Radiator...... leaning toward Glen Ray now........

[BIGSHCLUNK]

While finishing up I my terminal block I noticed a littie green. On the radiator that is. It's around the upper seam, this will get worse before it gets better. This is the "correct " radiator for what she was when new. I've owned her over 10 years. If I'm pulling a radiator I'm going aluminum that's for sure. So , here it is... who's got a nice HD 22" that I can hang w/o drilling any holes or having to "adapt" tranny lines, fan shroud.

Thanks!

[1 Wild R/T]

keeping a Hemi cool with a 22" radiator?  I'd suggest stepping up to a Ron Davis or a Be Cool.....   And either option is a custom due to the 22" size..

[autoxcuda]

While finishing up I my terminal block I noticed a littie green. On the radiator that is. It's around the upper seam, this will get worse before it gets better. This is the "correct " radiator for what she was when new. I've owned her over 10 years. If I'm pulling a radiator I'm going aluminum that's for sure. So , here it is... who's got a nice HD 22" that I can hang w/o drilling any holes or having to "adapt" tranny lines, fan shroud.

Thanks!

The aftermarket aluminum radiator will not fit your factory shroud tight. You'll have to add foam or whatever. Most Aluminum's need elongated holes, new holes, or adding tabs. The inexpensive Champion's need the most work.

Does your current radiator not cool well? You can put higher density fin count core in your current brass radiator and help cooling a bunch.

The hype over aluminum radiator being a magical cure-all is way overblown. Aluminum is cheaper than brass. And they make aluminum ones for cheap in China that people resell over the web or swap meets for profit. The good aluminum ones cost more.

[Chryco Psycho]

First an Alum rad should never be bolted to the firewall , bras will take some flexing alum will just crack , you need to isolate the rad from the firewall , all newer cars have rubber isolation mounts.

[RUNCHARGER]

I would see if a rad shop can repair what you have. A Hemi cools better than a wedge due to more coolant in the heads, I've seen it a few times. If you want to go aluminum, I hate the looks but a Champion cooled Greg's 572 just fine with a crappy flex fan and the chintzy Chinese shroud that was just a band that wraps around the fan. We run this car in over 100 degree heat and it never even thinks about overheating. A thin piece of rubber between the bulhead and an aluminum rad is a great idea, drilling holes in Chinese aluminum to make it fit doesn't make me cringe either.

[Brads70]

First an Alum rad should never be bolted to the firewall , bras will take some flexing alum will just crack , you need to isolate the rad from the firewall , all newer cars have rubber isolation mounts.

  I found out the hard way.... expensive way.

[autoxcuda]

I would see if a rad shop can repair what you have. A Hemi cools better than a wedge due to more coolant in the heads, I've seen it a few times. If you want to go aluminum, I hate the looks but a Champion cooled Greg's 572 just fine with a crappy flex fan and the chintzy Chinese shroud that was just a band that wraps around the fan. We run this car in over 100 degree heat and it never even thinks about overheating. A thin piece of rubber between the bulhead and an aluminum rad is a great idea, drilling holes in Chinese aluminum to make it fit doesn't make me cringe either.

Smart idea on the rubber to fill in the wide gap.

Nice that the new ones (or that one) has rounded top ends. The older ones are square welded and look lousy.

Also on the Champions, watch the height of the radiator cap. Sometimes you need to lower the radiator as much as possible for cap to hood clearance. Originals have a stamped sunken area around the cap for clearance.

I was looking for weight savings and budget when I bought my champion rad. Had to stand on it to take the warp out of it. I just run reverse osmosis water and Justice Brothers Radiator Cooler in it. Inside is nice and clean 8 years later.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Thanks for the input - KEEP IT COMING You just might inspire something great!

I'm not having leak/overheat yet.... but when I see that kind of green I know an issue is coming my way.

