Guest mikeys toy Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 I just today installed an '88 Ranger 2.3l radiator in my '53 plymouth. So far, it runs cooler than with the other two stockos I learned something important though; you cannot run a crossflow radiator on a non pressurized system, it needs lots of tank room for expansion so it just pumps out water as you decelerate. I put the 13lb cap on and it's ok for now. Will the headgasket and core plugs withstand 13lbs? I plan on running an expansion tank anyway, but I'm worried about damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nile Limbaugh Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 Here's a thought; see if you can find out how much pressure the 59 Dodge and Plymouth sixes ran. The engines are basically the same so whatever pressure they run, so can you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 They were either 4 or 7 pounds I believe, the first pressurized rads were 4 pounds for Mopar in 1951, by 1958 it could have been 7 or 10. Hey just to be on the safe side you could use a 4 or 7 pound cap, it would lower the pressure a bit, but would also lower your boil over point by 2 degrees per pound of pressure. I am sure your cooling would be just as good, the rad design is what is giving you the superior heat transfer, and probably better flow........Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeys toy Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 it's about half the capacity but seems to run cooler at least in the yard. Tomorrow I will finish the install by making the lower brackets and hitting the road. I STILL havent done anything about the belts, hoses or thermostat yet so if it runs hot, I will check it without a tstat. If it STILL runs hot; well it's time for the 318 radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55 Fargo Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 Don't forget running it w/o the t-stat will allow the coolant/water to flow faster thus having less time in the rad , which can also compromise the cooling ability, not trying to tell you what to do, but maybe also try it with a 160 or 180 t-stat, and see how it cools like that, also getting a run with operating temp for 20 miles should give you a bettter indication, than in the yard. Even though your in a southern state, don't think your breaking any heatwaves right now, so your ambient temps are probably in the neighbourhood of 60 degrees or so.........Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeys toy Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 i know...but I don't have the bottom secured so I don't want it getting sucked into the fan. And i'm jobless so I can't afford a t stat. There's a 5 mile shakedown run up a small hill I do for testing; BUT the car hasn't been reg. since '75 so I have to be careful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob westphal Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 Did you mount the radiator with the tanks on top and bottom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeys toy Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 no; I mounted it with the tanks the way ford intended. it's too damp to drive it today (no wipers) so I ran it for 20 min @3,000-4,000rpm with a piece of bubble wrap covering the radiator. It did not get over 1/4 on the guage just inside of the normal operating area. at idle it took 30 mins to warm up and wouldn't get into the normal operating area. its a single row crossflow aluminum radiator. the original plugged up one idled at 1/2 and ran at 3/4 enough to percolate. The clean one from the '54 idled at 1/4 and ran at 1/2. i'm thinking the superior technology of the aluminum may make up for the loss in capacity. If this doesn't work; I have a 3 row unit from my old '77 courier xlt that measures one inch smaller in all dimentions. that should work no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jjmorrse Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 Did you replace the radiator because it was running too hot, or just to upgrade. In my experience, these run pretty cool. My 54 has no problem in 100+ weather. Maybe the distribution tube is out, or the system needs flushed? I run a 7 lb. cap, but stock was 4, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeys toy Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 no; I know better than that. I replaced them because they both leaked and I really didn't care for the way they were manufactured. I used the ranger radiator because I had it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeys toy Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 SUCCESS!!!!!! (I think) I took her for her shakedown run after the drizzle stopped. At 41* with a 25mph headwind the guage wouldn't even go over 1/4. I even ran her wide open at 4500 rpm up the grade then pulled over and shut her off to see if it would climb..... Nope! Maybe a warmer day may show different results, but short of the dead of summer; I don't see there being any problem with it. 1988 Ford Ranger 2.3l 5 speed a/c p/s loaded, aluminum crossflow single row radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normspeed Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 That's good news. Did you have much trouble getting hoses that mate up to the engine and the crossflow radiator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeys toy Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 nope; they were in the same position. The top hose was smaller on the ranger, but the clamp squeezed down enough to seal. the bottom one came straight out rather than an 80 deg. turn up I made little ugly brackets for the bottom and just drilled a couple of holes for the top. If I keep it in there for long, I will make "pretty" brackets. Now, if only the clutch didn't chatter so badly................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normspeed Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 My old 47 used to have quite a chatter. My 53 is smooth as silk which is what I would expect from a fresh pressure plate, resurfaced flywheel and a new 10" disk. Resurfacing the flywheel makes a world of difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeys toy Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 If I gotta put a clutch in it; it's probably gonna get the 318.... .......mmmm..... fuel injected goodness......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jjmorrse Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 no; I know better than that. I replaced them because they both leaked and I really didn't care for the way they were manufactured.I used the ranger radiator because I had it. If the leak is small enough, it's really just a continuous radiator flush . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mikeys toy Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 It was bad enough to coat everything under the hood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nile Limbaugh Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 Just as a footnote, don't forget that the boiling point goes up 3 degrees for every pound of pressure you add to the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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