Holy moly, temp temp temp

[kawahonda]

Installed T-stat. Copper RTV + gasket. Torqued to 30 ft-lbs. That shit will hold up until whenever I don't want it to anymore.

That VHT orange is actually a really decent match...I painted the housing too as you can see.

I made the near-final decision tonight to leave the water pump alone even though I have a brand new one on the desk.  Will drop in the efficiency recored radiator and new hoses + bottom spring and give it a shot. I'll dilute the cooling fluid to more water instead of 50/50.

If I'm still getting hot, I'd be very curious and concerned and would look directly at that clutch fan. Nothing else really left...aside from the water pump which again I feel is servicable. BTW, that water pump has a Chryler logo on it....pretty cool.

Car should honestly never get over 185F with this new setup in HOT conditions.

[Chryco Psycho]

You should be able to pick up new fold over nuts & bolts for the rad shroud at any parts store
I agree with the decision to go with the high efficiency rad core .
Fan clutch may stil be a problem in slow moving conditions

[kawahonda]

Good....I was kinda surprised they didn't say "3 core" when I asked for what the upgrade is, but they assured me that the 2-core one they have picked out is the bee's knees and would cool a jet engine...

Not much into radiator science, but I'll take them for their word. I seem to remember reading somewhere that more cores isn't necessarily better. IT's thickness, it's dimple sizes, it's pipe sizes, it's all the other stuff that sees the improvement.

Always enjoy your feedback @Chryco Psycho  and @1 Wild R/T

You both know I wouldn't think twice about handing you the keys to this ol' Mopar for a spin.

[Chryco Psycho]

All true
4 cores do not cool better generally because the air is too hot after going through 3 cores , 2 cores with wider tubes can cool equal to a 3 core

[70 Challenger Lover]

On my Superbee, I switched out an older style 3 row copper radiator with a higher efficiency 2 row aluminum unit. I'm guessing this is what they are doing. Basically, aluminum cools much better than copper and the two rows are so much wider that the entire radiator holds more coolant. It worked great in my car. I put one in my 64 Vette and it's phenomenal. Last year, I found myself driving through the desert in record heat. It was 118 degrees outside but the car never overheated.

[RUNCHARGER]

High efficiency is the way to go. They are getting pricey though.

[70 Challenger Lover]

I see some generic ones as low as $250-300 but not sure if they are high efficiency or simply old design in aluminum. I got both of mine through Griffin and the price was about $600. Seemed like a lot but worth the cost in my opinion. The reason I liked the Griffin was that the tanks had the contours like the Mopar units so it didn't look too out of place. The thing I didn't like about the Griffin was that they don't always weld in brackets for the shroud so on one, I had to pay a local welder $30 to fabricate and weld on a couple brackets. The other thing Griffin offered that I liked was you could get two rows at 1" each or 1 1/4" each for added capacity.

[kawahonda]

My stock radiator was a two core they said.

70Challenger, from that imagine it actually looks like a 2 core could actually be better than a 3 core.

[70 Challenger Lover]

I'm no expert but from what I understand, it comes down to capacity of fluid and the ability for air to move across the rows and cool that fluid. The two row radiators with the thin wide rows not only hold more fluid but they also have more surface area for the air to move across which is supposed to aid in heat dissipation. The fact that they make everything out of aluminum is a bonus because aluminum has better heat dissipation ability than copper.

[Chryco Psycho]

If they are reusing you original tanks it has to be a brass core which are more durable .
If it is an alum rad get your original rad back from them .
My bet is the core is being replaced & the tanks will be reused with the brass core 

[kawahonda]

Chryco is right....they are reusing my tanks.

70 Challenger- FWIW, Copper is actually better than aluminum for conductivity and durability. It's the lead that is used to build it makes it less effective than aluminum. But a GOOD H.E. copper radiator is better than a cheap aluminum radiator.

[kawahonda]

OK, I gave up after 2 part store visits + lowes, and ordered a new set of radiator shroud bolts!

I'm really excited to "stab" the new radiator in...got the new hoses already installed, as well as the factory pinch clamps, which I hate, but love the looks of.

Just need that damned radiator back!

My father is coming next weekend, and my goal was to be able to roast the tires with him with my new rear end with freshly changed fluid, but this kinda put a damper because I have another 100 miles to go for the break-in.

Oh well, more important to have a cool engine than it is to be able to roast the tires, so that'll come next.

[Chryco Psycho]

The Corbin spring clamps are actually better because they self tighten , you just need a set of the proper pliers to work with them , all new cars use similar clamps but they are a flat spring clamp instead of the round steel

[kawahonda]

The radiator shop finally finished the radiator. They were 5 days late. Missed the car show...I would have had the only challenger there. Oh well.

Got it installed and just got back from an 8-mile jaunt at 86F.

The temp gauge never left 172Fish on the gauge, or about 1/3 on the gauge. Engine just runs better!

[70 Challenger Lover]

That's great! Hopefully you will never have overheating issues again.