Radiator Recomendations

[edison1970]

Cleaned the radiator that came with my car and realized it's a 26" and the support I installed is for a 22". Does anyone recommend a replacement that is reasonably priced? 440 4 speed no air.

[RUNCHARGER]

Don't fret, it is still possible to mount it in there. Bolt it to the drivers side and make brackets to go from the support to the rad (4" straps) on the right side.

[edison1970]

That's a good idea.

[dodj]

Don't fret, it is still possible to mount it in there. Bolt it to the drivers side and make brackets to go from the support to the rad (4" straps) on the right side.

That's how the 26" in my car is done. 440 4 spd. No air. No problems.

[edison1970]

Ok, I made brackets to install the 26 in a 22 hole. I researched the part number and it came out of a C Body car with probably AC since the core is thick. That is where one of the possible issues arises again. With my viscus fan, the blades are about 1 inch away from the radiator. How much clearance do I need to be safe? Also, the slightly distorted shroud comes pretty close. About 3/8" clearance.  Are all of the shrouds different?

I read that Hayden makes a low profile clutch which would give me a little more clearance.

[Strawdawg]

I don't see anything wrong with an inch of clearance to the core.  What we normally try to is position the fan so that its blades are approximately half way inside the shroud.  A little one way or the other is okay.

That seems to be close to being ideal for maximum air flow across the radiator core.  If it is too far in, or too far out, a different fan clutch or a spacer may get it there.

[Katfish]

Why are brackets needed?
I installed a 26" in my 22" opening with just 2 new holes on the right side and some rubber grommets and bolts.

[edison1970]

I wanted to center it and avoid making new holes so that I can maybe install a 22 aluminum in the future. The aluminum stock i used only moves it inward about an 1/8.

[RUNCHARGER]

Ha, ha: I've welded up so many extra holes in Mopars that I just can't bear to drill new ones where the factory didn't.

[edison1970]

Learned something new on fans today. Picked up 2 from a buddy of mine to see if they gave me any additional clearance to the radiator and shroud. I chose to try the clean one first. It's a viscous like mine but had a larger diameter fan and the shaft was shorter so I swapped my blades to the new clutch and it was much better. The only issue was the bolt holes didn't line up. I thought all mopar fans were the same. So I ended up using the grimy one which is similar to  a Hayden low profile fan clutch. Plenty of clearance now.

[YellowThumper]

Looks good.

One thing I like to note to people who are concerned with the 26" being partially shrouded. The "small" opening in core support will still allow more air thru it than the radiator ever will.