So heres the deal. I have a 56 chevy 150 that originally had a straight six in it. I put a sbc in it over the summer. My question is, are the radiator supports different on the 283 cars than the 235 cars? On the 235 the radiator mounts to the front of the support and on the bel air parts car I had the radiator mounted behind it. Then I was on some random website and they were selling refurbed griffin radiators that said for tri-five in line six radiator supports only. Then might as well ask question number two. Will the stock radiator be enough to cool a stock 350? how about with a mild cam? should I run an electric fan or is the mechanical one ok?
I had a six cylinder radiator in my 56 wagon that cooled my 350 just fine, and it was a used radiator. You'll be fine with a refurbed griffin and a stock fan, as long as it's tuned and timed properly.
the core supp0ort must be changed when changeing radiator I bought a 55 56 57 rad from speedway and it was a v8 mount set up and took the bands off [mounts ] and reversed them and it worked in my 54 chev which previously had a 6 cyl rad mounted in it
i use the six mounts with an 8 cyl radiator they make em this way you can move the engine forward an inch to clear the distributer and it looks cleaner i think, also more room behind for fans
Heres why I am asking. I had the entire front end pulled off the front of my 150 while I was stripping the parts car. When I put the new motor in the last thing I looked at was the bel air so when I put the engine in I used a short water pump figuring I would have the right clearance for everything. When I put it back together I realized my mistake and remembered the radiator mounted in front of the support. I really hate running electric fans. I hate the look of them and the sound bugs the hell out of me for some reason. I could probably make a shroud but that would probably look stupid as well. I had a spare radiator that came along with the parts car which is the same size as the original one only the mounting bracket is on the other side. I was just wondering if the supports were universal and could accept either one? I would go look but it is freezing outside and the electric fried out in my garage. There are no windows in my garage and I cant see **** in there. I know I could fab something up but I would prefer to take the easy way out
As others have stated, yes- the radiator support is different for a v8 and the inline 6. The inline 6 radiator support has the radiator mounted towards the front, between the radiator support and the grill. When the radiator is mounted in the 6 cylinder position: You have more room for a big block or a small block with the long water pump. You'll have less room for the air conditioning core infront of the radiator. Also, radiator hoses can be an issue. You can special order hoses designed for this (about $15 each) or you can obviously use generic hoses. You should be ok with a mild engine, mechanical fan and the stock radiator.
I believe the Cl***ic Chevy Vendors actually sell a "kit" that allows you to mount the radiator BEHIND the support using some adapter plates. You could probably fab them up youself. They also sell premade shrouds, metal or plastic. The only time I ever owned a big block (396), was in my first 56' Business coupe, used the stock 6 cylinder radiator in the stock location and NEVER had a cooling problem Butch/56sedandelivery.
Do you still have the V8 radiator support from the parts car? Is the parts car another 56? If so, the radiator support and tie bar (the straight bar that bolts the two front fenders together and goes past the top radiator tank), from the V8 car will bolt right in. If the parts car is a 55 or a 57, the V8 radiator support will bolt in, (just the U-shaped part). The tie bar WILL NOT work. However, you can use the 6 cylinder tie bar with the V8 radiator support. You will have to drill out either some spot welds, or some rivits to separate the radiator support from the tie bar. These spot welds or rivits, (depends on what factory the car was built at), are at the top ends of the U shaped radiator support. Just drill them out. After the support and the tie bar are in your 56, bolt the tie bar to the radiator support, (one bolt on each side is enough). The bolts replace this spot welds or rivits. This will help to keep the side braces on your radiator from breaking loose from the top radiator tank. All of the rest of the front sheetmetal is the same between a V8 and a six car.
Odd, all the 55-57 cars I remember seeing stock did not have a removeable "tie bar" at all. It was one-piece side to side all the way sacross the mount panel. The ones with removeable "tie bars" had cut out top bars where the radiator mounted with either extensions so they could be bolted in or other odd channel or tube stock cut to fit all the way across so they could be bolted in. It was the accepted quickie modification that kept you from having to lift the engine so high to clear the pan when changing engines.
I had a 56 wagon with a mild small block and a stock radiator in the 6 cyc location. It had a short water pump and a flex fan and a spacer (i think 2"), i drove the helll out of it with 4:11 gears and never had a heating issue.
Leave the radiator in the 6 cylinder position, you'll need to if you ever want to switch over to a 605 or similiar power steering box...it can be done using the V-8 position, but man is it tight. When I converted my 57 over to PS, I moved the rad in front of the support, and even without a shroud, the car has never overheated, not once. Plus, the extra room is a real plus when it comes to changing belts etc.
the 55 wagon I had never overheated with a stock radiator. 350 stroked tunnel ram and an auto. I got a new V/8 radiator from a friend pulled the support, drilled the spot welds out and turned the u around and welded back. Used a plastic fan shroud that is made for the tri 5. Also it was a 6 core support.
The factory either spot welded, or rivited the tie bar to the U shaped radiator support, and it was not removable. This varied with different factories. Once the spot welds or rivits are drilled out, the tie bar can be removed by unbolting it from both front fenders ( 2 bolts on each side) and the baffels that are next to the radiator, (2 sheetmetal screws on each side). This way the tie bar does not need to be cut to ease engine removal. The tie bar can just be unbolted. The tie bar fits pretty tight over the radiator support, but two bolts should be used, (one on each of the top ends of the U shaped radiator support), to bolt the tie bar to the radiator support. Unless the extra bolts are noticed, it looks just like it did from the factory, but it is removable. Could never figure out why the factory didn't build them this way. It is so easy to do. Just be sure to be careful of the wiring harness. It runs along the underside of the tie bar.
You can drill out the welds on the cross bars, and flip the u shaped support around, for the V8 position. I left mine in the 6 cyl. position, and put a shroud on it.
I have a 55 with a pretty healthy 350, i cut mine and rewelded it the thickness of the support so like an inch, i am running one of the improved stock appearing v8 radiators with a long water pump, fan spacer, and plenty of room for the distributor. I have no shroud or thermostat and can drive it all the way to the beach and jump right in traffic and cruise at the "cruisin ocean city maryland" show.
So I got the electric fixed in my garage and went out and braved the cold and snow today. I dug out the v8 radiator I had and took a look. It looks like the brackets that hold the radiator on the front are bolted to the support with 6 screws. It looks like i can just take them off and flip them to the otherside. all I would have to do is drill 6 holes on the otherside to mount them. I am ***uming I wont run into any problems doing this but here are some pics of it where it will be going. Let me know if you guys think I will run into any issues. Better safe than sorry.
The Jalopy Journal
