My question is where does your "option" come from? Times have changed in the radiator biz due to premade aluminum with plastic end tanks becoming the predominant type of radiator available. And there are very few options there; either take a "factory" one- or two-row plastic-tank unit identical to every other one out there, or pay $500-plus for a handmade BeCool or Griffin unit. However, if you can find a good old-timey radiator shop, you can probably do it as good or better for cheaper than aluminum with a copper/brass recore. I paid $135 to have my stock '90 radiator recored with a 3-row core that runs cool as a cucumber, even in 105 degree L.A. temps. That was a custom radiator shop rebuild with my stock end tanks having a bigger core sandwiched in there. High efficiency (more fins per inch at the expense of reduced air flow) or four row cores can also be had. One of those will probably handle anything a 5.0 or 351 of any size or power could ever throw at them. Also, it should be cheaper. But that stuff is disappearing. Aluminum will be $200 plus. A 2 row aluminum will probably be as good as a 3 row copper brass, just cost more. If you really want to know, the real difference is that aluminum reacts quicker, but is very sensitive to airflow. With aluminum, you tend to see more and quicker fluctuations in the coolant temp, depending on the airflow through the radiator. That stuff about weight is mostly BS, since you can probably achieve the same weight saving that aluminum will give just by not eating dessert with dinner. If you can get an old-style 3-row recore for $150, it would be as good as anything else. But, if you can't find a shop to do it, you'll just have to go with aluminum and pay the money.
