Radiator on blown application? Alum 2-row, or 3-row?

[Ozz]

I've been looking around and have found 2-row aluminum radiators that "flow 50% better than stock", as well as non-aluminum 3-row rads that "flow 60% better than stock".

I don't know much about radiators, but I was under the assumption that the more rows, the better cooling. Then I suppose aluminum is better than other materials, but why? The non-aluminum rads. I've found are all welded together, no epoxy, etc. I would guess that heat will become the issue here? Or weight (not a big deal to me).

Does it come down to total thickness of the rows/radiator?

I'll be changing from a stock radiator on my supercharged 5.0, to whatever I decide on from my options above. I also have heads & intake.

 

[ss93cobra]

I've got a non-aluminum standard 3-row replacement on mine and have had no issues/concerns with it.

 

[04sleeper]

I have been debating on which radiator to buy as well. I have had several different kinds in the past. Right now I have a PepBoys 3 core and it cools fine. But it has a leak and I would rather not get it fixed and just get a new one. I piad $149 for it. (see page 1 of my page)
A lot of people like the Griffin universal Ford 31" X 19" from Summit for $179. It has two 1" rows.I put one in a friends car and it seemed to work great. It just required a little work to get it to fit. It is tight and the hoses have to strech onto the fitting to make them work. Also the radiator cap faces up instead of on an angle.
I also had a Ron Davis aluminum radiator in my 88 GT. (see page 3 of my page) It fit very nicely and was a 2 Row. It had two 1" rows and worked great as well. Also was easier to install than the Griffin/Summit one. I paid $175 for it new at a car show. I think they are around $269 now.
Another option to consider is the Griffin Sportsman Series. It is made to fit the Mustang and has one 1 1/4 " row and is $189. Not sure how well it works but I'm sure it's a lot better than stock.

Another thing to consider is clearence for your blower pulley. The thicker radiators might not give you enough clearence for your shroud and blower pulley. Maybe someone in here with a blower will chime in on what might clear. When I built my friend Dwaynes car we used the PepBoys 3 core Brass one and it worked fine with the stock shroud and 10 rib blower pulley. (See page 2 of my page).
Hope this helps.
Kevin

 

[Ozz]

That was actually my next question, in regards to thickness & my blower pulley. Problem 1 is figuring which style/material to go with, Problem 2 is thickness

Thanks so far

 

[SmockDoiley]

It doesnt really matter which one you get as far as thickness is concerned. They will all clear your pulley. A 2 row aluminum and a 3 row regular radiator will flow about the same. It just comes down to weight savings and cool factor. You dont need anything special to keep these cars cool since its already fairly efficient and the 302's dont run hot like LT1s. I had a blown 342 and all I had was a Kragen water pump, T-stat, #-core radiator, and Kragen electric fan. It ran just fine. If you go aluminum go with the Summit universal since its the cheapest and everybody loves them.

 

[Rick 91GT]

The Ron Davis will barley clear a 8 rib pulley (the end tanks are just huge)with a hose located in the stock postion, we are going through that with dads blown Cobra. Ron Davis can make what ever you need though and they build a very good rad, I have one in mine and I am not sure if it will work since I have a blower crank support and an a external oil pump now.

We now have a YS-Trim and the huge renegade blower brace that goes from the crank pulley to the blower pullwy. You may want to consider getting a dual pass that has the inlet and outlet on the same side (drivers) so you never have to worry about any clearance issues.

Now is the time to do it.......

 

[Ozz]

Also, this is going to be fitted to an AOD car.

I see some radiators say they're "For AOD", and some say they will work with either AOD or a manual. What's the diff?

 

[dastang2]

nothing. you can use an auto radiator on a manual too but you can't use a manual radiator on an auto car without an aftermarket tranny cooler, since the manual radiators don't have a built in cooler.

 

[Ozz]

Ah, ok. I thought the trans cooler was external. Guess not.

Thanks

 

[RydeOn]

You should buy a stick shift radiator and buy an external trans cooler. The external trans cooler is highly reccomended for extending the life of your auto transmission.

 

[Ozz]

So that would work too? Cool. Would there be clearance issues with the crank/blower pulley or does it not install in that area? Other than that, I can deal with buying an external cooler.

What is involved in hooking it up?

 

[dastang2]

you can put that external cooler in front of the radiator and A/C cooler. you would probably need to extend the lines to fit it or get some HD hose and clamp the existing lines to the cooler.

 

[RydeOn]

Exactly what dastang said. It goes in front of the radiator and AC cooler. Most kits come with HD hose and some clamps. Its a very easy install and wont take you long at all. Also, get a stacked plate design. Not a tube/fin design. B&M makes stacked plate design. Take some measurements and find the biggest one that will reasonably fit. Your tranny will love you for it.

 

[5.0 Nostalgia]

The Fluidyne is an awesome radiator. I have one on my car. Last summer the wire on my electric fan came loose while I was in traffic for half an hour on the way to work. Never overheated. Your car is awesome. Buy the best. It will also look nice in your blinding engine compartment.