Radiator

[Beyer]

Just curious, but I am looking for a new radiator for my Vortec 350. It cools fine now with a modified CJ radiator until I start hot-rodding it for long periods of time. I use a taurus 2-speed fan. I am pretty sure I could get away with a 28"x19"x2.25" thick radiator from Summit (as I have buddies that use the same radiator), but for another $30 I can get a Griffin 3" radiator.
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=GRI%2D1%2D25242%2DX&N=700+4294810996+4294891681+4294792866+4294792880+115&autoview=sku

Is it possible to have too thick of a radiator? I would not think so, but curious if it made it harder for the fan to pull air through another 3/4" of cooling fins and in return make it cool worse than the 2.25" due to air movement?

Anyway, just thinking out loud looking for any input.

 

[BamaTJ]

I have never really researched much about this area, I know several here have and they will chime in.

 

[InDaShop]

Ron Davis 26 X 16 X 3 w/h/d is what I'm running. My 5.3 never gets how, even after near an hour at near full throttle (we were covering some ground baja style in West Texas)

http://www.rondavisradiators.com/offroad.htm
They make some sizes that may work for you, including a 28x19x3

Sorry I'm pumping Ron Davis. They make good **** that will hold up. Nothing against Summit, I have a ton of their stuff, just on a radiator that is the lifeblood of your motors longevity, I dont skimp.

Sorry no experience with Griffin.

 

[under_psi]

it is possible to have too much coolant volume...then your water pump can not keep up, and you end up having hotter coolant b/c it can't flow th eproper volume and the proper rate......this is one reason why i did not want and try a rear mounted rad.....lots of guys end up adding in an auxilliary elec. water pump....

fwiw...i am running a double pass Ron Davis radiator with shroud and fan.(double pass helps alot....)...i thought that it was going to be too much, but it seems to be doig fine....especially now that i have the charging bug fixed.....

 

[blacksheep10]

the volume thing most people talk about is the coolant moves through the system too fast. it doesn't get a chance to transfer its heat to the fins before its rushed back to the engine. a double pass makes it so the fluid goes across from 1 tank to another, has to jump down the tank and go back across the lower half of the rad. this is accomplished by a plate being welded in the first tank halfway down below the inlet. you do double pass on a same side hose rad or you can do triple pass on one that is left/right hose. it let the fluid get truly cool. I have a summit rad and never ever get hot. I have never had a problem with too much rad. I have had a problem with flow.

 

[Cole]

I vote Ron Davis. I hate over heating as much as I hate catching on Fire.
My next buggy will have the exact same radiator as my jeep had and be mounted in the rear.

 

[blacksheep10]

that's the dual pass/single sided output/intput I'm referring to. it has a plate welded halfway down the tank with the tubes on it.

 

[Marty]

I am running a 31" Ron davis single bypass, with dual flex a lite fans, cools the **** out of my 6.0 and I only have about 500 in the setup.

 

[EOR MFG]

We have had really good luck from the Griffen double pass radiators. They are roughly a third of the price of the Ron davis units and cool extremly well. Daniels buggy has a partial hard blocked 427 Small block and does not get hot with a relatively small 21x19 Radiator and he is def. not afraid of long throttle attacks. Generally I have found that a good shroud w/ proper airflow and a water restrictor go the furthest toward preventing overheating problems.



...But if you have to coin Ron Davis is Hard to beat they were well represented in many of the teams we ran across in the 1000 last year which speaks well of a radiator company for obvious reasons.

 

[Beyer]

Thanks for the replies guys. I will check on Ron Davis radiators.
Seriously though, even my current radiator cools the motor really well and it rarely gets over 210, and I run the fan on Low until it hits 210. Once in a while, it will climb to 220-230 (fan now on High) if I am just hammering up a hill (rock bouncing 'Bama' style ).

 

[blacksheep10]

MY vortec saw 250 regularly with the old rear rad I never got to work. it doesn't hurt too much to get to 230. I don't even stop until 240. that's just me laughing1
yeah, a dual pass griffin would most likely do the trick, but if you have the coin, drop it.