Aluminum radiator worth it?

Most of the important issues have been thoroughly handled. But just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. Have recently built TWO 1954 Chevy's, both with stock 6 cylinders. Here in Orlando, cost of a br*** radiator recore was very prohibitive. So went the aluminum route ($400) Florida heat never was a problem on either car AND one of them went to Phoenix AZ, with no overheating issues. Doing a 3rd Stovebolt stocker, as we speak, and an Aluminum radiator is on it's way from Ecklars Cl***ic Chevy parts. Worth mentioning, All 3 cares are stick shift, so no additional heat transfer from Auto Trans....And yes a Hot Rod V-8 generates way more heat.
Speaking from 35yrs experience, cannot deny a good flowing proper br*** rad does an excellent job, just becoming out of reach for the average builder.
JT

 

I'll check the fuel lines once the engine's in. Nope, no Edelbrock, been running a Q-Jet going to a Rochester 2 barrel soon.


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

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About radiator cooling the fans or scroud shall cover all water flow so there is no possiblity to let the water flow behind the air flow hot water flows more easyly to it boils than cold water do
Conclusion of this is is there anny missing part air flow vs water flow would the water flow there
I have learnt this throu experimets on my work, we tested this with heat camera with and the results was clear

 

I have a '52 Chevy with a SBC. The previous owner/builder said it would run hot on the freeway. I was planning on adding A/C and didn't want overheating problems. I took the car for a drive and it ran at 210 on the freeway, so I switched to a US Radiator, copper br***, 4 row, triple p*** radiator. It helped but going up a long steep grade, it would still get up to 210. So I checked the timing. The distributor's vacuum advance was stuck so I swapped to a new distributor. Now she runs at 140 in light traffic. 180 in bumper to bumper traffic and 190 with the A/C on. My '32 Ford had an aluminum radiator with a thermostatically controlled electric fan, designed to come on at 190. Now matter how hot it got, the fan never came on. It always ran at 180, but the radiator only lasted 2 years before springing a leak.

 

I have a Griffin crossflow two 1 1/2 rows of tubes, and after I resolved some airflow problems, I had a shroud but had two gapping holes on either side of the radiator that colling hoses ran through to get ventilation in to the car. When I plugged them it made a world of difference in engine temperature. I am happy with the Griffin radiator

 

Here's how my fan blades are canted.


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

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looks good!

 

You're running a 283, if it's anywhere close to stock a very basic radiator will get the job done. I pick up cheap copper radiators out of known running vehicles for swapping, most times you can clearance the rad support

 

Here's the underside of the 327. Yeah, it was blown.


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

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ouch!
-Pat

 

OP, before this gets all Facebook, an aluminum radiator can be just as good as copper/br***. Get what you can afford and live with. It's YOUR car.

 

Thanks, that's what I was planning on doing, I just needed a little help deciding what to put in MY car. P.S., this has already turned into Facebook


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

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I don't do Facebook-
if this thread is a taste of what Fakebook is, I don't belong there

 

The TF trucks got a heavy duty radiator option...it was a couple inches wider, and used a one piece steel shroud with the six cylinder engine. I got one out of a 56 one ton, put it in my 59, it was almost enough to keep the blown big block cool.

 

For the cost of rebuilding my 57 Ford rad I could have bought 3 aluminum rads. Our local rad shop wanted $700 for complete rebuild of the stock one, my universal stay cool brand was $200.

My 460 never gets above 185 degrees and that's with a E-250 Van clutch fan. I couldn't be happier with my choice.


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Hard to say conclusively just looking at a photo on a computer screen, but it looks like that motor ran for a fair while with no oil to that journal...

 

Yeah, the pan was full of coolant


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

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Never looked at it from this perspective.

I have old style copper in both cars, only one drives though. I've no need to save weight or have the bling. Copper is adequate IMHO. I have a friend with an alloy radiator that was made to fit his unconventional car and he still requires thermo fans to cool a stock SBC!

 

I have both, copper seems to cool better.