Thread: 29 radiator

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Having discovered this very useful site I hope you will humor me while a ask a lot of questions which came to me while building a '29 Ford replica roadster with a SBC 350/350/8"Maverick driveline. I am still at the stage of frame setup and have just finished installing the front end with a 4" drop magnum axle and econo disk brake kit. Before I set up the '29 Model A body with fenders I am thinking through the cooling system. Almost every picture I have seen of a '29 with a standard radiator shell has an electric fan. My question is if I use a radiator to fit a '30 Ford with a '32 deuce shell will the radiator be bigger and may not need an electric fan? Other cars which have a 350/350 set up use a '70 Ford pickup 6 cyl radiator for size with recoring. Considering the cost of a radiator may be up to 1/3 that of an engine and that an overbored block may run hotter than stock, which is the cost effective way to get cooling in a '29 roadster? I kind of like a deuce shell, especially if that would allow a larger radiator, but if a '70 PU-6 can be recored to fit a '29 shell that might be the least expensive way. On the other hand maybe a full electrical fan allows more instantaneous HP from the engine while the battery pays the price of the fan, only to be recharged later.

Don Shillady

If you run a hood you'll need a fan. And probably should plan on a shroud too.

Thanks for the quick replies. So far I only see a 4-core radiator in my Speedway catalog and that spec says it will handle up to a 400 SBC. I would like to run a hood with the curved cutout on the sides, but I do not know who makes/sells them. Of course my wife insists on an AC (in a roadster) so I will need the radiator with an AC condenser too. She is one of those blondes who might have a nordic gene related to polar bears because she can't stand heat and I may end up running side curtains in the summer just so we can use the AC. Street is right about the parade situation so it all points to the maximum for the cooling situation with big radiator, shroud and e-fan. Still what is the verdict on a '30 radiator in a deuce shell for more capacity and '32 style? Of course then I need a v'd headlight bar and a more expensive grill, so if the stock shape '29 radiator will work as a 4-core that will make the headlight bar easier to install and after all the '29 chrome shell does look "cute".

Don Shillady