Stuffing a '65 Radiator into a '64

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64Dart270

64Dart270

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Well, I had to bite the bullet. The radiator in the old '64 is gone. Way gone. The only reasonable replacement (that I can afford) is a new '65 radiator. At $169, I can't say no. Of course, I haven't seen it yet :sign6: . Now, assunming the radiator is what it's supposed to be, I have some concerns. I am well aware of the width issue. I understand that some of that nice, wide cooling area will be covered by the radiator support, and that I will likely have to drill a couple of holes on one side.

It's the other stuff, I haven't thought of yet. The stuff that some of you may have experienced. Considering the nearly non-existant availability of early A radiators, I know that this is not an uncommon compromise situation.
 
Is your new radiator a 22" or a 19" item? If it's a 19" item, you can just cut down the extra-wide driver side bracket, drill new holes in the narrowed bracket, and mount it as you would have mounted a '64 item.
 
Or you could have the R bracket removed from your old radiator and put on the new one. I did that with mine and it worked fine
 
Or you could just chuck the crummy top flow Mopar design for a really well thought out design like a GM crossflow and never even have to think about overheating issues again.
 
There is nothing the matter with downflow radiators. They're not "crummy". They work fine when properly selected for the heat load they'll face, and kept in good condition.
 
Thanks!
I feel a lot less worried about the process. I was don't like drilling and cutting into the car itself. That was a major source of apprehension. But, it seems I won't have to do anything so drastic. The radiator is supposed to arrive today. Now my scepticism lies in the radiator itself. $169 shipped? It's fully guaranteed to be correct and has a lifetime warranty. We'll see.
 
My suspicion: it will fit a '65 more or less directly. It will not fit a '64 without mods. It will not be "correct" for either a '64 or a '65 in that it will not look anything like an original radiator. Show us pics of what arrives and let us know where (country) it was made. Where'd you find it?
 
I will post pics when it arrives.

It was ordered from www.outlawradiator.com

This is an excerpt from their website Q&A section;

Q."How can I be sure the radiator will fit my specific vehicle?"

A. Our team of radiator experts has a combined knowledge base of over 50 years. You can rest assured that you are in good hands when it comes to matching any vehicle with a radiator.
Q. "Is this the same radiator that came in my car originally?"

A. All vendors we supply engineer their radiators to Original Equipment specifications. Your radiator is guaranteed to fit and will match up identical to the radiator that came originally in your vehicle.
 
slantsixdan said:
There is nothing the matter with downflow radiators. They're not "crummy". They work fine when properly selected for the heat load they'll face, and kept in good condition.
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Compared to a crossflow the same size and width they are crummy. That's my opinion and I'm stickin to it. As many magazine articles as there are floatin around showing the differences and my own personal experience plus the experiences of many people I know, that's my opinion and it's right for me.
 
64Dart270 said:
combined knowledge base of over 50 years.
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I always run the other way when I see businesses claim this stupidity. You cannot combine peoples experience because if they are living in the same time together they have overlapping experience. It's false advertisement and just plain wrong.
 
StrokerScamp said:
I always run the other way when I see businesses claim this stupidity. You cannot combine peoples experience because if they are living in the same time together they have overlapping experience. It's false advertisement and just plain wrong.
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That is lame. If they have 50 employees that's only one year a piece. It's a meaningless statement.
 
While I agree a crossflow has better cooling potential, I'm working with a stock driver. Want something to keep her on the road without spending too much or having to make too many changes. I just lost my garage space and got her up and running.when my situation improves, I will likely stuff a V8 in her. At that point I will be looking for maximum cooling. Ut for now, a stock type radiator will be adequate.
 
64Dart270 said:
That is lame. If they have 50 employees that's only one year a piece. It's a meaningless statement.
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No. You obviously don't understand what I am talking about.
 
I think I do. Are you implying because of the absurdity, and loose interpretion, that the statement is deceptive and those who make statements are not to be trusted? I was commenting on how you can use absurd multiples to create a meaningless numbers. That, in addition to the impossibility of overlappinng time, and experience makes it a statement that sounds powerful but means absolutely nothing. I've heard it used so many times now, I no longer pay attention.
 
64Dart270 said:
I think I do. Are you implying because of the absurdity, and loose interpretion, that the statement is deceptive and those who make statements are not to be trusted? I was commenting on how you can use absurd multiples to create a meaningless numbers. That, in addition to the impossibility of overlappinng time, and experience makes it a statement that sounds powerful but means absolutely nothing. I've heard it used so many times now, I no longer pay attention.
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Then yeah, you understood EXACTLY where I was goin. Sorry. My bad. I have had small engines kickin my BUTT all week. sorta embarrassin when a weedeater makes you feel like an idiot. But that's kinda normal for me. lol
 
Hey, I build rockets for a living and I've got to come on here and ask stupid questions about radiators. So I feel you.
 
50 years of "experience" didn't deliver. After waiting 3 days, I called them and no one had any record of my order. I had all of the order numbers and info. Even the transaction number from the bank. So, the guy I talked to, called corporate. The woman from corporate told me they made a mistake. The distributor they order from, no longer carries my radiator. She said someone had left me a voicemail (bullshit). It suppossedly takes 5 business days to charge back to my card. Long story short: don't do business with these people.

Now- New question

Any acceptable substitutes out there? There are a few "custom" aluminum types out there but, the price is a bit too custom for me.
 
50 years of "experience" didn't deliver. After waiting 3 days, I called them and no one had any record of my order. I had all of the order numbers and info. Even the transaction number from the bank. So, the guy I talked to, called corporate. The woman from corporate told me they made a mistake. The distributor they order from, no longer carries my radiator. She said someone had left me a voicemail (bullshit). It suppossedly takes 5 business days to charge back to my card. Long story short: don't do business with these people.

Now- New question

Any acceptable substitutes out there? There are a few "custom" aluminum types out there but, the price is a bit too custom for me.
 
Measure how much room you have between the frame rails and get the widest universal crossflow that'll fit in there. Mountin it's the easy part. Just make sure you get it with the right hose fitting sizes and that they are on the correct sides. Some of those universal radiators are well under 200 bucks. That's what I'd do if I wasn't worried about originality.
 
Yeah, that looks like the route I'm going to take. I have some fan clearance. I'll just make some stand offs to create some space between the radiator support so I can get a little airflow around the tubes that would otherwise be covered by the sheet metal.
 
64Dart270 said:
Yeah, that looks like the route I'm going to take. I have some fan clearance. I'll just make some stand offs to create some space between the radiator support so I can get a little airflow around the tubes that would otherwise be covered by the sheet metal.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't even sweat doin that. You're gonna have 90% or better of the core exposed. That's plenty.
 
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