I see a lot of trucks at the shows with aluminum radiators. They sure do look great when they are all polished but do they really do a better job of cooling than the stock radiator? I have some opinions of my own but thought that I would open the discussion on the topic to see how many others have an opinion or even a good, bad, or downright ugly tale to tell. Here's one that I like that I saw at the Goodguys Del Mar show a few weeks ago...1953 F100 with a 392 hemi.

 

Don't have a tale to tell but they must be pretty good if the NASCAR guys use them. I think I read somewhere that they have better heat transfer. My worry would be getting one fixed on the road somewhere if it developed a leak....

 

My f-1 (with a 393W) kept haveing temp issues with the 4 core copper brass radiator that I had re-cored for it.

I put in an aluminum radiator and haven't had any more overheating issues.

 

Here's a quote from U.S. Radiator, "<small><small>Our test of similar core designs proves conclusively that aluminum radiators offer no real temperature drop advantage over copper and brass. On the other hand, aluminum radiators weigh about 2/3rds as much as copper and brass units and if your racing, that 9 to 12 pound difference could be real important."

I personally like the large, old brass tanks especially when polished. The problem I have experienced however is that the large tanks can not handle a high pressure cap; 4 to 7 lb psi max.

I was able to fix my tank when it split due to having a wrong pressure cap. I do not know why aluminum would be harder to fix. They sell low temp rods that work with a propane torch.

The aluminum after market radiators I've researched are expensive. If they offer no thermal efficiency, then I can not see an advantage; just personal preference.


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Mid Fifty's catalog says pretty much the same thing. Overall you drop about a 1/3 of the weight when using ALuminum. Otherwise appears to be no significant advantage.

 

I guess I failed to mention another aspect of this topic...crossflow and multi-pass design. Core materials may be similar but from what I can gather the top-down design does not hold a candle to the crossflow. I just had the "multi-pass" concept explained to me yesterday at a custom radiator shop in LA...from what I understand, the tanks are configured in such a way as the coolant passes through the upper section and then drops down to the lower section where it reverses direction and flows back across again. In my case they told me that the radiator could be designed to be a 3-pass system, inlet on the top right and outlet on the bottom left which means that the tanks would have dividers in them to direct the flow of coolant right to left across the top third of the core, left to right across the center third, and then right to left again across the lower third of the core. Sounds like it would be a lot higher efficiency for the same size core.

 

Now that's a course of a different color!

From what I've read, core design has a greater bearing on temperature drop than material ( aluminum, copper, brass).

Outside of esthetics, I would evaluate the product on price/performance; i.e., the lowest price to achieve the desired result - no overheating.


The design you mention is more efficient and most likely more costly both in initial price as well as repair should it become damaged.

There are a number of factors that affect cooling besides the radiator, e.g., shroud, type of radiator fan, aux electric fan, pressure cap, fluid, driving speed, engine size, etc.

I can not say whether a good radiator alone can eliminate all aspects of overheating considering all the variables.

I, like many others, have had to tweak the system some; I have a flex fan and an aux. variable temp control electric fan. And I've got the Brass to prove it.

 

I have a Griffin aluminum rad that I polished. It looks and works great, and as has been stated, it is light. I have a clutch fan and an electric pusher for in town.

 

Hey all, this is somewhat off topic, but not really...

For the longest time I've been interested in adding electric fans to my car, and this truck of mine is sparking interest in that sector too. But I haven't been able to understand one thing all along:

How do you make it to where the fans turn on automatically and shut off when they've done enough cooling like an original setup? I understand it has got to be somewhat of a thermostat but my other question is how do they know when to turn off so they don't stay on forever?

Are they customizable thermo's that let you set the temp at which they switch on and at which they switch off?.......Because wouldn't it be stupid if they'd turn on at 190 and as soon as it got down to 189 they turn off just to turn back on at 190 a few second later? That'd be so annoying and your fans would wear out after 6 months......

Anybody want to help me clarify?

Thank you very much(If I should just start another thread, tell me, I'll go ahead).

 

There are sensors that perform this function, they can be mounted in the engine cooling system or in the radiator itself. Spal, the manufacturer of some premium fans, also has a programmable fan controller that you can set to your own temp range. 185 ON and 159 OFF is a fairly standard temp range for these sensors but I have seen some that are 195 ON and 179 OFF.

 

I agree with edzakory about a few key points. Aluminum radiators are usually newer designs which will give tham an advantage in heat transfer.

NASCAR guys like the aluminum because they are lighter, and they can afford to change them out at will.

The only thing I don't like about aluminum is that it will conduct electricity where the brass won't (copper caps will of course) and you are hanging 40 amps of electric fan out there sometimes.

And, aluminum will corrode - quickly - brass will not.

 

Aluminum is okay but my problem with them is they usually come with plastic tanks or aluminum replaements dont have the same number of cores. My 78 mercury has a 3 core copper radiator keeps cool great with no modifications (just regular cleaning and flushing of the cooling system) but a OEM aluminum replacement is a thinner 2 core with plastic side tanks.

I prefer brass cause they can be painted (from personal experiance aluminum flakes the paint off over time with heat). Not only that but aluminum hates heat. Too much heat and they crack where as brass is pretty good up to 220* (I have a brass on one my project car and she hits 220* and the thermo isfully open by then (180* thermo starts to open at 180 but not fully open till 195) and the temp quickly rushes back down to 170*.

Thing is regardless if you have a brass/copper radiator or a aluminum one they wont cool worth a damn if their all clogged up and antifreeze does not last for ever.

Now on the thermo probe sensors they make them that stick between the cores of the radiator. I say do NOT do this. I have seen lots of people complain that they did and that probe caused the core to wear and caused a leak. If you cant mount it directly in the intake manifold (some manifolds have two fittings in the coolant passage) I would recomend getting a tubing the size of the radiator hose and weld a screw fitting in it and screw a screw in fitting there. It will put it closer to the engine and pick up the hot water alittle sooner but still after the thermostat has opened.