Aluminum radiator

J

Jim

Senior Member
I have just purchased an aluminum radiator that 3 row tubes, but the tubes look to be very big. I'm wondering if this will hinder the cooling. This for my 40 flathead. Thanks very much for all replys. Jim
 
My guess is that the bigger tubes have more cooling surface/area than a smaller dia. tube. Perhaps you can draw your own conclusion as to which would be better.
 
Here is what a Google search found.
"Copper/brass radiators are typically made with ⅜”, ½” or ⅝” cooling tubes. As you can see, aluminum radiators are made with much larger cooling tubes. These larger cooling tubes are the reason why aluminum cools better. And the reason aluminum radiators use larger tubes is because aluminum is stronger.Jul 8, 2016"
 
19Fordy said:
Here is what a Google search found.
"Copper/brass radiators are typically made with ⅜”, ½” or ⅝” cooling tubes. As you can see, aluminum radiators are made with much larger cooling tubes. These larger cooling tubes are the reason why aluminum cools better. And the reason aluminum radiators use larger tubes is because aluminum is stronger.Jul 8, 2016"
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Isn't it wonderful that just when the price of copper/brass goes out of sight, someone discovers that aluminum is not only cheaper, but does a better job than copper/brass?

Don't believe everything you read.
 
I ran a "Champion Cooling" aluminum radiator on my 52 EAB for several years and never had an overheating issue even when sitting in traffic here in the Arizona summers (100+) with the a/c on I never had a boil over. It would move the temp (2) gauges up to about 210 but after a couple of minutes of driving would get the temps back into the 190 range.

I originally purchased the radiator because of the price and "Hoped" it would do the job. Found it to be better than I expected and the polished unit, though not "stock" got lot's of WOW's. Chap

www.ChampionCooling.com
 
As said, you can read about either side being "better" than the other. I read an article in a well known trucking magazine that reported on results of comparative testing of aluminum vs. brass and concluded they were essentially the same in performance (don't know whose radiators they were testing).

Otherwise, (1) if aluminum, one should select the proper/best type of coolant for such, and (2) I would think that a brass/copper radiator would be easier to repair. Regarding coolant selection, I have a classic GM car with aluminum radiator and heads and owners strongly recommend changing the coolant every 2 or 3 years as the anti corrosive properties in the coolant degrade.
 
I am running a Champion aluminum on my '41 and it still gets hot at idle on a hot day, which I attribute to the slower speed of the crank mounted fan, and the distance between the fan and the radiator.

But my point in answering was to recommend putting a sacrificial anode (zinc) in through the radiator cap to attract the electrolytic corrosion. The one I use has a wire which can wrap around the brass grommet under the cap rubber gasket. I have fresh antifreeze and a quart of NoRossoion and the anode still collects a load of crap in a few months.
 
When I had my radiator done I wanted the type we used back in the day running dirt track (4 core)
The shop explained (3) 5/8 tubes would slow down the water more than (4) 5/16. Didn't do the math (square inch area) but it sure cools great here in Nevada 105 degree days.
I guess a guy could measure the pressure differential between the top and bottom tanks
 
40cpe said:
I've never heard that you want a radiator to slow the water down.
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It's not that you want the radiator to slow the water down but the size of the cooling tubes should be just the right size that will allow sufficient time for the heat to be extracted from the water. Too fast equals poor cooling.
 
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