Need help
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 841
Likes: 0
From: Orangeville, Ontario
Well, I would think that the max cooling would just be a thicker radiator with another row but don't quote me on that. If it's just a regular radiatior it'll be fairly thin and if it's "max cooling" it'll be thicker. Sorry I can't be more precise.. I don't know where my damn tape measurer is or I'd measure mine (non max cooling) it's about an inch in thickness (one row).
Last edited by TheRoadVirus; Nov 25, 2007 at 01:26 PM.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 28,609
Likes: 18
From: Lake Tahoe, Nevada
I have an 86 with the 300 six. When I first got it and saw that radiator my first thought was that it was too small and that it had to go. This was I bought the truck for the back country down in Mexico. So I knew I would be heavily loaded, going deep off road in very high heat for a long time. But as I was fixing the truck up in preparation for the first trip I saw that it kept the truck cool in summer at high altitude, loaded and going over mountains so I left the radiator in place. I have used it for a number of years, (nine I think,) in some pretty extreme conditions and it has never run hot. Not even a little bit.
So unless you are planning to tow something heavy over the Rockies, I think your stock one row radiator is fine for that 300 six.
On a side note. A one row radiator is the most efficient. More rows of tubes adds capacity but lessens efficiency. If you are paying attention to such things you will find that many new vehicle radiators are one row. The radiators are thicker than ours, that one row of tubes may be an inch or an inch and a quarter thick. Often the tubes are dimpled to promote turbulent flow too.
If you feel the need to increase your radiator capacity, it is better to increase the frontal area than the thickness if you can find a way to do it.
So unless you are planning to tow something heavy over the Rockies, I think your stock one row radiator is fine for that 300 six.
On a side note. A one row radiator is the most efficient. More rows of tubes adds capacity but lessens efficiency. If you are paying attention to such things you will find that many new vehicle radiators are one row. The radiators are thicker than ours, that one row of tubes may be an inch or an inch and a quarter thick. Often the tubes are dimpled to promote turbulent flow too.
If you feel the need to increase your radiator capacity, it is better to increase the frontal area than the thickness if you can find a way to do it.
