Aluminum radiator worth it?

I bought one of that brand. It is a quality unit, nice welds and a perfect, bolt-in fit for the original.

 

I like aluminum the fewer kinds of metals in the cooling systems the better. The more kinds of metals the greater the chance electrolysis.

 

I think you have aproblem elsewhere I run a 327/300 hp
in my 50 Merc with the Stock Rad & I just cooled it Down
to Running at 160 on the Highway Crusing at 65mph
by putting a Shroud bet the Rad & where the Hood Latches
and if that didnt work I would have run a Shroud around the Engine
since my engine came out of a 63 Chevy Impala, which ran a shroud

just my 3.5 cents

 

As posted copper/br*** radiators have a better cooling coefficient then aluminum. If weight is the issue go aluminum. To me the best radiator on the market is Walker they've been in business since 1932. They may be pricey but they come with a 10 year warranty and they fit the application they are designed for. The Walker in my 46 Ford convertible has been in there for 15 years.
I learned a long time ago that when it comes to brakes, cooling and steering you buy the best. Any of those Chinese radiators made by small children have a ten year warranty?
Lets also dispel the myth that aluminum radiators are more expensive then copper/br***. Cheap Chinese aluminum radiators can be had for $150 or less. The aluminum epoxied radiators are not repairable and are throwaways.
Your car, your money, do what ever makes you feel comfortable.

 

I 2nd drtrcrV-8. I'm a minimalist: do as little as possible to solve the problem & only do 1 change at a time so you know what makes a difference. The shroud is the simplest and the most important. You want all the air to p*** through the radiator and the only way to accomplish that is a shroud. My 2 cents.

 

It depends if you are running bias or radial tires.
In government tests it's been proven that bias tires and wide white walls help an engine run cooler when using an aluminum radiator. The firmer smooth sidewall creates less wind resistance.

 

Funny, lot of truth to the first statement, but you've got it b***-ackwards. Its bias-ply/copper, radials/aluminum...The reasons why should be obvious.

 

The one thing I will offer in the aluminum vs. br***/copper radiator decision is that if you do run an aluminum radiator on an older car that has a direct path from the grille to the radiator surface, run a screen in front of the radiator. Newer cars do not have a direct path to the radiator because of A/C condensers and small grill openings. I have had two rocks puncture aluminum radiator tubes on road trips. You can find a radiator shop who will solder a copper/ br*** radiator almost anywhere, but an aluminum radiator will be a tougher fix. A good screen will stop most any rock.

 

IMHO...........Here goes. I am running a Griffin alum. rad in my open engine bay 26 coupe. Yes it is glued and custom built by Griffin 13 yrs ago. I use Havoline coolant mixed 50/50 with distilled water. Only place to get Havoline is @ NAPA in my area of Charlotte N.C. My motor is a 383 stroker sbc 475 horse w/flex fan 1/2 inch from the rad. with no shroud and stays between 180-190 degrees on a hot day in the Carolinas. Don't preasure test aluminum rad. in a tank that copper rads. has been in. This causes problems. Hope this helps someone....................

 

It has been kind of touched on but....yes copper has better heat transfer......However.....The aluminum allows radiators to be constructed in a way which increases their surface area in a way copper radiators cannot....therefore more then making up the difference. The doesn't make the aluminum a shoe in but it nullifies the Aluminum/copper heat transfer argument.

 

Ok, I don't quite know what my problem could be, but I'll describe my set up. For the last 10 years or so it was a '68 327. Recored stock radiator with a crank driven fan and a shroud. At highway speeds it'd get about 190 max temp and in neighborhood traffic I was getting temps of 200-210. Anything after 210 and I'd start to worry, which happened more often than I'm comfortable with. I know that driving at highway speeds will make it run cooler, but that's not always practical. When it first started overheating I'd changed the thermostat but I honestly can't remember what kind I put in. I'm sure a 283 will run cooler, but what else should I look for? I'm cleaning/repainting my water pump before I put it on the 283 (the one on the motor's a long and I need a short for fan clearance) is there any way to check for problems with it? I plan on eventually getting an electric pusher fan and an aluminum radiator, but only if I can't fix the problem. Thanks, all.


It's primitive technology that is further compromised in the name of vanity.- HAMBer Cleatus

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

210 isn't overheating....and a pusher fan probably won't help.

I'd give it a try as is, and see how it works. do you have a fan shroud?

 

Crank driven fan with shroud. In traffic it'd start at 210 and climb. If I'd shut it off, I'd have to wait for it to cool down before starting again. I know it sounds like I'm whining but this isn't on the hottest days of the year, it's on regular trips. Thanks.


It's primitive technology that is further compromised in the name of vanity.- HAMBer Cleatus

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Can you post a photo of the fan you are using? HRP

 

I`ve heard more than a few people having aluminum radiators go bad with-in ten years of installing them.

 

"I actually thought of the idea while looking online for a replacement pea**** for my radiator. The stock one finally gave up the ghost."

I have run both aluminum and br*** radiators but never had one that had a "pea****" on it. You need to get that big bird out of there, thats probably whats causing the hot condition.

