Hahah to think i still have a 2 core.......oh god. anyways the 2 core and electric fan combo cant keep up with the new engine build. I was told that a 2 core aluminum and a 4 core copper/brass are exactly the same. Im looking at the 200 price range....any ideas? thanks guys
i have a rad from a 90 GT "max cool" 3 core copper and an edelbrock victor water pump with my 347 set up and it barely goes over 160 degrees. maybe you can look into upgrading your water pump?
Unless the water pump impeller is rotten, an aluminum radiator will probably make the biggest difference. They tend to be only two row, but each row is something like 1-1.25" wide. My '89 GT had a Summit(Northern) 31x19" aluminum and it would cycle the 180* t-stat.
Aluminum will keep it much cooler then the stock 2 or even 4 core will.. However i'm still running a 4-Core radiator in my 65 with a 347 and a 17" Flex Fan and don't really have too many problems unless its 95 degrees in the shade and im in traffic.. If your looking for a new radiator check out www.e2cars.com or drop me an email, info@e2cars.com.
You get diminiishing returns from each core added. So, the fourth core is less effective than the third core, the third better than the second, etc., with the first core being the most effective (starting from the front of the car, of course). If you are having trouble with a 3-core radiator, adding a fourth won't make a big difference. Going to aluminum gives you much higher cooling capacity per core.
Of course, if yuor water pump is poor, or you have a lot of crud in your cooling passages, that should be addressed, too.
New engine, block was flushed, all crud out....The heads were clean too. Intake had no buildups. The water pump was in pefect condition when i took it off 1000 miles ago before installing the engine. Today I threw in a Mildon 4 core for 185 bucks couldnt pass and ya major improvement.....I couldnt fit my electric fan as a puller infront of the water pump pulley anymore....so I put it infront of the radiator and made it a pusher.....I have a question though....with all that free space, Should i add a shroud???? It seems like it would make sense to direct the air better... Anyways, az got cool tonight about 85 degrees with some slight rain, and it did well on town and highway..
thanks guys
Mike
Ps....I am looking into a set of afr 185s in the near future, but I was wondering if they came bare??? anyone know?
Electric fans don't benefit as much from a traditional radiator shroud as the mechanical fans on the water-pump-pulley do. I would say even less with a pusher arrangment.
In fact most electric fans have a shroud of sorts built into their housing.
AFRs can be had bare from AFR, but they are not CNC ported when bought bare. If you ask an AFR dealer to keep the springs and valves, etc. and ship them to you bare, they will cost you nearly as much as fully assembled because AFR does not give the dealer much credit for the unused parts.