Aluminum radiator worth it?

Guys, in my '54 Chevy I'm swapping my engine (blew the 327) and I'm dropping in a 283. YEARS ago the previous owner told me he had the stock radiator recored. However, I've still had issues with overheating. Would a new aluminum one be worth the cost? 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!

 

If you buy one of the cheap chinese radiators for $150, it might. But then again, the 283 should not get quite as warm as the 327 just because it's a smaller displacement engine. And you might have some other issues you could fix to make it cool ok with the radiator you have.

 

I am a big proponent of copper/br*** radiators and big (steel) engine driven fans.

I have used aluminum radiators thinking they were the answer for engines that ran hot and a host of electric fans and still had problems.

A good recored radiator is fine. HRP

 

You never are going to get one clear cut answer on this question, it has been beat to death time and time again on here. Some people love aluminum radiators and some hate them, it is that simple.

Personally, I like them, so I say you should put one it. But I also like SPAL electric fans, and a lot of others hate anything but a traditional steel belt driven fan. My advice is to do what you want and not worry about what others think. I live in Florida with temps in the high 90's lots of days with humidity near 100%, so I want a car that runs as cool as possible. For me, an aluminum radiator and SPAL puller fan do that.

Don

 

"And you might have some other issues you could fix to make it cool ok with the radiator you have." squirrel

I put a new radiator in my '57 because I didn't know the age or condition (except it did not leak) of the one I got with the car when it was purchased in 1975. The car actually runs a little warmer now than it did.

Water pump, fan shrould, belt tension, thermostat, are all factors.

 

Years ago, I recored my Mopar radiator in my F100. (two 350s ago) Always a consistent 180 degrees, with a 190 thermostat. (this is a formula I use on customers' cars, pre-1975)

Lately, I've been reading about a 'warming phenomenon' that affects everything...and noted my F100, after a major maintenance service has been running at 184 degrees, at this writing I have NOT examined or test boiled the thermostats to check for consistency.

I considered an aluminum radiator, (there are varied claims of temp drop w/ aluminum core) but there is a wide range of quality out there. If one is in MY future, it will be selected after an exhaustive study of product longevity.
Otherwise, another new Mopar br*** one will bolt right back in there! (kinda favor the old br*** one, looks like it grew there)

 

It depends if you are running bias or radial tires.

 

I'm one of the haters. I've been building hot rods for almost 50 years and have never found a need for an aluminum radiator. Personally I think it's a status symbol. If you don't care about the look of your engine compartment or you like the modern look that's OK There is no "magic pill" to prevent over heating problems. Find out what is wrong with your system before you throw a lot of money at it. Fix that and if it turns out to be a clogged radiator, it's up to you what you use. And don't get pulled into the electric fan set either. We were driving theses things in the heat long before it became fashionable to run an electric fan. Electric fans on aluminum radiators look like **** to me. Fix the problem before yo spend a lot of money. JMHO

 

I've had good experiences with aluminum rads. Champion makes them well, imo, and they are not expensive. I've painted my radiators black, no one knows the difference. And if they do, who cares?

 

You didn't say if you were running a 'fan-shroud' or not : if you're not it might just be the 'problem-solver' you're looking for! This subject has been beaten to death on lots of other entries, but the final answer is :"THEY WORK"!!! They're not that difficult to either adapt or 'fresh-fabricate', especially if you spend some time armed with a tape measure & note paper at the local 'univ. of car tech" also called a wrecking yard. I've found answers to most of my application/fabrication questions there! Yes, I do know that I'm a 'smart-***', & your point is?

 

ours quit the business 20 years ago. The kids who took over don't want anything to do with fixing old radiators the right way. ****s.

 

Pretty much the same around here locally, I think there is one radiator shop in town that still repairs car and pickup radiators out of ten that were between her and Prosser Wa 20 years ago. On anything smaller than a semi or big piece of farm equipment the locals don't repair theme anymore and don't even want to clean and check them, they just want to pull a new one off the shelf and sell it to you.
Last year I drove 30 miles to a shop to have them pull the tank off a 4 row radiator out of my 71 and remove the trans cooler and solder over the holes and clean the radiator. He wouldn't look at it because in moving it around I had gotten some gravel in the outlet. In fact he was rather insulted that I had even carried it in the shop.