 

Yea, and those things are noisy as hell too. Seriously, in terms of function, I'd take an aluminum rad over br***, the bigger tubes more than trump the difference in conductivity, and the wieght savings is the cherry on top. Obviously, if you are building a period-correct car, that would change everything.
One thing I REALLY DO NOT GET are guys that build cars that are obviously NOT period-correct, but they want to run a generator instead of an alternator, bias ply tires and other functionally inferior parts on a car that has other cues that clearly mark it as a modern build from 100 feet away. Just doesn't make any sense at all to me.

 

If a stock engine with a stock radiator suffers from overheating, changing to an aluminum radiator might mask the symptoms, but it won't cure the problem.

 

Interpretation my friend,interpretation.

The beauty of building hot rods,or customs for that matter is unless you are trying to adhere to a period tradition build there are no rules.

For myself I cherry pick the components from different eras and incorporate them into my builds.

If my labor of love has m*** appeal that's wonderful but if it falls short and my contemporaries don't care for it,that's OK too. HRP

 

I'll try to get a pic of the fan tonight. It's not the stock radiator or engine. It's a recored radiator for a 6 cylinder with an 8 cylinder engine. They might just not be compatible. Who knows.


It's primitive technology that is further compromised in the name of vanity.- HAMBer Cleatus

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

When I built my 55, I put in an old Harrison cross flow radiator, from the early 70s. It got pretty bad around 2001, tube to header connections leaking, so I bought a new copper-br*** replacement radiator. It lasted about ten years. I bought an aluminum radiator to replace it, it cost less. If I get ten years out of it, I'll be happy.

 

Right, so the cure (in my mind) is to install a radiator for a 283, but not necessarily a high performance aluminum radiator. By "stock" I mean a close-to-factory engine that doesn't have a ton of hot rodding done to it.

There is such a thing as too much radiator. That can cause problems, too.

 

I guess it depends on your perspective, and whether or not performance is a priority. I realize the "P" word is a dirty word for a lot of guys on here, and posture is primary.
To my way of thinking, if the car is obviously not period-correct anyway, the idea of mixing in a few old-school parts that compromise performance just for "street cred" flies in the face of what hot rodding is all about. This is why the vast majority of cars I see out there suffer from a major iden***y crisis, as well as having less performance than a new SUV. If thats your bag, cool, I'm certainly not gonna try to change your mind, but my background is racing, and I really wasn't a part of the eighties street rod scene, so I dont really get a LOT of the stuff that goes on around here. Live and let live I say.
If a car is a period-perfect build, then of course, you would want to avoid parts that are going to shatter the illusion, but sticking bias plies and a generator on a car that is otherwise blatantly a modern build just doesnt make any sense to me. Make up your mind what the hell it is your building, and get on with it.

 

If you are running a 6 banger rad with a v-8, and the car is running hot, the solution should be pretty obvious.

 

George,I realize your comment's are not made directly at me,or at least I hope not.

I have grown comfortable with hot rods over the last 50 years,,I don't have to have the fastest car in the group anymore,I'm content to spend hours line chasing.

I guess I'm just a poser nowadays!

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.. " As the Radiator Turns so does the Days of our Lives" HRP

 

It's the stock radiator recored. The previous owner ran a 350 and never said he had any trouble.


It's primitive technology that is further compromised in the name of vanity.- HAMBer Cleatus

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

maybe I missed it, but what is the distance between your fan and radiator?

 

I'm with so many of the others. Throwing an aluminum (or br***) radiator is not necessarily the answer. Maybe the radiator really is too small, but there are a lot of other things that make a cooling system work properly.

One clue is that it cools if you drive faster. That could mean inadequate airflow or inadequate pump flow. Hell, it could just be a slipping belt.

Figure out why it's overheating - don't just toss parts at it.

 

Sounds to me like the radiator is not the problem.

If you are building a new motor, then get a new thermostat and a "performance" type water pump with a cast vs stamped steel impeller.

 

Well, yes, it was the whole "line chasing" thing that came on strong in the seventies/eighties, and really gutted the true meaning of what hot rodding started out as, namely affordable, home-built high performance cars for the working guy. Thats why the phrase "street rodding" was invented, the pastel pink crowd wanted to draw a line in the sand and make it clear to society at large that they werent "hot rodders" anymore, had gone "respectable" and didnt even wanna be ***ociated with those nasty ol' hoodlums anymore. We both know this is a fact, we were there. Nothing against that, but its EXPRESSLY why so many like myself turned our collective backs on the "street rod" scene in the eighties. 3.08 gears cry baby dolls, power parking and wimpy motors have much more m*** appeal, and your neighbours might like you better, but its BORING. I mean COMA INDUCING BORING.
It wasn't the pastel colours and grey mohair (although that was pretty bad as well) it was that 98% of the cars guys were building in that era had no nuts. Performance became a dirty word in the street rod scene, and guys started replacing performance with AC and power windows. I was there, and witnessed this era first hand. If the only thing I gave a damn about was long-distance comfort, I'd just go downtown and buy a new beemer and save myself a lot of h***le.
Then the 2nd "traditional revival" came along in the nineties, and hot rods started to be raw and exciting again. As it took off and became "hot", the pastel pink crowd wanted to join in the fun, so they started putting 16" steelies and bias plies on their cars, and painting them black primer, but they brought the 3.08s and AC with them, and now we are headed back to the jumping off point that initiated the "traditional" revival in the first place. Whats next, a traditional, tradi***ional revival? But, as usual, I digress...