i need a better radiator, and am looking at the aluminum ones, and hate to drop 600-800$ on one from jegs or summit. But ebays got them for about $200 shipped, so this looks like the way im going to go.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7977447633&category=33602
One question though. It doesnt have any heater nipples which isnt a big deal, but for the tranny cooler ports. Do i just drill and tap my own? or am I SOL on this radiator. Thanks a ton!

Direct fit rads are $$$, generic ones require some fab work. I got a generic one years ago for my '74 k20, it was an easy install, but I fabbed mounts for a dual 12" electric fan instead of using the stock clutch fan/shroud setup. As far as the tranny cooler, you should be running a seperate cooler anyway! Buy one, B+M coolers are $50 or so...

Chevy does make a HD radiator, you might find the mounts at a junkyard. This would probably be cheaper/easier than an alum rad. They are much bigger than the standard rad. I don't know if they were for BBCs , tow packages... maybe someone else knows...

Im not worried about space or making mounts at all, thats the easy part as far as I see it. Id rather get a aluminum one for cooling my 450HP motor, which is the only reason im springing for a new one. I have a 16" electric fan infront of it, a clutch fan on the motor itself, high output water pump, and a 160 stat, and it still isnt enough, so the stock radiator is the next thing to go. I was just wondering if it was possible to tap this radiator for my auto tranny cooler? Thanks

Im not worried about space or making mounts at all, thats the easy part as far as I see it. Id rather get a aluminum one for cooling my 450HP motor, which is the only reason im springing for a new one. I have a 16" electric fan infront of it, a clutch fan on the motor itself, high output water pump, and a 160 stat, and it still isnt enough, so the stock radiator is the next thing to go. I was just wondering if it was possible to tap this radiator for my auto tranny cooler? Thanks

I think part of your cooling problem is the electric fan.
If you are using it as a pusher and your stock fan as a sucker, the electric fan is restricting the flow of air threw the rad.thats just my thoughts though.
Regards
Ryan

I think part of your cooling problem is the electric fan.
If you are using it as a pusher and your stock fan as a sucker, the electric fan is restricting the flow of air threw the rad.thats just my thoughts though.
Regards
Ryan

Thanks for the thought, but the electric fan is a sucker as well.

I have a built 406sb that I swapped in place of my 6.2 diesel. With the diesel radiator and the dual electric fans I have had no cooling problems. I usually dont even have to turn the fans on(no temp switch yet, just manual) while driving around unless I am hotrodding it, and once I turn on the fans the motor cools down to about 140 degrees untill I turn the fans off.
I would try using a diesel 4 core radiator which is about 6 inches wider then the big block 4 core. For a lifetime warrantied radiator which will (almost)bolt right in is $275. Only thing different between the the stock one you have now and the diesel one is the fan shroud and top plate. The passenger rubber isolators(I think) stay in the same place, but there is another spot closer to the fender for the driver side isolator. The driver side bracket on top of the radiator with the rubber isolators will move closer to the fender where there is already a spot.
The trans lines may hook up on the opposite side to.

I bought an AFCO universal rad for about $180
the hose connections were fun, wrong angle and size.
looks Bling though

I was just wondering if it was possible to tap this radiator for my auto tranny cooler? Thanks

You could if you wanted to add some tranny fluid to your cooling system. :flipoff2: Radiators with tranny coolers keep the tranny fluid separated in additional lines that actually run through the tranny. If you were to just "tap into the radiator", all you would do is mix your tranny fluid and coolant.

As far as it overheating, a stock radiator is way too small for 450hp. Get a dual 1" core aluminum radiator, either with a tranny cooler build in or not. It doesn't really matter. Just add a separate tranny cooler if it doesn't have one. Which is more preferable anyways (too me). Also you shouldn't need both an electric and clutch fan. Do you have a fan shroud on it? If not it will make all the difference in the world. I am going to use dual 12" fans with a shroud. I have a 421sbc. I would also hook up the fans to a thermal switch just to keep the temps consistent. Just my .02$

I have a 16" electric fan infront of it, a clutch fan on the motor itself

I think part of your cooling problem is the electric fan.
If you are using it as a pusher and your stock fan as a sucker, the electric fan is restricting the flow of air threw the rad.thats just my thoughts though.

Thanks for the thought, but the electric fan is a sucker as well.

It sounds like part of your problem is the electric fan. If it's a sucker and mounted on the outside of the radiator you're trying to pull air away from the engine compartment. It sounds like it's cutting the air flow through the radiator.
Is the rest of the cooling system OK? By this I mean all the hoses, thermostat, radiator cap, heater core and no blockages in the engine. Do you still have the shroud on? Does it overheat all the time, when you're driving on the road, at idle, or when you're slow wheeling?

got my radiator from lefthander chassis for under 200. the flexalite fans fit it so perfectly its scary. once i got my therm switch for my fans, i never have had a single prob. before i did the therm switch though, they were on a toggle switch, she over heated many times cause i would forget :eek: .