 

yep, pros/cons on both sides of the fence. a lot more involved than just the radiator - cap pressure, thermostat style (big mouth)/ temp rating, good flowing water pump, no blockage in coolant p***age ways inside engine, type of fan/shroud used, location of trans cooler, engine tuned properly, etc. but, if you decide to go the aluminum route they work best as a cross flow. use coolant, and/or special radiator cap, that protects aluminum. do not just buy one because it is cheap - they are glued together, not welded. certainly look out of place in a nostalgia ride. bottom line, it is yours and you need to do what you need to do

 

I'd just asked because my radiator has taken a beating in its life. The top has been a resting place for more than one heavy arm and while it was out of the car to facilitate installing the new motor, I thought I might upgrade. 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 thought about getting one of these and painting the top black. Would probably p*** for a stocker with a shove I'd say.

Thanks for all the opinions and thoughts!


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!

 

my son has a '54 Chevy sedan with a 305 small block, that motor has a hard time heating up the water in the stock radiator, so you must have a problem somewhere.

 

Well, since the 327 has blown up, I'll have to see how the 283 fairs. I just wanted to take every precaution I can before putting a lot of miles on the engine.


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!

 

Not to split hairs or anything.... but blackwall vs wide whites comes into play as well....

 

https://www.autocitycl***ic.com/

 

I'll admit that the aluminum ones are pretty ***y. I've always used the br***/copper ones and mostly shop out of a Harrison catalog. I do have a local shop (run by hotrodders...) that are the go-to guys for evaluating, repairing old radiators.

 

My aluminum radiator cools my 427 a lot better than my original radiator, most likely because its bigger. Its isn't nostalgic, but for me, the cooling factor is more important. If you are ok with modern under the hood, they are fine. Just depends on cost vs looks really.I still have my original in storage, although I doubt it will see service anytime soon if ever again.

 

Nothing wrong with aluminum radiators I use them on race cars and Fox mustangs. But, an aluminum radiator is going to cool less than a br***/copper one, copper and/or br*** is a better conductor of heat by far. Aluminum is cheaper that is for sure. For any period type car I would only use a br***/copper type of radiator, but that is just me. Switching to an aluminum radiator if your having cooling problems with a stock unit is headed in the wrong direction. The only why an aluminum radiator would cool better is if the stock one was defective or the new one was bigger or better designed, but not because of the material.

 

did you get a price for a recore? it ain't cheap anymore, if you can find a shop to do it. the aftermarket radiator industry pretty much put all the mom and pop radiator shops out of business, so the ones that are still around get big money to recore, price of copper is thru the roof. guy down the street wanted 450 bucks to recore my ihc radiator, he got me an aluminum one with almost the same specs for 225.

 

Another factor that is often overlooked is the pulleys,make sure the water pump pulley is smaller than the crank pulley. HRP

 

a couple years ago, I replaced the br***/copper radiator in my 55 with an aluminum one. It's a cross flow, the size used in the big GM cars from the early 70s. New radiator is the same size as the old one, it has two wide tubes instead of 4 narrow tubes. Cools noticeably better. I didn't change anything else. I did paint the aluminum radiator black, so it looks more like it should. $140 on ebay for the radiator. It doesn't have a drain plug, which pisses me off.

 

I say no to the high price aluminum radiators. I have two cars both v8's with copper br*** radiators and both run at proper temp even on the hottest days stuck in traffic. if your car is overheating you have other problems.

 

Bingo. People who know no better throw money and parts at the issue instead of going back to the basics to find the real problem.

 

My son has a br*** radiator in his '27 'Nose Job'. He reconditioned everything a couple of years back, and took his radiator into an older shop in San Jose...(now under new mgmt.)
Before he took the radiator, he punched some tiny characters in the upper solder channel alongside the rear of the tank.
They said they'd pull the tanks, rod it out, and clean, re***emble, and paint.
Rich went to pick the radiator up, fresh paint, looked nice. He looked inside, saw some old dirt.
Asked the guy for a knife, and s****ed paint out of the solder channel...there were the characters!
Tanks had NOT been removed...the guy hung his head, said "I thought the kid did it, he's gone..."
Rich did NOT pay $120, but gave the guy $20...for 'Repainting it'!

 

Yep, the aluminum does not transfer heat as well, but the design of some newer radiators more than make up for that.

 

There is a lot more to the copper vs aluminum comparo than metallurgy. Yes, copper conducts energy better than aluminum. But that's not the entire story. Aluminum dissipates heat better than copper.

The bigger difference in performance between copper and aluminum radiators is their physical design. Given aluminum's superior strength, manufacturers can design them with larger diameter tubes, which reduces water flow resistance (which in turn results in greater flow - gpm - through the radiator), and increases the tube-fin contact area, thus increasing the ability of the aluminum radiator to cool the fluid within.

Overall, an aluminum radiator can out-perform a copper radiator, and vice versa, depending on their design, not just metallurgy.

 

Sounds good to me.