22 inch radiator for a 318

[71383bee]

Has anyone ever installed a larger radiator in a stock 318 car with the smaller radiator?  My convertible has the stock small 19" radiator which looks as though it is mounted in a 22inch radiator cowl and I was wondering if anyone has ever retrofitted a 22" radiator to fit for a small block. 

It looks like a 71/72 non ac B body 22inch radiator will fit as it has the inlet on the upper left side which is the same as the 318 radiator on the car but was unsure if the lower lines up.   Just wondering if anyone has ever done this on their E body and if there were any hiccups in doing so. 

I want to keep options open for the car. 

Original radiator is 2998947 which is original for the car.  Its just a bit...small I feel.  While doing 80 on the freeway last weekend where it was in the upper 50's the temp would climb a bit which got me to thinking about options.  I have a viscous 5 bladed fan with a clutch I am willing to put on vs the 4 blade.  But something else must be going on as at 80 there is plenty of air going though.  That leads me to a flow or volume related issue rather than getting enough air through it. 

The stock non clutched 4 bladed fan is a surprise to me!  I just cant get my head around its effectiveness in traffic on a sunny day but hey it must have worked! 

Any thoughts as always are appreciated. 

[Jay Bee]

I did that on my 1970 318 Barracuda. The rad is a reproduction I bought off a guy in Ohio who chose not to use it because he found the correct number matching one for his application. In my case there were no shroud brackets, or provisions for them, so a buddy welded some MacGyver brackets on so as to mount the 22 inch shroud to it. Everything fit and works perfect. Also changed out the 4 blade fan.

Shroud I'm using is Part# 2998328

[JS29]

Contact Glen Ray radiators. Bob is the man when it comes to that. 

[Montclaire]

Check out seller autocity1958 on eBay. I just bought a radiator from them after reading good reviews.  The 22" should bolt up without an issue, 74s used a 19" with an extension on the 22" yoke. Just watch your hose connections, it changes by year and application. My 74 has a 22" chicom 1/2" copper 3 core on it now that wasn't keeping up. They couldn't promise me that the factory shroud will fit but I have seen photos of the 26" rads with factory shrouds.

[EV2RTSE]

When the radiator on my 340 sprang a leak (22") I had it re-cored at a local shop and upgraded to 3 rows instead of the stock 2 rows, it made a noticeable difference in running temps and I was able to keep my stock tanks with the part# on top. Might be an option for your 318 radiator also.

[Montclaire]

It seems like getting new cores at a reasonable price is nearly impossible. I am also reading about issues with the quality of the copper coming out of China. Combine that with smaller tube sizes from stock and the old designs just can't cool as much as they used to, even in a new radiator. I was really against going with an aluminum radiator but you are talking about 1" tubes in a stock appearing package and with better heat transfer properties. In a perfect world I'd buy a Glen Ray but I don't have an extra grand laying around and the car can't do much for me if it can't cool.

[Montclaire]

Auto City rad in a 70 Challenger, photos by JimmySpeed59 over on FEBO

[71383bee]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm not in the market yet. I was just wondering if anyone has had success using a A body or B body from a specific model and year or something.

It will be something to keep an eye out for at the swaps or for sale on the web.


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[YellowThumper]

Simple answer is yes.
I also had the 19 inch radiator. Opening and mounting is the same for the 22 inch unit.
FYI the drivers side mounting is also the same for the 26" radiators. Passenger core support is different on the right side. However, that can be remedied with a couple of holes, spacers and bolts. This does leave a small amount of it shrouded. That is how I set mine up and it worked well for many years.

[xx88man]

Mine has the puny 19" radiator and was overheating when I got the car. The problem ended up being the radiator cap. I got one that fixed the issue and looks right for $5 but I'm sure someone could tell me why it isn't "correct"