the stock radiator in my '70 duster for 4 seasons cooling both my 416 and 360 with no overheating issues..unless you don't have one to begin with then i'd look at the ones Summit Racing offers..
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My car has a /6 currently lol I doubt that radiator will help!
 
I consulted all the radiator vendors at SEMA this year and Griffin impressed me the most. They are building me a 1.25 inch core rad for my 67 Barracuda that will cool my 440 in the stock 22 inch space. They are a little bit expensive but well worth the money.
 
I went with one from Smiths Radiator, http://www.smithsradiator.com/mopar/abody/index.html
Spoke with a member here who has one in his Dart with a Hemi, think his username is 68hemigts as this is the one he has. Mine is a 26" e-body unit with a-body mounting tabs. He can supply you with a convential shroud, outof aluminum so you do not have to deal with the reproduction junk or a shroud with dual Spal fans.....
 

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If anyone might be interested here is my Griffin radiator with part number.
 

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I got a Champion Alum off Ebay with 2 12in fans. 3 row for I believe 269 no shipping as I picked it up myself.
 
abodyjoe said:
does it fit? there was a big thread i think on moparts that said the newer abody ones don't fit right..
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putting it in next week, but the other guys on here that bought the same one from Champion say they fit
 
Let us know. They were saying.g the early built ones fit but they changed them to a shorter rad for some reason. Curious to hear how ya make out.
 
Sure theres also another thread going on where someone just put in a 2 row champion. And PRINE has one!
 
HA! I havent seen or heard a mention of me IN A LONG time......8)

My Champion Radiator, fit my core support...but I had to drill new holes.
It doesnt leak, It cools....gauge will barely come off of COLD with the fans on.
I dont have ANY road driving or Tempature heat cycling to review.

I couldnt beat the price anywhere else.

Good Radiator IMO.
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I bought one of them Crappy Champion radiators that was twisted bad and only 3 bolt holes lined up and the factory shroud didn't even come close to fitting. It was a 22" unit. I've heard from all the guys that bought the 26" units they were ok.

BTW: I did post the problem I had with it here and on Moparts.

After I lost $30 in shipping the CRAPOLA Champion radiator back I bought a universal from Don at FBO. I had to have brackets welded on it but that was only $15. Works fantastic. My car had a 3 core in it originally and the 2 core (bigger cores) aluminum runs a lot cooler. Never went over 185 in 95 degree traffic this summer. Looks great too. Oh yeah, mines a 24" wide unit and I bet a 26" would fit in the same space too.

The universal radiator I bought looks just like a universal Griffin I put in my father-in-laws Rambler last year.
 
I recently purchased a 22" Champion 3 core radiator and installed it in my 69 Dart race car. Only 1 hole had to modified and all I did was make the slot longer. passenger side lower mount point. I haven't ran it at the track yet but did run it long enough to make sure there were no leaks.
 
jefflock said:
I recently purchased a 22" Champion 3 core radiator and installed it in my 69 Dart race car. Only 1 hole had to modified and all I did was make the slot longer. passenger side lower mount point. I haven't ran it at the track yet but did run it long enough to make sure there were no leaks.
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Glad to hear you got a good one Jeff. Maybe they got their problems straightened out??

BTW: I don't suppose your using a factory fan shroud are you? That was one of the other issues I had. The ad said the factory shroud would bolt right up but it wasn't even close.
 
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