I saw a post here where there was a formula to determine if your radiator is big enough to cool the engine properly. Besides starting it up to see if it overheats.. I cant find it any where. I am dealing with very restrictive space in the front of the engine, I might have to put a bigger rad in the back if the one I have is too small.
My family has been building radiators for near on 40 years and I have never heard of it. Cant say that one could work as it depends more on the ability of the radiator core to dissipate heat than the avaliable volume of it! Go to a shop that still builds radiators and talk to them. Doc.
or find a radiator catalog and look at what size radiator was used with that engine in which vehicles as original equipmen. if you cough up an engine type I can maybe look in a catalog I have to give you somewhere to start.
looks like the smallest oem radiator was probably the early Mustangs, at about 17" x 17" core size. most were in the 18" x 20" range. There are a lot of considerations, including such things as airflow in and out, fan, shrouding, exhaust (headers shed heat more easily than manifolds), cyl head material, ignition timing curve, rearend gearing/overdrive, etc. good luck!
I worked in my uncles radiator shop back around 1969 through 1973. He had a "rate of flow" machine (by Beacon?)that he could flow water through them to see just how much they were clogged etcetra. Somewhere he had a chart that listed the minimum rates for different engines. But as I recall it he had most of it in his head and knew when things were borderline or worse. Anyway you might check a shop in your area and see if they can do something similar. It's better than sticking something in and cooking your engine. Good Luck!
I just did some work on a 66 Mustang with a 302. It held 4.2 Gal of water from totally empty including heater core. A 86 Ford 1/2 Ton Van with a 302 holds 6.3 Gal. of Water. Like mentioned before, abality to move air through and out of motor compartment is the Key, not Volume. My V-8 motorcycle holds 2.2 Gal of water. It runs a 351 Cleaveland. No problems there. Good Luck, The Wizzard
That's most likely the smallest dimensionally, but it's definitely a large volume downflow radiator. The late-model Mustang that engine came out of has a very lightweight, but super efficient crossflow radiator. I use one to cool a 400hp stroker 351 & can barely get the thing to warm up... So you're right (as usual), Squirrel - loads of variables. Talking to an old-time radiator guy - he said one of the best radiators would be a crossflow with the intake & outlet on the same side, baffled so the water had to go all the way across & all the way back. Said you could get away with a much smaller radiator that way...
The twin flow radiators are good, but a tri flow is better, ie goes across, comes back then across again and exits the other side. What car is it going in, if its like an A Model thats tough, if its like a 50 or latter car then you have a mul***ude of choices. One thing NEVER buy a second hand radiator!! BUY NEW!! Id go the largest I can fit then vary the thermostat to suit. If you can make a shroud for the fan. Even the best radiator Will fail if the fan keeps pulling hot air back through the core from the engine compartment. Doc.
Nah, quad flows restrict flow too much, the tri seems to be the better. And my dog is blacker than yours............
The radiator I have is roughly 17 x 17 core size. Its a crossflow from a volvo. Due to the front clip I have, it sits low to the motor, the top of the rad is at the same height of the water pump pulley. I am making top and side air deflectors with rubber seals to keep the air going through the radiator instead of around it. There will be a 15" puller fan on the inside, and may put a pusher on the outside if it will help any. 180 degree stat, no headers yet. No inner fender panels, there will be a hood and side panels in the near future. Engine is 85 truck 302, iron heads, edelbrock 4bbl intake and carb, stock points dizzy right now, C4 trans 2500 stall w/shift kit, 9" Ford rear with 3:50 gears. The truck is a 46 Ford with a 39 Studebaker Commander front clip. The rad basically fits in the lower part of the fenders at the grill openings. A custom radiator bent into a V shape would be great. Anyone do those?
Did you know you don't half to start with a Rad out of something? I have built tanks and had Cores cut to fit, No big deal. Also if you want a V shaped cross flow Rad it can be done with 2 cores conected with a center tank. I feel your getting carried away thinking of using push and pull fans. I don't see any advantage to that. Keep it simple, get it driving and go from there. You may not have a problem at all. The Wizzard
I am 1) inherently cheap. 2) I like to try to make stuff I have at hand work before buying something new. I am slowly learning that that is not always the best way to do it. I learned that with the transmission on this truck already. I had it almost all together then had to pull it all apart to get the trans out. Drop out trans crossmember coming soon. I'm not sold on the pusher fan. I would like to explore making a proper radiator, but have found nobody local that wants to do it. They like to sell new ones, not repair. I'm just a little apprehensive about the way this radiator is placed, and that it may not work. My only other options if it does not work are get a rad built for the front, or relocate it to the rear, which I really dont want to do. I am going to run this one for now and see if it works.
what would it take to put in a kind of wide crossflow, mounted up/down instead of normal? I dont know how things are in california, but I have a bunch of old radiators in my barn, mostly cross flow because the top tank ones all got put into something. do you know anyone there who has junk like that laying around? only 39 studes I helped figure out radiators for were Champions, not the big Commander....but on the Champs it didn't take much work to get a really tall radiator in there.
There is not enough room in front of the engine to put anthing wider than 13-14 inches. The way the center piece comes together with the fenders, it cant happen. If I put a radiator in the stock stude location, I would have to remove the timing cover forward. Starting at the stock stude location, going forward, it comes to a peak. Theres just not enough room to cut anything out. I went through a pile of 200 radiators and test fitted 5 or 6 before I found this one. I would be happier if it was about 3 inches wider, as I have room for that.
I think the suction fan (typ.) on the back of a radiator, or heater core works best. Putting one in front, it will have to be away from the core AND have a leakproof style shroud around it, to be effective.
I understand keeping an eye on the Buck. To bad Palmdale is so far away from Vancouver, I'm always willing to lend a hand. If I were you I'd go ahead the direction your headed. Close it off around the Rad you have, mount the fan on the rear and try it out. The only thing I'd change is the Thermostat, I'd drop to a 165 degree and get the water moving sooner through the Rad. The Wizzard
Hi Ray - Thanks again for the powerglide torquetube/rear - it'll go in next month... I am also thinking about the exact same thing right now for my new 261. I decided to not get a 4-core V8 radiator from the start, but try a trip to Mojave first with the stock 2-core. But I guess I will end up with a 3-core, which is only 1/2 price than the 4-core. Man, just for Palmdale, I may want to go with the 4-core though. Everytime I drive by your city, the coolant temp goes up another 10-15 degrees, then drops again on the climb down to St. Clarita back to normal. So maybe go bigger than others would suggest, who don't know Palmdale summers.... The air temperature a couple feet above the heat-radiating road must be getting close to coolant temperature anyway - not much cooling there...
I think of thermostat temp range as the minimum temp the engine runs during the colder months. Mostly to get quicker warm-up and burn off moisture in the crankcase sooner. During the summer we are happy out here if we can stay at 190 degrees going on the freeway at higher rpm. A 180 would be just as wide open as a 160 and have the same effect. Some engines, like the cold-blooded early 216 actually had 140 stock and a 160 was recommended for the heater to be more effective.
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