Hi guys, I have done some reading on older posts and I think I will be ok from what I understand, but I would like to confirm: I will be running a 455 bored .038 over (approx 450HP) in my 67 GS. 4 speed manual. The car came equipped with a 7 blade clutch fan (factory A/C). My original fan shroud is intact. I also have a heavy duty fan clutch installed. I will be deleting A/C for my new build. I also do not have to worry about idling in traffic or ambient temps above 85 degrees F (even that hot will be rare). Do you think my current radiator setup will keep her cool? I can get the radiator rebuilt as a 4 core if necessary, but I would prefer not to if it isn't needed. Thanks for your input.
I say try it. Is your current radiator clean? Are you going to remove the AC condenser also when you remove the other AC stuff? The AC condenser slows the flow of air thru the radiator by quite a bit.
Tough to say wether original radiator will do the job. Is the 455 replacing a smaller engine? If the engine was rebuilt and is a virgin, break-in period would not be a good time to find out original radiator is inadequate. I paid good coin for my radiator , just for that reason. Just my thoughts....Jim/Rott Tapatalk User
The 18" X 7 blade fan is more than enough, but the stock radiator may not be. If your radiator is old and you can see solder bloom (white deposits), it may be partially clogged. I have a 15 year old Griffin 2 row aluminum radiator with the 18" fan. It gets the job done. BTW, I don't think you will get a definitive answer to your question. You will just have to see what happens. Make sure you get the timing right. If you end up idling the engine close to TDC, it will heat up in traffic from that alone.
Thanks guys. The radiator is not clean at this time. I am going to take it to a good radiator shop and have it cleaned and inspected. Depending on the results, I will decide on going for the 4 core replacement.
You can order a drop in Aluminum radiator from Jegs for just under $300.00 and it will cool your car no problem and it will be new and clean. Michael
Thanks Michael, I just checked out Jegs and I can't find anything like you mention. They all seem to be in the 5-6 hundred dollar range. Do you have a link or a part number?
