which radiator

jaackal · Jun 11, 2005

Which radiator do you guys reccomend for a 5.0 manual transmission with a/c. I was looking into getting a 3 row from autozone. Any one use them before? Also any other direct fit styles. I will also be using this car in New Jersey and Florida so I need some heavy duty cooling. Thanks.

HISSIN50 · Jun 11, 2005

The HD radiator you are looking at (likely a GDI) is used by more than a few guys on this site with good results.

That radiator does require slight bracket smoothing to work right (you referred to it as direct fit, which it is not exactly ).

Good luck.

macx · Jun 11, 2005

GDI radiators have very good reputations, and brass (pound for pound and area for area) cools more efficiently than those hideously expensive aluminum radiators

I got a good three row off of ebay (you want also to look at the total core thickness) for a little less than the AZ or Pep Boys wanted, but I'm sure they'd work fine, too. I got a standard one for my wife's car from AZ and it worked very well.

whtpny · Jun 11, 2005

If you are only looking for a stock type replacement then Late Model Resto has a heavy duty 2 row that is only slightly wider than stock. It cost me $159 and it cools my 91 with an auto in 90 degrees without any problem. Also it is a Ford Rad.

Kerpal · Jun 11, 2005

For $180 the Griffin 31x19" is awesome. Not a drop-in install, but nothing most people here can't handle.

IMO you get more bang for you buck with the Griffin than with a slightly cheaper copper and brass radiator... less weight, top notch quality, and cools extremely well.

SamSnyder · Jun 13, 2005

With the rise of aluminum/plastic radiators, real radiator shops are disappearing but if you can find one, you should be able to get the stocker recored with a three row core that will be about as cheap as you can go, and work as good as anything. I think I paid $135. I got a standard and not a high-efficiency 3-row core at L.A. radiator in Hollywood, and it has worked like a champ through many summers of 105 degree L.A. weather. Combined with a good 180 degree thermostat and a properly working (Ford) fan clutch, I have not seen the high side of 195 even with the a/c blasting and stuck in traffic. Set up this simple way the car runs amazingly cool.

86bluecobra · Jun 13, 2005

i run ford racing 3 core rad in my stang. it keeps it pretty cool. havent over heated anyways.

SamSnyder · Jun 13, 2005

Although now that I re-read this thread I might be tempted by the Griffin if it's that cheap. That sounds like a very good deal.

CobraGT87 · Jun 13, 2005

macx said:
and brass (pound for pound and area for area) cools more efficiently than those hideously expensive aluminum radiators

really? I had a HD 3 row brass and it couldn't keep my high comp 347 cool for it's life . Spent $200 (real expensive huh?) on a new HOWES alum rad with larger inner tubes (no plastic), plus it's a tad smaller than stock and it keeps me at 180-185* in 112-114* AZ heat that brass POS would of killed my motor in heat like that

3 row brass are fine and have their place.
If alum rad's were so ****y as you put it, why do all top racers run them? (nascar, trans-am, etc etc) or those with highly modded high HP street motors?.

Scott

89 Saleen#455 · Jun 13, 2005

CobraGT87 said:
If alum rad's were so ****y as you put it, why do all top racers run them? (nascar, trans-am, etc etc) or those with highly modded high HP street motors?.

The biggest reason is weight savings. And also, because most high end race engines use aluminium heads and mixing copper/brass radiator with aluminum heads is not recommended because it promotes galvanic corrosion. If you have an aluminium water block then use an aluminium core radiator but if you have a copper water block then use a copper core (this will stop electrolysis/galvanic corrosion from happening) though in the end copper gives the best heat transference. It's a fact that copper transfers/dissipates heat faster than aluminum, but copper cannot hold as much heat as aluminum.

5spd GT · Jun 13, 2005

Kerpal said:
For $180 the Griffin 31x19" is awesome. Not a drop-in install, but nothing most people here can't handle.

IMO you get more bang for you buck with the Griffin than with a slightly cheaper copper and brass radiator... less weight, top notch quality, and cools extremely well.

Yep, that is what I have

Cools great and just takes some tweaks to get it to fit correctly.

Bend the upper/lower radiator brackets out (hammer will do it).

Flip the bottom radiator hose around and trim a bit off so it doesn't kink.

