Radiator dimensions?

88_AHB

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Hey all,
I was trying to find the radiator dimensions (core,and overall dimensions). My car doesn’t have one at the moment when I got it,I was going to go to pick n pull see if I can find a fifth avenue one.Utlimately looking to get a nice aftermarket aluminum radiator.So far, I’ve found some measurements online of a stock radiator.Core width-24.75, core height-18.125,core thickness- 1.18. It’d be much appreciated if someone could double check me or has one laying around to see. Thanks!
 

89.Fifth

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I installed this one: Champion Cooling Systems #CC2374: *BLEM All-Aluminum Radiator Early Mopar (22" Core) | JEGS

The only change was I had to add some mounting ears because the rad is narrower than original. Champion no longer makes a direct fit one, if you want one the right width it will be too tall. That's what I was able to find at least, and this rad has more than enough capacity. The only thing you'll have to worry about is adapting the shroud, but even in 90+ heat and NYC traffic I didn't have to worry about overheating, even without a shroud.
 

88_AHB

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88_AHB

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Thanks much appreciated, been looking around some more and looks like my best bet. Did you keep the mechanical fan? Or upgrade to a electric fan?
 

89.Fifth

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Kept the mechanical but, as I said, no shroud. Didn't bother to figure that out yet, especially with winter approaching. Down the road I'll get an electrical with temp sensors and relays and all that.
 

Rustyroger

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Thanks much appreciated, been looking around some more and looks like my best bet. Did you keep the mechanical fan? Or upgrade to a electric fan?

I wouldn't call fitting an electric fan an upgrade, more an attempt to overcome another fault in the cooling system. Remember, the original system would cope with Arizona summers and Montana winters....

Roger.
 

Duke5A

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Don't have dimensions handy, but both my Dad and I used Champion CC374 radiators in our cars. It's a 26" radiator with inlet/outlet in the correct places for a small block. I don't know if they make this model anymore though.

Electrics have their place. Dad's car runs a mild 408 stroker and it simply wouldn't move enough air at idle to cool the car down in stop and go traffic, but was fine at cruise. No combination of shrowds and mechanical fans resolved the problem. Electrics got it to cool properly at a stop.

I use electrics too, but with a big block there just isn't room for a clutch fan and I'm not a fan of flex fans.

If you don't have a cooling issue at idle then I would just leave the clutch fan on it. Always be sure to run a shrowd though.
 

89.Fifth

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Don't have dimensions handy, but both my Dad and I used Champion CC374 radiators in our cars. It's a 26" radiator with inlet/outlet in the correct places for a small block. I don't know if they make this model anymore though.

They discontinued it. Maybe there's another stash but CC2374 replaced it.
 

Poly

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I've always assumed that the height was the same for all the radiators in the FMJ carline. It was the width and number of cores that was the difference, and of course the inlet outlet locations.

The header panel may only accept up to a 22" core width, any wider and the battery has to be moved elsewhere. Possibly someone can verify.
 

Kernel Sanders

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Here is my rad
I’m not sure what measurements you need specifically but I’ll offer up this:

Actual core measurements
26x18.5”
Top of the tank to the bottom of the tank at its tallest excluding the filler
22.75”
Width of tanks just shy of 26.5” but with the bracing 27.5”
Total mounting width 30.5”

Mounting holes width 29”
Mounting slot to top hole 8.75”

Hope this helps, sorry about terminology or lack thereof lol

17B906C3-D8C3-4D78-AACD-99B70CEA501A.jpeg


4B908CA2-E8EF-4529-982A-1935AE24FC86.jpeg
 

Kernel Sanders

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Oh I forgot to add

This was from an 87 with 318 and is the same one I was able to get in my 76 Dart when I put a 318 into it. it was a squeeze for sure.

I have this one just in case I boogered up the one I used in the Dart because it was in and out and back in and back out lol
 

89.Fifth

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Also keep in mind that the mounting holes are different on the Right vs the Left. Found this one out the hard way :)
 

Derekb

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i think i ordered my 4 row for a b body with a small block

IMG_20161123_102039.jpg
 

BudW

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There are two different size core support brackets (painted in body color) for FMJ vehicles. One is for 18”, 20” and 22” wide core radiators and the other is for 26” wide core radiators.

