Thread: Radiator ?

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I am ready to start up my 38 Dodge. I kept the original radiator, it has been flushed and inlet/outlets changed. Will it cool or stand the pressure of a 1995 360 Mopar Magnum engine?? Anyone done this??

We used to be stuck making the stock radiators work, now there are so many good aluminum radiator builders IMO it's just not worth the hassle of messing with the old ones.

If Don sees this, he just had a radiator custom built for one of his projects. Pics of it on the thread "Project $ 3k underway. It's a very high quality radiator....

As for your question, will it handle the cooling....Maybe, doubt it though. Usually if you try to run a high enough pressure in the cooling system to make it work right, it just continually blows holes in the old radiator. At least that has been my experience with them.

If it were new it would probably stand the pressure and probably even reject plenty of heat, but 68 years of water/antifreeze that has anything but a neutral pH will cause weak areas that will fail, usually on the hottest day of the year and as far from home as you ever will be. Murphy's Law number 4 says: "If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong. Corollary: If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then. "

As Dave S. says, there are too many better alternatives - copper or aluminum - take your choice, to take a chance

I completely agree with Irelands Child that Murphy's Law will prevail at the most unwanted time for you. Confusus say, "Better safe than sorry!" I am having PRC build me an aluminum radiator with fan shroud that is completely tig welded for my 1930 Model A roadster. Overheating problems are the last thing I want to encounter when trying to enjoy my hotrod on a weekend drive. I liked the PRC better than a Griffin or a Walker radiator so I went that direction. With you living in VA shipping would be almost nothing because they are made in your area. Hope you make the wise decision and avoid unwanted problems an old radiator which has been well used not to mention tired.

The guys are absolutely right, in the old days we made do with radiators and other parts because money was tight and the availability of these sorts of items was not what we have today. We usually paid the price when our cobbled up part let us down, and usually at the worst time possible.

I will cut corners where possible, but I have learned not to do that in critical areas, like the radiator we are discussing. I have always had a custom built radiator in my cars for the past 20 or so years, and since aluminum radiators have become available, I use them exclusively.

We rodders sometimes don't mind springing for those expensive mag wheels, or high performance engine part, but when it comes to something like a radiator, we hate to spend our money there. However, a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.

Don

I want to say a huge THANK YOUto all of you guys for your help with this issue. You guys came to my rescue when I was in need of answers before, and you have done it yet again. I will take your advice and have a better street rod because of it. Thank again!! I wish you guys a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy NEW YEAR!!
Kyle