I have a 69 Mustang with a 302 and the thing runs hotter then S*&^ , looking to get a nice big radiator to help with this problem, whats the difference between a 2 core aluminum and a 4 core Copper? Which one is better? What name brands should I look for? any insight is greatly appreciated
Technically, all else being equal, an old style copper-core radiator will cool better than a comparably-sized aluminum radiator. But if you have the money, I'd go with the largest aluminum unit that will fit. You get light weight, cool looks and good efficiency with large aluminum units.
I saw tests that show a 4-row no better than a 3-row. Turns out the air is almost as hot as the coolant by the time it gets to the 4th row. My 65 with a 3 row and a Flex-a-Lite SS 10,000 rpm fan would idle for 90 minutes in the driveway on a 100 degree 90% humid day and never pass 185....with the hood down...in the sun.
Why not just buy a stock BOSS-302 unit and bolt it it? Simple is better if it does the same job.
if you decide to go with an aluminum radiator, you want one with two rows 1" thick each. this will give you more coolling capability than a 4 row copper/brass unit. that said however, you can get 3 row copper/brass units for a reasonable price from most mustang suppliers, and that should give you plenty of cooling capacity. if it still runs hot, i would look at other things like too much timing, blown head gasket, bad thermostat. if those are ok, then add an oil cooler to the system as well.
you need to be careful when buying replacement copper/brass radiators, i've had aftermarket version that had really small tubes that weren't very efficient at all. i've since started having my local radiator shop recore mine for me using original ford 24" tanks. the cores most of the radiator shops use have significantly larger tubes than aftermarket radiators which helps cooling tremendously
Is your engine temperature hot as in over 200 or something, especially in this cooler season? I hate to see you throw money at the car if the radiator isn't the problem.
Haven't ran it much in this cooler season (its up on jacks ATM in the garage, need to get all the valve stems replaced) Its pretty cold around here as of right now (chicago land area) once I get the tires back on ill be taking it out for a few spins and seeing how it handles now in this cooler weather, but when I say runs hot, I mean in the summer, when I was actively working on it, I would take it for a few spins around the block, and it would overheat to the point where it would shut off. Granted it was summer time and at the very least was in the low 80's
If its not the radiator what could be the cause for all this heat?
The summers here in southern California get pretty hot too. I have a copper four row, stock water pump, 160 degree thermostat, flex fan, no shroud, no power steering, no A.C. and my 302 never gets above 190 degrees, even in stop and go rush hour driving. When moving, it averages 160 to 180 in the summer time.
As others will offer, there are many things that can lead to high coolant temperatures such as bad thermostat, clogged radiator, worn hoses, loose fan belt, leak in cooling system, etc.