Bad68442

Hi all,

Looking for a radiator for my 72 442 convt, 350 / 4speed car with no A/C.

I am guessing the more cores the bettter, so looking at 3-4 core, but I am torn between Aluminum or Brass/Copper. Never tried aluminum, and they look to be alot cheaper.

Then there is the fan. I think the orig is a rigid 4-blade with no clutch ... do I run that, or upgrade to 7blade with clutch? Then of course there is electric ...

I have OE shroud .. planning to reinstall that for sure.

Any thoughts/recommendations/experiences you can share would be great.

Jim

66SportCoupe

OE shrouds were only used on cars with a fan clutch. The plain 4 bladed fan had no shroud.

Eddie Hansen

I would think your decision would be based on what your end plan is. If it’s originality then that leaves out the aluminum , if you go to a four core brass and copper I believe you will need to change the saddles and upper plate , I believe the three core you’ll be fine if your car came with that fit wise , on the other hand if not concerned about originality as much , opens up your options , I installed a cold case radiator aluminum in my 69 with 455 , I used the 4 core saddles and top plate it fit perfectly , the cold case comes in manual and auto versions , I used radiator paint on the center section and the radiator looks stockish I also upgraded to the 7 blade fan and use the stock shroud , it looks the part , I have not driven it yet

Eddie Hansen

Here it’s installed that’s an aftermarket stainless steel overflow with return by the way not fully adjusted yet

matt69olds

If originality is important, then a copper/brass is your only option. If you can tolerate aftermarket, then definitely go that route. Cheaper, superior cooling abilities, all around win.

As for fans, if you go aftermarket radiator, use a 7 blade fan with a thermal clutch. Use a shroud.

joe_padavano

Is there any reason why you think that you need anything other than stock? These cars didn't overheat when they left the factory.

Bad68442

Looks nice ... I undersand if I go the route of clutch fan I need a longer water pump and th pully that goes with it?

joe_padavano

The clutch fan has nothing to do with the length of the water pump or the pulley. My 67 Delta with A/C has a 5.1" pump and a factory clutch fan.

Bad68442

I typicially like the stock appearance .. and no reason to believe it will overheat .. at least I hope not

However since I have nothing to start with, and the patient is wide open, I thought i might reach out to check other experiences. Aluminum does seem to be cheaper. Clutch fan seems to make sense as well ... cept I think I might need a different water pump & pully

Bad68442

Thanks for quick response Joe .. I was typing while you were responding ...

If I do not need to chage the pump or pully to use a clutch fan ... I will prob go that route ....

joe_padavano

A three row copper radiator bolts in place of your stock two row with no mods. A four row requires changes to the mounting saddles in the core support and top plate. Frankly a two row will cool just fine but a three row will provide margin. The only issue with the clutch fan is clearance to the radiator. Too far is almost as bad as too close. You can get spacers to go between the pulley and the fan clutch if you need to get it closer. That's a lot easier than swapping pump and pulleys.

Bad68442

Thats why I love this site !!!

I would have never thought to look for a spacer ... that will make my life MUCH easier!!!

Utmost thanks for the recommendation!!!

matt69olds

Hayden offers fan clutches in different lengths. It might not be a bad idea to hit your local junkyards and get a couple used fans just for mock-up. If you can determine the length you need, no need for additional spacers.

At the minimum, use a 3 core. The difference on cost between a 2 and 3 core is minimal, the added cooling capsid worth the piece of mind.

I haven't compared prices for copper verses aluminum, but from what I have heard they are expensive. You could probably buy 2 aluminum for the cost of one copper.

Bad68442

Thanks for the suggestion on Hayden!!! Tough to find anything in any junkyards around here any more .. seems to be athing of the past!!

I am guesssing I will install the radiator .. then measure distance between pump and radiator .. and use just clutch or clutch and spacer

Jim