...so last year Wagon was deep into overheat territory, but it runs fine when the air temps are 5*C. She'd overheat at speed, not at idle with electric fans. Gotta be the damn Radiator. So much for that triple pass nonsense. So we have ourselves a typical overheat prone 455 here stuffed into the rather small Regal/Century engine bay. I'd like to hear your thoughts on a radiator. An unholy, over-the-top, cooling hell itself radiator. I'd like to feel a chill just standing in the same room with this thing. It has to fit into the Regal/Century mount tho... not giving up my AL rad support. Thoughts?
I recommend you use a radiator. No really do you have a shroud? Good Aluminum made for a Monte Carlo or a 80 Malibu should fit. Like Pkilip said a big aluminum with dual fans .
My setup is still new i only put 1000 miles on it last summer,I started with the 130 dollar f body alum rad, the temp would slowly get over 200 on warm and humid days, now i am running a two row alum radiator from summit, they are made by northern, also for the f body, and the car runs around 180 to 185 on those warm days, this is with a 160 hi flow thermostat, and i am also considering some type of dual electric fan conversion, i feel that the temp should run closer to the t-stat rating. jon
jonm, are you currently running a stock type clutch fan now? If your running in the 180s temp wise with that set-up thats pretty good.
yea good points on the temp that i'm at, but on colder mornings it runs around 145-150, and i would like to run a 180 hi flow stat, but i'm not sure if it will run 20 degrees warmer than that on the warm days, i've always thought the engine temp should be close to the rating of the stat, i also plan to hook up the ac this spring or summer, which will put more heat up front, and yes i do have the 7 blade clutch fan, with a V8 shroud. i'm not complaining , its still new and i've got a little tuning yet. Jon
John, just curious what fan shroud you are running? I'm probably going to put the Summit aluminum rad in mine and using a clutch fan but not sure on what sources in the junkyard I can get a shroud from. -Rob
If i remember correctly it was a two piece shroud from a monte carlo with a 305, i bought it about 10 years ago and had it in a 79 regal for a while, all of the holes in the core support lined up perfect in the 79,and the 87 that i have now, i'm not sure but a cutlass with a 307 might also work for you, my engine sits off center and is closer to the passenger side, but the fan clearance is tight on the driver side, i think the water pump isn't inline with the crank centerline, if i remember right the fan is about 18" and was from the 76 lesabre donor, and i bought a new clutch from napa, I did some looking at summit, the proliance radiator is about $112, and i was not happy with that one, the one i have now is a summit PN 380455 and about $280, both have trans coolers and drain fittings, i think you need different tank cushions (not sure wht they're called) for the thicker rad. Jon
heh, my engine sits slightly off center as well, i think it's to the drivers side. i use a monte SS fan shroud, and radiator.. although it creeps up towards 200 on a hot day, i'm ditching that radiator come spring, and going with the biggest alum i can find, i don't think a 2 core alum will do it. as my engine is prone to over heating due to large overbore anyway. but yeah, the monte shroud for the 305 is a bolt in, and works great, brought my idle temp into much more reasonable controll on a normal day. I'm running a straight up fan, no clutch. gonna swithc to lectric i think. not sure though.
...wow that's some serious thread hijacking p A 2 core will not cut it for this 455. I previously ran a triple pass rad and it just did not hold up. I run twin electric fans and a couple of ground scoops to feed air to this beast. I was looking for a 29 or 31" AL rad, 3 rows of 1" or 1 rows of 1.5"....anyone running something that beefy?:3gears:
