Radiators in an A-body?

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mopower440

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In my '72 dart, i have the original 22" radiator. I am ready to buy a new aluminum radiator. Getting one that has 1 inch tubes with 2 rows, like cold case or ECP, champion, etc..Obviously, i know i can go with another 22" and should fit no problem, but i think i would be better of going up to the 26". My question is will the 26" fit between the frame rails without having to cut into the rails? I know i would have to drill new mounting holes but thats not a big deal. I just DONT want to order the 26" only to find it wont fit in there and then have to try and send it back..I know some of the newer 1973-76 A-bodies actually came with the 26", but i dont believe the 1967-72 ever did..
 
I'm running a 73, 26" in my 71.

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The frame rail spacing is the same on a 72 as the 73+. The difference is if the car was optioned for a 26" radiator it had a larger opening. To answer your question it will fit your 72 but some of the radiator will be covered by the narrow radiator support panels. I think you would still be ahead of the game but on my car I swapped out the radiator support to a 26" one from a donor car.
 
i put a 26" champion in my 68' valiant. fit between the rails just fine. there's a fair amount of bracket on each side, so even i could have trimmed it if needed. i did not cut the core either

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One of our members has installed a 26” radiator in an A body with a 22” rad support opening and provided some feedback/tips:

Radiator choices 26" or 22"

Will require some drilling but it will work.
 
Uscartool has a replacement support to fit 26" rad in.

Griffin has a alloy radiator with a pressed top tank that will look original when painted.
 
You will have to cut your core support to put in a 26" radiator . there is absolutely no reason for you to do this . A 22" radiator will cool just as well as a 26" rad if you get the right one . A lot of folks on this forum use champion rads with good results . Cold Case is another source as are several others .
 
mopower440 said:
Looks like it had the smaller 22" originally? Did you have to cut into the frame rails for it to fit? What year and car did that radiator come out of?
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Yes it had a 22" originally, the 26" is from a 1973, 340 Duster.
 
383Scampman said:
You will have to cut your core support to put in a 26" radiator . there is absolutely no reason for you to do this . A 22" radiator will cool just as well as a 26" rad if you get the right one . A lot of folks on this forum use champion rads with good results . Cold Case is another source as are several others .
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why do you have to cut the core support?
 
mopower440 said:
why do you have to cut the core support?
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To get the ram air flow to go through the extra 4 inches of radiator core that you asking about with a 26" core over a stock 22" core. Otherwise what's the point of putting in the 26" wide core if the sheetmetal from the radiator support is blocking airflow to the additional 4 inches of it.

I agree with the previous poster, a decent 22" radiator will cool just fine, and you dont need to modify the radiator support to use it.
 
I guess the core support opening could be cut larger for maximum air flow.I plan on going back to the original 22" correct 71 radiator eventually.
 
You don't have to cut the support but a 26" radiator in a 22" opening leaves 2" on each side that gets no air flow.
 
kursplat said:
i put a 26" champion in my 68' valiant. fit between the rails just fine. there's a fair amount of bracket on each side, so even i could have trimmed it if needed. i did not cut the core either

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That old super shops fender blanket is cool! We had a super shop's in Louisville, I hated it when it closed, brings back a lot of good memories.
 
383Scampman said:
You will have to cut your core support to put in a 26" radiator . there is absolutely no reason for you to do this . A 22" radiator will cool just as well as a 26" rad if you get the right one . A lot of folks on this forum use champion rads with good results . Cold Case is another source as are several others .
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you don't need to cut the support, to install a 26" one, your just not going to get all the potential airflow though it. i used it because i already had it. it's sure not going to cool worse than the 22".
 
kursplat said:
you don't need to cut the support, to install a 26" one, your just not going to get all the potential airflow though it. i used it because i already had it. it's sure not going to cool worse than the 22".
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That's why you would cut it. For the airflow. He is looking at potentially using a 26" because of wanting additional cooling. What would be the point of that if you didnt open up the support to take advantage of it. In your case it was just a matter of you had it, so you used it.
 
moparmat2000 said:
That's why you would cut it. For the airflow. He is looking at potentially using a 26" because of wanting additional cooling. What would be the point of that if you didnt open up the support to take advantage of it. In your case it was just a matter of you had it, so you used it.
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anyone planning to replace their 22" core support with a 26" ? i'd love to see some before and after tests with a 26" rad
 
Anyone know the fan shroud part number for the b body 26” radiator that guys have in their dusters. I have a 26” b body rad but no shroud on it just a flex fan but I want to go to a clutch fan with shroud. Sorry to jack this thread.
 
I have a how to thread on making your own fiberglassed shroud. Takes a bit of time to do but looks great. First pic is the thread, The shroud in the second pic below was fabricated easily out of fiberglass and an old cotton Tee shirt. The mounting brackets were custom made out of 19ga steel sheet.

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The point in my previous post was to inform the OP that it isn't necessary to hack the core support to get proper cooling . A 22" radiator can flow enough coolant (if configured correctly) to cool any motor . Putting a 26" rad in without opening the core support is not increasing air flow . Sometimes it's the coolant volume that keeps an engine cool . I'm just trying to give the op options .
 
I modified a junkyard $5 shroud from a dodge truck for my 69 barracuda. They have the same offset as the a bodies. Took a little bit of trimming and improvised mounting, but looks and works fine. Not perfect, but mine is a driver, so I am not aiming for perfection.
 
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