I know this has been asked many times, and many ways... looking for opinions on a radiator for my '72 skylark. The motor is a 482cui BBB that is partially filled. Wasnt sure what way to go. definitely was thinking of aluminum, just curious what everyone else is running for a motor somewhat similar
I’ve got a 470 with aluminum rad, and other cars with built 455’s with 4 core rads. No overheating issues, you probably know but a full shroud is important.
When I bought my GS 455, it's been modified with several power adders, high compression pistons and bored .030 over. All this caused it to over heat and also create detonation problems. I asked Larry the Wizard what he recommend I do. Here is his answer. Buy the baddest 2 row aluminum 2 row radiator with 1 1/4" tubes. That is what I have. It's a Griffin I bought in May of 2000. It is leak free and cools like Day 1, 23 years later. His recommendation is right on, I have no high temp problems or detonations either, plus it's American made. Vet
I actually did not know that. Glad i picked up a big block fan shroud in that case then. What are the size dimensions for a '72 radiator? When i go to Griffins website it gives me 4 different dimensions for a radiator
I purchased a big Dewitt Rad a few yrs ago for the Riv. Liked it so much that I purchased another for the Wildcat. They are pricy but do what you need them to. Another addition that really helped with the cooling was alumn heads. Made a huge diff.
Mine original factory rad was 2 and barely cooled the car. Likely 5/8 tubes? I now have an aluminum Champion AE161 radiator that is 2 rows, with 1 inch tubes. Keeps it cool on the hottest day.
2 or possibly 3 rows. Brass/Copper tubes are limited to 5/8", any bigger and they would balloon from the pressure due to the softness of the metal. That is the advantage of aluminum, it is much stiffer, and tube size can be up to 1 1/2". More fin to tube contact, more cooling capacity. Brass/Copper actually conducts heat better than aluminum, but aluminum radiators will out cool a Brass/Copper radiator.
Almost all C-2 owners who actually DRIVE their cars have a DeWitts radiator. When I put mine in, the car went into a 180 degree max no matter how hot it was in SO FL or even when I run the factory A/C. FYI, in a C-2, there is NO space under the hood and the grill is minuscule for such a hot engine in a small space. We do everything possible to keep the heat down. I had my exhaust manifolds ceramic coated--5% heat reduction. The late '66 GM cars came with a 7-blade fan and an extra strip of plastic around the bottom of the shroud for A/C cars since these cars were overheating regularly even though they came with an aluminium radiator. The top of the shroud has rubber "flaps" that separate the fan area from the engine compartment--VERY important that they be set properly. SO, I can totally recommend a DeWitts radiator. If you do get a 4-core (of any brand), you realize you have to purchase the wider rubber supports. Cheers!
I've had a 2 1" row BeCool in mine since 2009 or so. Never an issue. Handled stop and go Vegas traffic in 115ºF like a champ, towing a trailer across the country in triple digits, etc. Most people I believe have air flow issues more than radiator issues. Good shroud for slow speed, and good air dam for high speed. I wouldn't get a core over 2.5" thick (ideally closer to 2") because it'll have a harder time passing air through at lower speeds.
