by back2thewoods on Tue Feb 16, 2010 7:15 pmim working with a guy who builds custom radiator for high h.p. hot rods, i need overall dimensions and core dim. for a 1st. gen. im trying to get a quanity deal. anybody interested>?
custom radiator
back2thewoods- Number of posts: 397
Location: easton ct
Age: 55
Registration date: 2008-05-26
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts: 5627
Location: San Diego, California
Registration date: 2008-05-12
bowtie56jw- Number of posts: 338
Location: springfield, illinois
Age: 43
Registration date: 2009-08-30
hey don the po put a cross flow in my 67 with a 230 and it sits lower than the engine you think i should put in a tank like they used on first gens???
wideload- Number of posts: 842
Location: Kevil, Kentucky
Age: 58
Registration date: 2008-05-11
bowtie the 1st gens didn't use a tank. They had the downflow radiators like Don has pictured above. The 2nd gen cross flows had the surge tank mounted on top of the radiator. The pressure cap/fill cap was located on the tank and the radiator didn't have any cap at all. The top rad hose was a two piece hose with a metal piece in the middle that had a vent line coming off of it and back to the tank to get air out of the system.
Does your radiator have a pressure cap on the radiator? If it does it's not a stock radiator for one of our vans.
Does your radiator have a pressure cap on the radiator? If it does it's not a stock radiator for one of our vans.
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts: 5627
Location: San Diego, California
Registration date: 2008-05-12
The crossflow is sometimes also installed on 6 cylinder 2nd Gens for better cooling,,,,but if it sits lower than the engine, then you can't get the air out of the system, so they install a surge tank that keeps the coolant level higher than the engine,,,and its a weird system,,,,,Like Wideload says,,,,,there is no radiator cap on the radiator,,,,just a 5/8" hose coming from the surge tank,,,,and there is a vent hose running from the upper radiator hose to the surge tank also. If you got a radiator cap on a crossflow radiator,,,,it is from a pick up truck,,,,when you fill the radiator, is the coolant filling the engine completely,,,,not if the thermostat housing and upper hose are above the cap opening.
bowtie56jw- Number of posts: 338
Location: springfield, illinois
Age: 43
Registration date: 2009-08-30
its an aftermarket alum rad and it has a 16 pound cap. with the stock fan he said it still ran "hot" he said he couldnt remember how hot just hot so he found a deep pitch 6 blade fan and it sounds like the space shuttle taking off its way to loud plus he put in an elect fan(pulling the wrong way) with a toggle switch so it would stay at 180 in traffic. i want to ditch the 6 blade and just run an electric puller with a temp switch, you think this will keep her cool enough?
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts: 5627
Location: San Diego, California
Registration date: 2008-05-12
How many rows of tubes are in that radiator? Seems to me you are not in an extremely hot area and you have a 6 cylinder, so you should have no problem keeping the engine cool, unless you have air trapped in the engine. the radiator cap has to be the highest point in the doghouse,,,,,so coolant completely fills the engine and forces all the air out. Does your van run hot? Is the radiator cap below the upper hose? Here are the different size radiators that are in our vans,,,,,,
bowtie56jw- Number of posts: 338
Location: springfield, illinois
Age: 43
Registration date: 2009-08-30
what temps are more or less normal. the cap is lower than the upper hose, i was going to put a flush tee in a heater hose and fill it that way.
Digz- Number of posts: 2189
Location: Six Lakes Michigan
Age: 53
Registration date: 2008-05-17
Do you have space to stick one of these in the top line?
And No, Im not going to leave the throttle return spring hooked to the radiator hose.
And No, Im not going to leave the throttle return spring hooked to the radiator hose.
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts: 5627
Location: San Diego, California
Registration date: 2008-05-12
If you got the right thermostat, coolant mixture and radiator cap, then below 220 should not cause you any problems,,,,,,that add on cap is a better set up than what you got now,,,,,if you put a pressure release lever cap on the radiator, open the lever,,,,,add coolant slowly through that add on cap until the air is pushed out the radiator,,,,then that might be all you need to do to make that pick up radiator do a good job,,,,,,,,
bowtie56jw- Number of posts: 338
Location: springfield, illinois
Age: 43
Registration date: 2009-08-30
ya know i prob could put a remote filler on her. thanks didnt even think about one of them, was thinking about a flush tee. hey man if that spring works run it, i have done it myself 
63chevyvan?- Number of posts: 115
Location: Oregon
Registration date: 2010-01-16
SpeedwayMotors.com sells a water neck with filler if your radiator is lower than your motor...........$37
back2thewoods- Number of posts: 397
Location: easton ct
Age: 55
Registration date: 2008-05-26
donivan, what i need is dimensions and core size, i want to price, a custom rad. with elec. fan or fans with shroud, if you could help, thanks bill
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts: 5627
Location: San Diego, California
Registration date: 2008-05-12
So are you going to recore your old radiator using your top and bottom tanks or get a fresh new custom one to put in there? What engine do you have? Has the doghouse been modified or changed? You can see how they changed the radiators in that picture of a radiator and shroud sitting on my doghouse,,,,,I took that out of a 2nd Gen with a 6 cylinder,,,,,,Thats like 1/2 my engine size,,,,,,I think that the 1st Gen Sportvan and 2nd Gen 6 cylinder radiator cores are the same,,,,They are about 1 inch wider than the 1st Gen radiators so a 2nd gen won't fit into a 1st Gen,,,, UNLESS,,,,you put that weird Sportvan passenger side flange on it, where the bolts come in from under the seat instead of from the front.
back2thewoods- Number of posts: 397
Location: easton ct
Age: 55
Registration date: 2008-05-26
what im thinking of doing is a custom, im running a hyped out 283, 350 trans. elec fan. im not sure if doghouse was modified. its in the paint shop right now, going to prime on sunday. just planning ahead for summer