Cars with A/C or towing package got the wide cores. Others are hit and miss as to what they came with.

If you have the narrow core support brackets, you can either upgrade to correct parts (via donor car and welding) or get a lot of measurements and Sawzall/drill it to make a wide core radiator to fit (or just bolt a wide core on and some air flow restriction.

If you currently have a brass radiator that is leaking – if not going to get it fixed or re-cored, always remove the side straps (which are steel) using a HD solder iron or low temp torch. Those side straps can make another body type radiator fit into an FMJ.

Also, some late ‘70’s and all ’80-93 Dodge pickup/van small block radiators will fit into an FMJ (in place of a 26” hole) without issues (see below). Like FMJ’s. the /6 and big blocks pickup/van radiators have outlets on wrong ends.

Getting a pickup radiator to fit is not an issue – but what can be a small problem is the radiator hose sizes are larger than what FMJ’s use. The fix is to use pickup radiator hoses in place of your existing hoses (which might need to be trimmed a tad).


The early ‘70’s pickup/van as well as C-body radiators are 28” wide and the side straps are different. A person can still use them (28") after you solder your FMJ straps onto them – and after drill new bolt holes (inward) 1” on each side for each of the 4 holes. Your existing fan shroud might not fit – but the fan shroud from your donor car might.

Other body style cars – the 4 radiator-to-core support bolt holes are in different locations. Some might work with new holes – others might not. A side strap replacement fixes most of these problems.


Moral of the story – don’t discard your old radiator until your replacement is installed. If you are upgrading from a 18”, 20” or 22” radiator – you might look to find someone with a leaky 26’ one, first.

With FMJ side straps, you "could" install a thick 6-core radiator providing you had space between it and your fan blade (if you had some wild reason to want to do that).

I have a few C-body/pickup as well as FMJ radiators in my garage that I have been saving, once I get ready to go big block.
BudW
 

XfbodyX

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Alot of good useful combined info here. I will add a little bit to what Bud posted.

Ive used almost any rad. in a F within practical limits and have found the only real limits is the distance between the frame rails and the distance from the base to the top of the core support.

One of the best things of being in the fmj world is we can use nearly any drive line configuration from the muscle car era to far past it.

Maybe Bud can articulate a bit further on the strap aspect as he mentioned as I see it as useful if one was doing a proper resto or conversion and myself have never thought of it simply because for myself I never found it necessary but now im wondering what I might of done if I had of done it...hmm.

With the F-s (at least early ones, 76-77) having two core supports, ac and non ac and to further backup the use of the older radiators if we look at the early 76-s they use the older type a body rad. vs the long slender that the F-s went to later and used in the M and J cars.

Here are a few examples in the pics. One beater I have has a early 70-s (74) BB (400) B body rad, I dont recall the PN but its actually the max airflow unit for a BB ac car. Yes, the core does overlap the non ac core support but factually causes no issues and on the reverse side still gets full effect from the oem shroud.

Its a bit ironic that so many who have seen this car in person have never caught it because it looks so factory because it utilizes oem parts, just a bit older. Only a few FMJ guys have ever noticed and said "Where did I get the BFR" at.


The second pic I robbed from a current ebay listing of a BB 440 RR, but was a 400 car and the lazy F--- dont even have a shroud on it asking 29K Canadian. But its the same unit I have.

I now have a proper mopar hose on it but in this pic its got a flex hose.

The third and fourth pic shows the early 76 F-s with oem correct radiators and you can see they are not even the full width of the core support opening and still the older design.

As far as fitment, yes flush is good but if using a larger rad core then opening touching is bad, 1/16 hard mounted is good, simply round stock cut to the needed thickness is the easy ticket.

Not to get deep into it, a simple 440 iron headed F can live with ac and a factory /6 rad with 3.55 gears.

Ive used several Al rads from $700 dual pass cross flow units to the 2 and 3 core (1 inch tubes) sold off ebay for under $200 delivered and have never had a problem with either. I do stay away from any plastic config replacement units.

There is alot of confusion for many when we get away from the oem iron head copper core rad vs more modern al heads and al rads because from a thermodynamic standpoint were trying to merge two worlds, old and new.

On alot of stock stroke small blocks there are still many good iron head/piston choices choices that still provide quench and other then weight a little diy work goes along way with good results, but thats a whole different topic.

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