Was wondering would this work in my 66 skylark?I just put in a 455 and thought this would keep it cool. inlet,outlet 1 1\2Check core size vs 28 x 17 core listings. This all aluminum is made with 2 rows of 1 inch tubing and come in @ 2 1/4 thick in the middle. Great for high flow cooling with a "near" stock fit. Core Dimensions: 17 x 20 3/4 Overall Dimensions: 19 x 27 (including cap and bracketing) Core Thickness: 2-1/4 (check you can fit) Tanks: 3-1/8 Rows: 2 Tank Construction: Aluminum Core Construction: Aluminum Inlet Diameter: 1 1/2 Outlet Diameter: 1 1/2 TOC: 1/2" 20 STRAIGHT THREAD G1/4 EOC: NA Mount: SADDLE
It should work for a 300-340-400-430-455. If it's listed to fit a 66 with a 6.6 (401), the inlets/outlets are on the wrong sides. That's a warning sign the seller doesn't know their applications very well. Summit Racing has several universal sized radiators that will fit. Some don't have the built-in trans cooler tho.
The picture "looks" like it fits. All the bits in the right places. Another thing to look for is that a lot of the "universal" ones have equal sized tanks on either side of the radiator. In a '66 you want the skinny tank/fat tank arrangement, as is shown in your picture. The '66 cars have a really small core support, and as such they can only run really narrow radiators. You can make it work with a small radiator, but you need to be sure that everything in your cooling system is top notch. When I first built my 455 I used the factory 1966 radiator, a stock-style water pump, crappy parts store thermostat, and the clapped out old fan clutch that had been on my 340. Ran at like 220*F. I spun a rod bearing pretty much immediately, and had to build it again. Here's what I'm using now: 1. Hayden HDA-2747 Fan Clutch, Heavy-Duty Thermal (Summit Racing) 2. Mr. Gasket MRG-4363 Thermostat, 160 Degree, High-Flow, Copper/Brass (Summit Racing) **I should switch this to a 180* thermostat in the fall, too cold here to do 160* year round** 3. Derale DER-17118 6 Blade Fan, Clutch-Type, Clockwise, 18 in. Diameter, Steel Blades/Hub (Summit Racing) 4. Hand-built fan shroud with a 19" fan opening, that put the fan 1/2 inside the fan shroud. Having a good shroud is key! I couldn't find one so I made one. 5. U.S. Radiator 005210ANDZ 4 core copper/brass radiator. (U.S. Radiator) http://www.usradiator.com/buick-skylark-1966-67-v8-300-400-radiator.html 6. TA Performance TA_1537BHP '67-'70 400-430-455 High Performance Water Pump (Short Body) http://www.taperformance.com/proddetail.asp?prod=TA_1537BHP 7. A well built, well-tuned Quadrajet. 8. Proper ignition timing, and a working vacuum advance system. With this setup, the car runs at 180* or less as long as the car is moving. I drove it every day last week in 100 degree weather. At one point I was stuck in construction traffic for about 20 minutes and got up to around 205, but as soon as I started moving at all the car cooled down to 185* almost immediately. I guess what I am saying is that it's difficult to keep a 455 cool in a '66 Skylark. One of my Chevy friends has an '86 Blazer with a 305, and a '79 Vette with a 350. I was shocked when I saw the radiators. They are MASSIVE! Easily 50% larger than my radiator, it's so unfair! You're not going to be able to keep your 455 cool with a giant radiator, so instead you'll have to be methodical, and make sure the whole system is up to the task!
I'm interested in anyone that has successfully cooled a '66 skylark with a 455 engine in it. I was thinking about putting this radiator into my 1966 Skylark with my 455 engine: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077BWD4ZP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It's a 4 core with a built in shroud. I was also going to add an external transmission cooler and not use the one in the radiator to help the radiator be more efficient.
Check the inlet and outlet diameters relative to what you need. Sometimes a Buick is not the same as the cars they mention which are: Upper Radiator Hose (Left): 1 1/2" Lower Radiator Hose (Right): 1 1/2" Also these Buick A bodies never had 4 core radiators. The thicker 4 core could create a fit issue.
Wow. That's great information! I just bought some new pulleys from CVF Racing. They look great, but the crank pulley is a smaller diameter and the water pump pulley is a larger diameter than stock. That doesn't make sense to me. Why would you want to reduce the speed of your water pump? Are you running stock pulley's? Also, are you still using the transmission cooler in the radiator or did you add an external? I'm going to use an external with an electric fan. I'm hoping that will help some.
I run this one and a 180 deg thermostat in my 65 455 skylark. pretty much the biggest radiator that will fit without modifying the core support. Was a factory crossflow. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007N0K6WC/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_i_c_utFpCbE4JH0DE
Check the inlet and outlet diameters relative to what you need. Sometimes a Buick is not the same as the cars they mention which are: Upper Radiator Hose (Left): 1 1/2" Lower Radiator Hose (Right): 1 1/2" Also these Buick A bodies never had 4 core radiators. The thicker 4 core could create a fit issue. Is this an absolute fact? Im confused as I have both a 66 and a 67 that have 4 core radiators.
