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Radiator for v8 swaps


1947plymouthrodder

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It depends on which big block your referring to ?  a 440 from back of engine to front of fan pulley is 29" where a 331, 392,  426 hemi is 32".  The Canadian big block flathead is I think pretty close to the same length of the 440. In the resto mod I bought at Barrett Jackson it looks like the stock rad was recored with a multi core rad.  Its definitely north of 400 hp. I would suggest taking it to a good rad shop and see what they think. There are tons of custom rad choices but they are no inexpensive.

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this is a subject that has come up before...when I lived in SC we had a rad shop in N. Chas that the owner knew the GPM flow of all the radiators and would test them to that spec with flow pump/meter test....when he assisted me with my big block mopar install in a shark nose 41 Dodge truck (military) he stated the flow rate and of course I forgot what he said, but it was determined by him that the smaller radiator from a ford truck for the 6 cyl application would fit my smaller opening and more than cool the big block mopar as they are very easy to cool by design.  He cleaned my rad, relocated the inlet outlet to my application and as he stated, it never once came close to running hot..surely he had a guideline he went by but I cannot seem to find that data on the internet or in a pamphlet anywhere.  For the record..he was a mopar man and had a couple real nice big block chargers.

 

I will tell you this, you can call Griffin Radiator and the owner will talk shop with you, very nice guy and am sure that in his company has some data they draw from for building their units.  I am sure with the right placed questions he could direct you to suitable unit for your car and proposed power level.  I install Griffin radiators in most my upgraded cars.

 

Give them a chance to help you, good luck

Edited by Plymouthy Adams
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Easy!! Walker for a traditional radiator or Griffin for aluminum. Either will suit you fine....

Adam

think that is just a tad too generic an answer for his application...but I know your point is construction reference and not is build HP concern specific...but man should be aware each form is available.....Summit racing catalog or online is another guideline on HP and outlet/physical size if you care to do your matching up...

Edited by Plymouthy Adams
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I have a 350 chevy in my 1947 Plymouth.. The motor which was placed as close to the firewall interfered with the old radiator quite a bit. I would pay the price for a custom made aluminum radiator that fits within the radiator cradle and if it takes several cores have it protrude toward the front. . t.

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U.S.Radiator in LA has the perfect solution.  http://www.usradiator.com/  It's for a 50's Chevy pickup with a V8.  Off the shelf, available in aluminum, or copper brass.  Only had to redrill 2 holes in the flange.  I used it in my 48 Coupe with Mopar 360 and mounted to the front side of the core support.  I have pics if you need.  PM me if you need more.

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U.S.Radiator in LA has the perfect solution.  http://www.usradiator.com/  It's for a 50's Chevy pickup with a V8.  Off the shelf, available in aluminum, or copper brass.  Only had to redrill 2 holes in the flange.  I used it in my 48 Coupe with Mopar 360 and mounted to the front side of the core support.  I have pics if you need.  PM me if you need more.

I just looked that up. Pretty expensive radiator 420.00 in aluminum and over 500.00 for copper brass.

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YukonJack, on 11 Jan 2016 - 6:31 PM, said:

I just looked that up. Pretty expensive radiator 420.00 in aluminum and over 500.00 for copper brass.

unfortunately...the name of the game is pay to play..shopping around may net a lower price.. as in most cases, only the generic fits are usually priced affordably...

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unfortunately...the name of the game is pay to play..shopping around may net a lower price.. as in most cases, only the generic fits are usually priced affordably...

Understand the price is a hit.  For what it's worth, the U.S. aluminum unit is an all welded assembly which is repairable.  I believe the other more affordable units are all glued assemblies often with plastic tanks.  They cannot be repaired, only replaced.

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For what it's worth here's a side by side shot of a Champion 3 row and original  (I think) radiator from a 1950 P19 that it replaced.

 

post-7652-0-07556800-1452621789_thumb.jpg

 

This was installed in front of a 440 and I had 2 issues. First the filler neck is slightly taller than the original which meant when the radiator was installed in the factory location I couldn't shut the hood. I had to cut away some of the lower support frame to allow the radiator to drop down another inch to get it to fit.

 

Second problem was that the lower radiator hose outlet fouled the existing mechanical fan, even when lowered.

 

post-7652-0-93525800-1452621791_thumb.jpg

 

To resolve I went electric with a used 16" Spal fan from ebay

 

I can't say whether it has resolved my high temperature issues when driving but sitting at idle it seems just fine. The electric fan kicks in at the appropriate temperature and manages to keep it cool. I haven't driven it beyond the neighborhood as I have brake issues with a disc conversion but that's a whole other story.

Edited by darkfour
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think that is just a tad too generic an answer for his application...but I know your point is construction reference and not is build HP concern specific...but man should be aware each form is available.....Summit racing catalog or online is another guideline on HP and outlet/physical size if you care to do your matching up...

Too generic? Either will support 450 hp in a early mopar. Let's not over think this after all.

O.P. Call either Walker or Griffin, tell them what you need and send them a check, doesn't have to get all scientific.....

Adam

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A friend of mine discovered a neat trick a few years ago, which he passed onto me. An aluminum cross-flow radiator from Summit Racing stood up in lieu of being laid down works great for V8 applications in older vehicles.

The one trick to this application is to use a Ford type radiator on a GM engine, and a GM type radiator on a Ford engine.. This puts the in/out piping in the correct position.

I generally use Summit' SUM381325 which is 21" x 19"x 2.5... Base price for the radiator is $189.97 plus shipping. I generally use a fan shroud that has the electric fan incorporated into the shroud..

I have used the Summit radiator on three vehicles, my '39 Plym with an SBC 350 CID, my '49 Olds 88 with a 500 hp 78 Olds V8 and my '64 Chevy C10 with a '97 5.7 Vortec..

post-2999-0-84445900-1452789282_thumb.jpg

post-2999-0-71643000-1452789383_thumb.jpg

post-2999-0-98062700-1452789662_thumb.jpg

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Did the hood clear with the 50s chevy truck radiator ahead of the mounting yoke ? I for my 1946 Plymouth used an aluminum radiator for a 1954 chevy car and a 350 chevy V-8 mounting it ahead of the mounting channel.. It has the trns oil cooler at the bottom.. Was not to easy to mount and then I had to have the top modified to clear the hood. Id suppose the chevy truck radiator would have been much better. Will the Chevy truck radiator handle the 440 cooling ?

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Understand the price is a hit.  For what it's worth, the U.S. aluminum unit is an all welded assembly which is repairable.  I believe the other more affordable units are all glued assemblies often with plastic tanks.  They cannot be repaired, only replaced.

 I had an aluminum radiator built for my 48 d-24 running a 318. It started leaking, it was glued. I went back with stock radiator with a pressure cap filler neck installed. Also went back to a mechanical fan. The car runs 180-190 all day long.

 If I ever need to replace the stock radiator I would go with a Walker Radiator. They may cost a little more but I think they are worth it.

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