22" on a HEMI... been in there forever... but I do run a thermostatically controlled pusher fan and a straight fan (no clutch). It does get scary tho in slow traffic on a HOT day. I really try to avoid those situations, no parades for my girl. NIKKI was originally 383 R/T No A/C hence the 22"

My thought on Aluminum.. better heat transfer.. period... why do you think all this newer stuff runs it, the days of 180 thermostats are gone. I can't think of ANY late model or even semi-late model car/truck that runs copper/brass. That was done around the mid 90's. You guys are right about some kind of shock dampening this I agree on 100%. I would think some type of rubber/foam strip between the mounting flanges and the core support would take care of that. Opinions?????

So many of the radiator shops in my area have closed in the last 20 years. Even tho I'm in a form of the parts business, I can not off the top of my head think of a place to do a recore (years back I thought of this). It's only a 2 core rad... 3 core would be a BIG improvement. Ton's of places sell new around here... but not for this application, and doubt anything that I would trust as it be something bounced around some warehouse for 30 years already. 

The thought of drilling and adapting makes me wanna    I'd like to go in out DONE!

[RUNCHARGER]

Honestly: The Champion cools fine but the Chinese couldn't put the holes in the correct spot to mount it. I had it mounted in 10 minutes. The rad cap thing was an issue as I had to drill the holes to drop the rad a shiver.

[Chryco Psycho]

I would use a 6-7 blade clutch fan with a shroud & use a 3 core brass rad 

[autoxcuda]

Thanks for the input - KEEP IT COMING You just might inspire something great!

I'm not having leak/overheat yet.... but when I see that kind of green I know an issue is coming my way.

22" on a HEMI... been in there forever... but I do run a thermostatically controlled pusher fan and a straight fan (no clutch). It does get scary tho in slow traffic on a HOT day. I really try to avoid those situations, no parades for my girl. NIKKI was originally 383 R/T No A/C hence the 22"

My thought on Aluminum.. better heat transfer.. period... why do you think all this newer stuff runs it, the days of 180 thermostats are gone. I can't think of ANY late model or even semi-late model car/truck that runs copper/brass. That was done around the mid 90's. You guys are right about some kind of shock dampening this I agree on 100%. I would think some type of rubber/foam strip between the mounting flanges and the core support would take care of that. Opinions?????

So many of the radiator shops in my area have closed in the last 20 years. Even tho I'm in a form of the parts business, I can not off the top of my head think of a place to do a recore (years back I thought of this). It's only a 2 core rad... 3 core would be a BIG improvement. Ton's of places sell new around here... but not for this application, and doubt anything that I would trust as it be something bounced around some warehouse for 30 years already. 

The thought of drilling and adapting makes me wanna    I'd like to go in out DONE!

They still make brass cores. 2,3, 4 cores and with tighter fin count (more surface area and) and tighter row count (more rows).


A major factor new cars run them because aluminum is cheaper than brass. The new cars have plastic tanks too to cut material cost.

Yes aluminum can offer better cooling. A person that worked for a multi national heat exchange/radiator company explained to me the fact of just using aluminum was not the main reason for the better heat transfer. It was the welding of the fins to the tubes that accounted for most of the better transfer.

You see, only a small amount of solder is used/needed on a brass radiator to attach the  fins and end caps to the tubes. But on a aluminum radiator there is more aluminum used/needed to make the connection. Therefor you get a larger fillet of material between parts. And the larger weld fillet will transfer/carry away more heat.

[Brads70]

To bad you can't find someone local to recore it. My buddy Mike got his Rad core replaced to a 4 core here locally. He wanted to keep his car ( 68 R/T Charger) numbers matching. It was not cheap but nothing good usually is.

[303 Mopar]

For my Charger with a 505 stroker, I bought a OER 4 core with shroud and 7 blade fan from @MoparDave. Never gets above 190, looks and fits perfect.

Bouchillon sells a really nice Griffin aluminum rad that keeps the 392 cool in my Cuda. 

[Bullitt-]

Your near Madison?   These folks look like their "IN" the business

  http://www.brsradiator.com/madison-wi-radiator-repairs?_rdr

[gzig5]

I've got a 22" on my car that I'd swap towards a 26" like it originally came with, but I think it is a two or three core brass aftermarket job, and that's not what you are looking for.