Grn92LX · Jun 13, 2005

I run the GDI 3 core unit from pep boys/autozone. For $150 its a great buy and comes with a lifetime warranty. Can't beat that! Only slight modifacation I had to do was remove the lower rubber mounts and trim the upper mounts.

rd · Jun 13, 2005

I have a Ford Motorsport 3 core that I put in in 1992 or so, with an automatic and air, and it has worked fine for the last 13 years.

04-SVT · Jun 13, 2005

This radiator is pretty cheap and works great!!! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7979982508&category=33602

Im using it on Las Vegas weather (100* desert heat) on my supercharged car and running great

Sicarius428 · Jun 13, 2005

What you want to look for in a radiator is how many fins per square inch and how wide are the rows. Two 1.5 inch rows will cool better than three 1 inch rows with the same fin per sq. inch for example. Brass/copper will expel heat slightly better than aluminum(of the same design)but aluminum is lighter and much more durable. For the buck, the Griffin 31x19 is my suggestion but you can't really go wrong with 3 row brass/copper one from autozone. Just about anything is better than the stock two row...
Kevin

N8Miller · Jun 13, 2005

Sicarius428 has a good point. Its not about the amount of rows or material its made from, its about the ability to cool.

not that it matters too much, but how much is involved with modding the Griffin to fit in? Is it just what 5 spd recomended? what is the part # on the griffin?

5spd GT · Jun 13, 2005

N8Miller said:
Sicarius428 has a good point. Its not about the amount of rows or material its made from, its about the ability to cool.

not that it matters too much, but how much is involved with modding the Griffin to fit in? Is it just what 5 spd recomended? what is the part # on the griffin?

http://store.summitracing.com/defau...ults=false&N=0&target=egnsearch.asp&x=12&y=13

There is a link to the one I got.

As I stated earlier you need to bend out (a hammer will do it) the upper and lower radiator brackets to fit the wider radiator. Flip the bottom radiator hose around (because the "stock" water pump end is bigger and will slide out of the bottom radiator piping easier than the "normal" side of the hose). You will then notice when you go to mock up the bottom hose that it is a bit to long so you need to trim a bit of it and it works nicely

You barely have to move the a/c lines (that go to the condensor) out of the way. I just did it with my hands real quick. It just wiggles down in there pretty easily.

I went from my car runnin at the middle of the guage (actually a little past it) with the stock radiator/thermostat to adding the griffin radiator/180* Motorcraft thermostat and it dropped it down to a 1/3 on the guage. This was when I added the h/c/i as well (more power ='s more heat). So if that tells you anything. Before the griffin was bolt-ons and that was it...

I currently don't have a overflow tank either. You need to drill holes for an overflow tank or mount it up some other way. Just spend a bit of time with it and it is easy

Here is a nice link to an overflow tank I plan on getting to compliment the griffin...

http://cantonracingproducts.com/tanks/expansion_tanks.html#80230

Oh and my Black Magic electric fan clears the accessories fine with that wide of a radiator.

I hope that gave you a better idea. I think the dollar per cooling that I got was well worth it...and this is on my daily driver (as you know I'm picky about it) Anymore questions Nate and I'll try to help you out with it...

Kerpal · Jun 13, 2005

SamSnyder said:
Although now that I re-read this thread I might be tempted by the Griffin if it's that cheap. That sounds like a very good deal.

Err, it's actually about $190 at Summit, I have the exact same one 5spd posted the link to. It doesn't come with a cap, I don't know if the stock one will fit, but for about $15 I figured a new Griffin cap was a good idea anyway. When I saw the fit and finish of the radiator I was glad I spent a little more... and once I got it in the car and saw how well it cools, it was quickly obvious that the price is very reasonable for the way it preforms.

5spd GT said:
I went from my car runnin at the middle of the guage (actually a little past it) with the stock radiator/thermostat to adding the griffin radiator/180* Motorcraft thermostat and it dropped it down to a 1/3 on the guage. This was when I added the h/c/i as well (more power ='s more heat). So if that tells you anything. Before the griffin was bolt-ons and that was it...

Same results here, except I went with a Mr. Gasket 180* stat at the same time, and I'm still on the stock HCI. My gauge never rises above 1/3, even if I get on the gas hard, even on hot days.

My car is stock, so I'm sure it would be just fine with a cheaper radiator... but I plan to keep it a while, so I wanted something that will last; and won't need to be replaced down the road when I start making big power or move back to a much warmer climate.

which radiator

jaackal

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HISSIN50

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macx

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whtpny

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Kerpal

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SamSnyder

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86bluecobra

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SamSnyder

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CobraGT87

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rd

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