Big block cooling help

[Irishbleueyes]

http://www.redlineoil.com/Products.aspx?pcid=10

http://royalpurpleconsumer.com/produ.../#.UnXWbvmsidk

Lucas oil also makes one...

[Irishbleueyes]

towreck have you pressure tested your system? The tiniest leak will cause the temp to climb ie a loose clamp that just needs one more turn.. Get a leak tester and pump it up to 16psi and see if it will hold..

[SparkyRnD]

Originally Posted by wutnxt

Well...If it was me I would run a aluminum rad 2 or 3 core .....with a shroud and electic fan. I have several of these combo's with strocker engines making 650 HP and never have problems. The new style rads have less cores but are the same thickness and give more cooling....it used to be cores decided how thick the rad is now it's thickness with as few cores as possible. I am a big believer in shrouds and pulling eletric fans....

That is correct. Our radiators use dual 1" thick cores, for a total core thickness of 2". The old brass & copper 4-core radiators used four 1/2" thick cores, for a total core thickness of 2", which is the same as ours. The electric fan and shroud makes the system that much more efficient, and reduces the horsepower draw that mechanical fans take away.

Originally Posted by 1963c-10

Sparky...help educate me on the dual speed fans....I'm an old school mechanical fan guy and am interested in possibly going electric for my big block swap if I have any clearance issues.

The dual speed fans are a great upgrade to the standard single speed fans. Basically, when there is a specific condition (ie: temps rise due to driving harder; a/c kicks on, etc.), the fan has a second, higher speed that it will move up to in order to cool down the engine. The controller is where you set that, or the PCM if you are using an LS style engine. The fan itself has 3 wires instead of two. If your engine is stock, you probably won't need it. If you have a big block and a/c, or a built engine, its a very effective way to keep your engine cooler.

[1963c-10]

Im going to a built big block no a/c or p/s...although p/s will be down the road.

[SparkyRnD]

then as long as the engine isn't heavily built, a standard single speed fan and one of our radiators would keep it very cool.

[SparkyRnD]

The good part about our radiator set up is that you can always add the electric fan and shroud kit later, or if you buy a regular fan and then build the motor/ change cam, you can switch out to the dual speed fan kit easily.

[slimneverdies]

So sparkyrnd... I have a 454 with 405hp/520tq that will be running ac that's carbed (edelbrock 750). Haven't run it yet so don't know what the temps will be yet but I will be towing 3-4 times a month up these hills in Neveda. What would be the setup you would recommend that doesn't require me to do anything manually (like turning on a fan switch)?

[SparkyRnD]

Our radiator with a pair of 14's should handle that. You'd want the radiator, the fan & shroud kit and two controller kit with relays. If you're interested or want to discuss more, shoot me a PM with your contact info

[brokenspoke]

Why do people say 4 core? Radiators have one core....they have 2,3,4 rows ....

[SparkyRnD]

Describing groups of rows as a core is an industry standard term. What has come to be the generally accepted definition is that a core is a linear group of rows of tubes. A 1 core radiator has a single row of horizontal or vertical tubes, a 2 core has two, etc. Within each row there can be any number of tubes depending on manufacturer.

People also need to understand that original style brass & copper radiators use 1/2" thick cores, so a 4-core brass & copper radiator has four rows of 1/2" thick tubes, for a total core thickness of 2". The aluminum units we build uses two rows of 1" thick tubes, for a total core thickness of 2". We state that our radiators are the same thickness as a standard 4 core.

[luvbowties]

Hey, towrecker, bodyman-friend of mine told me how to cool a big block-into-older-chev. It involved 2 steps. You already have the 1st--the shroud. Second step was install a 6-blade fan, solid mount--CLUTCHLESS--properly depth'ed into shroud.

This is too much drag and noise for everyday driving. But should be ideal for your application--they are made for each other.

Ours would literally suck your shirttail towards rad if you bent over front, like adjusting carb.

When you solve your problem, please report back to group. Don't hafta use my name--just wish for group to know what a solid-mount fan & shroud are capable of. Our rad was a factory unit for cooling a 235 Chevy motor. Our motor was a rarity--a 396/425 hp, that I bought new from Chevy dealer in Greenville, SC, & installed in a 55 Chevy that was a 6-cyl/3-speed with overdrive from the factory. Used that same factory rad with the big-block install, & cooled it with above solution.

Will be following thread, so good luck.
Sam