I have a 19*31" Northern universal fit radiator with an aluminum shroud and two puller fans in a Regal. The motor is a stage 3 464 that is street driven. I cant go more than a couple of miles before the motor heats up over 200. I have tried different timing, a high flow 180 thermostat(which did help a little), but im ready to spend more money for a better radiator. So what is everyones prefererd radiator?
I have an aluminum radiator I bought on ebay for something like 180.00 and a Summit fairly large trans cooler. I live in the heat in Texas and it works pretty well for me. The timing can be the culprit too.
The radiator you have is similiar to mine, but unfortunatly it doesnt support 600+ horsepower. I was thinking more like a Griffin, Be cool, Howe, or Ron Davis. At this point im willing to pony up for the big buck radiator.
If you call Griffin Radiator, they will custom make a radiator for you. My Griffin is 2 row with 1 1/4" tubes. They can make one with 1 1/2" tubes that should cool anything. Have you ever thought about a good clutch fan and a better shroud. I think your problem is air flow. I'm not a big fan (no pun intended) of electric fans. How about a high flow 160* stat? A 180 stat is not fully open until 200* http://www.griffinradiator.com/
I went with the TA/Ron Davis unit. Being here in the desert, I hope it allows me to drive the car in the summer without a meltdown!
I have a Griffin universal radiator in my car along with a Meziere high flow electric pump. The car never gets hot and this with a filled block in a high compression engine that makes 700+ HP. I swear by this water pump and will never run anything else.
With the Bulldog head 464, I run a 31" Howe universal race rad with a 160 high flow stat and a 20" 7 blade clutch fan/ factory shroud and never go over 188. It normally runs between 175 and 180. Howe also custom build.
Larry I have a question for you. I don't mean to hijack this thread but your answer could be useful to others also. I put a stock replacement fan clutch on my 53 a while back and yesterday I decided to read the literature that came with it.:idea2: In there it says the fan never turns faster than 1800 rpms regardless of engine speed? Are they all like that or do some allow the fan to turn faster? I have a little heating when the outside temps get over 100 degrees. Gets up to around 210 even with the booster fan on during slower speeds. Thanks Bob H.
Get ride of the shroud and those weak fans. Put a single Flex-a-Lite Black Magic M150 fan on and it will be fine. Shroud or no shroud, those fans don't pull enough cfm. That setup traps more heat than it pulls....ou:
I think there advertised at 2750 CFM, which I thought would be plenty but I can see your point if it didnt pull enough air through it would just trap heat. When the fans are running you can feel air flow up by the windshield wipers with the hood on, and with your hand in front of them air is moving pretty good.
I actually have Rick's old setup on my car. The T-bird/Mark 8 fans move a ton of air and are cheap if you can score one from a local yard.
Glad to hear it is still kickin' for ya and doing the job!:TU: The size of the fan makes a big difference on what it pulls thru across the radiator VS thru it over a small area.
With all of that sheetmetal blocking airflow through the radiator, I'm surprised you are ever able to cool down the motor. I have electric fans on my car, and I can easily drive 50 miles to work and the engine never heats above 170, and the fans almost NEVER come one. Get rid of that sheetmetal and you'll solve your problems. -BC
Ill get rid of the shroud and zip tie the fans in and see what happens. I guess that would be the next step before switching to a new setup. Now if I can just find the time. Thanks everyone for your input and ill update you when I confirm victory over heat. Tom
