I want to get a new radiator for my 63 nova ,want to keep the look of the down flow radiator.I have been looking a alum.radiators,but i dont like the look of the fabbed tank is there any one that I can swap in from like a 64 chevelle or impala that will fit and look right.Any ideas? thanks Todd
http://www.usradiator.com/default.htm Have one in my 63. Fits like a glove and runs cool. Aluminum is overrated.
TWO TO MANY...HUERO has the right answere, but it's expensive. having said that I totaly agree. by using a brass radiator, they can be cleaned and repaired. and by the way ALUMINUM radiators are expensive too. the PIC. he showed you will bolt right in, and it has 3 rows of tubes, and a trany. cooler...POP.
the drawback to chevy 2's is they take really narrow radiator. are you running a 6 or 8cyl. you might want to pm spity as he is chevy 2 guy.
I also agree with the Mustang radiators . Have one in my 55 Ford and no problems . Why didn't you just get your old radiator fixed or rebuilt ? RetroJim
I have a friend who is using his 6 cyl. radiator to cool his 383. How? It was re-cored and is a 3 row. I would definatly run a fan shroud though. Don't know if the 6cyl. fan shround would fit the fan correctly on a sbc.
A stock Chevy II with a v8 and stock manifolds exhaust etc will overheat on a warm day. They overheated when new, and they still do 45 years later. There just isnt alot of flow going on under the hoods. Be careful what you choose, because on a warm day you will over heat/run hot. My '63 wagon is a bone stock 283 conversion, with the addition of a edelbrock intake/carb, headers and electric fans. In the summer it runs hot, and will overheat in rush hour traffic. It does have the proper v8 radiator. Many people have successfully ran 6 cylinder radiators, however they are usually quarter mile cars, or not driven in 85+ degree heat.
Agreed on the limited airflow under the hood. Had a 60 Olds 371 in my 62 years ago, and even put a straight axle in it, which allowed more airflow, but the damn thing ran warm even with a Cadillac crossflow in it. Wouldn't spit out coolant, but did run warm. Even had the proper shroud.
im following this thread......i have a new but stock 6cyl radiator for my 6, but i run hot when in traffic even with a shroud. i am thinking of getting the V8 radiator at least, but would like to know if there is anything better....with the 6, i have only a few inches till it hits the fan pulley....
Tkuhl - what radiator do you have, where did you get it? There are a few different L6 radiators out there. This radiator is not as wide as the hole in the core support and it has the wide brackets on the sides: It is available as a 2 row or 3 row unit. the extra row is towards the core support. Here is a pic of the 2 row: The extra row on the 3 row fills this area. There is another one that has thinner brackets and fills the entire hole in the core support and comes in 2 or 3 row. The mounting holes are spaced further apart and the radiator is taller: I had to drill some holes in the core support to mount it, but wanted the extra capacity. I was told that some core supports may already have these holes drilled. I know of someone that used a universal 2 core crossflow radiator from summit with an inline 6. I wasn't able to use it because the snout on the 292 waterpump sticks out further than the 194/230/250 engines. The damper is also thicker, creating more clearance issues. I would've been able to use it with a couple of electric fans, but I really want to use a mechanical fan if possible. There are a few more pics on my webpage: Chevy II Radiator Pics
A couple of thoughts. What is your oil pressure like and what is the air/fuel ratio? If these are not up to par, then the engine could tend to run hot on hot days. Another question: do you have a fan clutch? If so is it any good. These things are nothing but trouble and fail often. Lastly, an oil cooler could help too.
When I built my '63 back in the early 90s, I used a radiator for a 66/67 L-79 Nova. I think it was built by Griffin, but I'm sure you could get one cheaper somewhere else now. I used a Flex-A-Lite Black Magic Fan (perfect size, good airflow, and a nice shroud built in), and it cleared just fine (using a short water pump). It had no problem cooling my high compresion 377. A Pontiac Fiero (V6) has a similar size electric fan that should also work well. The original 64-65 V8 cars used a sheetmetal spacer between the rad support and the radiator, but they are really hard to find and of dubious value anyway, unless you are doing a restoration.
Years ago -(like about 30! ) - I put an AMC rad out of a Gremlin or Hornet into a '64 Chevy II. The AMC rad had top tanks, was about the right size and other than drilling some new mounting holes, was pretty much a straight 'bolt in'. Mart3406 ==================================
HA yes my boss is building a wagon with a turboV6 from a typhoon. pretty bitchin. 63chevyII yes mine is just like the first one you have pictured. i think i will try the wider one and see if the extra capacity fixes the issue. also, whats your takes on thermostats? i have heard arguments for both using and not using them. currently i am not running one.
When I still had a 6 in my chevy II I tried a couple different radiators. One that I thought would clear but the fan ended up munchin' on was a big downflow out of a GTO. I replaced it with a crossflow out of a 70 Nova, a modine 331. Later with a very hot 327 had recored as a 4 core. To mount it bolted in Vega lower supports and used the 70 Nova top plate. Anyway, that 4 core has worked fine down here in Austin. It was my daily driver for many years, never overheated, even after adding a th350 and AC. EDIT: I looked in an old Modine catalog and 347 is the 4 core, same width as the 331. Core only is 3r11456.
I got mine at Classic Industries in Huntington Beach. Chevy2Only.com also sells them. They are manufactured by US Radiator. the one I have is part number (010440ANHK - optima core with the auto tranny cooler). http://www.usradiator.com/index.php/chevrolet-chevy-ii-1963-65-l6-194-230-radiator.html When I bought mine, Classic had their sale so I was able to get it for 20% off.
If you are not running a thermostat the coolant won't stay in the radiator long enough to cool down. I have a 62 with the stock v8 64 setup ( radiator, spacer, etc.) It has an 80 over 283 with huge cam. I used a flex o lite black plastic flex fan ( pushes lots of air) then I have the biggest electric that will fit in the front of the rad. When it's over 85 and under 100 outside it will run around 210 in traffic with the elec fan on. When it's ove 100 and get in slow traffic I buy a block of ice, break in half long wise and put half of it in front of the radiator on the space against the lower tank. It'll run 180/190 in traffic with outside temps over 100. Ice only lasts about 15 to 20 minutes
I built an OT '74 Chevy Luv truck for my father with a sbc. I tried everything to cool it. Recored the stock radiator, used a mustang radiator and even recored the mustang radiator. I finally went to a radiator shop and had them build me a custom radiator. That sucker ran so cool, I had to block off some of it so the heater would work.
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