Rad to handle 350-400 hp.

[MBDale]

Hey guys,

Haven't been working on the car for a while because I've been working out of town but the Machine Shop has been busy on the 360 lately. The motor is getting dyno'd before I install it in my '79 Aspen RT. I've got a pile of accessories for this thing but I'm hung up big time on the rad. So what I did was get a new rad for a 360 Aspen. It's still in the box, clean and new. But it's a 2 core and it will fit but I just done trust it to handle my new engines output. So do I get bigger tanks and a core added to that rad or get Mancini to make me one ? What have other guys done? I'm thinking Mancini would be expensive. Custom rad shop? Ideas??

 

[Aspen500]

Well,,,,I had Glen-Ray Radiator, here in town, make me one. They took the biggest rad you could get in an F-body and put a 3 row core into the stock tanks and side pieces. I'm assuming they started with a 360 with A/C radiator(?)
With a clutch fan and shroud, it cools a 500" BB, with the A/C running, on a 90 degree day, in traffic. Temp rarely goes above center on the gauge.

 

[slant6billy]

Got mine from a custom Radiator shop. It was ordered by a racer and never came to pay the difference and claim it. I paid the difference $229 and just had to change the top hose to a passenger side inlet. It is a 3 core and keeps the motor cool at highway cruise- where I had problems. Problem solved.

 

[got job]

I used an E body 26 in radiator. Just positioned it were it needed to set and drilled 4 holes in the core support. Works great. It is a three row and keeps the 340 at 170-180 with a/c on 90 degree days. Real happy with the set up.

 

[Aspen500]

Many ways to achieve the same results. Now all you have to do is choose one

 

[9secRR]

what's wrong with the factory rad? mine has never overheated with 13.5:1 compression 440'' SB.

 

[BudW]

If you already have a new 2 core radiator, I would use it and see if it will work. I have a feeling it will work fine for you.
If it doesn’t, and if everything else has is checked out, then (and only then) I would look into buying a bigger radiator.

Mopar small blocks are not known to overheat that often. Big blocks . . . are a different story.



Aspen500, mind if I ask what your Glen-Ray radiator cost you?
I’ve seen their prices online which are a few bills more than I’d like to spend, but if a person is not looking for a numbers matching exact copy, I would think it wouldn’t be too bad.

BudW

 

[Aspen500]

The prices in their ads are for numbers matching, date coded restoration radiators. Your everyday ones are a WHOLE lot less.
What today's price would be, I don't know. They built my rad around 1994 or so, I think it was. For various reasons I never put it in until "the build" in 2012. If memory serves it was right around $200 and they supplied the 26" Aspen tanks and side pieces and attached them to a 3 row core.
Besides being the only radiator shop in the entire area pretty much, and the only place that can do silver soldering and bubble crimping of A/C lines, they're also big Mopar people. On top of that, they are very nice, honest, men of their word. An all to rare thing these days. How's that for some hype? lol

 

[MBDale]

Thanks for all your input, the effort of pictures and replies guys. I'll try the stock one and go from there. Also going to run a 160 degree thermostat with a 1/8 hole drilled in it. That worked will in my Swinger when I had it.