Thanks for the thought, but the electric fan is a sucker as well.


That is your problem right there.. The elect is pulling air out of the engine bay thru the rad, while the engine mounted fan is doing just the opposite, so they are fighting each other.. and the elect fan is also stopping any airflow due to vehicle movement from going thru the rad.. puller fans are ALWAYS on the engine bay side of a radiator. so the pull cooler outside air into the rad and then into the engine bay...

if you have room for a good engine mounted fan ,use it, yeah they rob some power, but they also move ALLOT of air when set-up properly.. make sure it is ducted to the radiator also.. Then get a alum rad and indemendant trans cooler and you will be amazed at the difference.. ALSO... ont he Therm.. this may go agains what people think (I didn;t believe it either) but get a therm that is at the optimum engine temp for your rig.. not to cold or to hot.. you WANT the therm to open close often as it lets the rad do it's jopb and cool the system down without being contantly open.. overcooling does not help engine performance, though it is better than overheating..

reddman,
you need to do some cleanup in that engine bay.
the rad hoses are horrid, the PS lines are nasty too.
mine is ugly and hack but you got me beat with the JIC to hose barb adapters and hose clamps,
it isnt hard to make hydraulic lines with reuseable fittings and the cost would not be too much more then what you have going on there.
I think an upper rad hose from a fullsize van application will fix your stuff right up.
I had to use one to clear the Astro Van AC compressor that I am using for onboard air.
the older vans use the larger rad outlet size and the newer ones smaller.

reddman,
you need to do some cleanup in that engine bay.
the rad hoses are horrid, the PS lines are nasty too.
mine is ugly and hack but you got me beat with the JIC to hose barb adapters and hose clamps,
it isnt hard to make hydraulic lines with reuseable fittings and the cost would not be too much more then what you have going on there.
I think an upper rad hose from a fullsize van application will fix your stuff right up.
I had to use one to clear the Astro Van AC compressor that I am using for onboard air.
the older vans use the larger rad outlet size and the newer ones smaller.
the only p/s lines with barbs/clamps are the return and supply. :flipoff2: both are non pressurized. all the rest of my fittings are high pressure reusables.

and yeah, the rad hose is ghetto, but i was in a hurry and now i have things that take priority over a radiator hose that works.

uh whats with half the frame missing reddman???

uh whats with half the frame missing reddman???
stock coil buckets are formed into the frame on a 2wd. so i cut out the flared out section and put a plate over it so i could have some room to mount my shocks.

this pic shows just how much room i got.

anyways, wasnt this thread supposed to be about radiators or somethin?

hey I think that AFCO ebay thing is the same rad I have.
it is the same price to buy it direct from AFCO
the lower rad hose is too big for any stock application I coould find and is at an odd angle.
so correcting the angle pretty much removes any savings.
double check the lower outlet details in regards to angle, I know the size is wrong for a stock chev hose.

I never looked at the link until now :)

The radiators on ebay are from a company called northern, they are great. I bough a universal 2 core crossflow and love it. No problems with radiator hoses or heat. As for a fan in front of the radiator causing overheating as stated earlier, just reverse polarity then they are a pusher fan, pushing air from outside thru the radiator, not pulling . that wouldnt make any sense pulling against airflow from traveling forward.They are not quite as efficient as a puller fan behind the radiator, but sometimes it is your only choice. If you want to go with the big diesel radiator, they are a huge radiator and work great, If you have the room, I dont, but I do have one of these radiators setting in my shop. As for an electric fan opposing an engine driven fan that is only if they are installed incorrectly, they can be wired to work together and increase cooling .Dont be afraid of electric fans, they are a must on higher performance engines.And make sure the infornmation you are getting is correct as well.

If you reverse the polarity on an electric fan, turning a puller into a pusher or vice versa, the blades of the fan will be pitched the wrong way, greatly reducing the effeciency of the fan. If the fan is in front of the radiator, it needs to be a pusher type, which are a little less effective than a puller, but more effective than a puller with the polarity reversed used as a pusher.

I ment the electric fan is a sucker if ur view is from the motor, it pushes air through the radiator, which solved the heat problem on the 350 that use to be in it, but now its just not enough.

lots of info, I thank you all very much, but im still up in the air about what to do? Any input on a good set up thats not going to lighten my pants too much? thanks

I have a Griffin w/ two 1 1/4" Cores, 31" x 19". It was super easy to mount, no hose problems. Get a seperate tranny cooler, with a heavy truck and a big motor, you really need one, I like the B+Ms.