radiator woes

i've resoldered my rad a couple of times and postponed the blowup for almost a year. now its ready to blow. any tips on getting a rad for a 62? or maybe recore this one thanks guys el stevo

I used one from a 66 mustang V8. Just had to switch the brackets around.

mike

so i ordered this unit http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=160420692757&view=all&tid=444937435006 i measured twice and ordered once. the brackets are backwards and the outflow is a little bigger, but what a price! this is for a 144ci in a '62. cools up to 650 hp so my sewing machine will need a parka. i'll post the pics of course

Do NOT order this radiator! or one from radiatorsus.com.... they're the same people. The guy is difficult to deal with. Took nearly a month to get my radiator and it does NOT cool. He claimed it would cool 400hp. It is a SINGLE row core & overheated my motor... He was reluctant to take the radiator back, but is supposed to give me a refund minus restocking fee. We'll see... My leaky stock radiator is back in for the time being. I ordered an aluminum one that is made for a 1932 Ford with a Chevy motor (3 row) as the dimensions are nearly identical to the stock one.

txdennis wrote:Do NOT order this radiator! or one from radiatorsus.com.... its the same people. The guy is difficult to deal with. Took nearly a month to get my radiator and it does NOT cool. He claimed it would cool 400hp. It is a SINGLE row core & overheated my motor... He was reluctant to take the radiator back, but is supposed to give me a refund minus restocking fee. We'll see... My leaky stock radiator is back in for the time being. I ordered an aluminum one that is made for a 1932 Ford with a Chevy motor (3 row) as the dimensions are nearly identical to the stock one.

I got my four core aluminum radiator here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-Econoline-Aluminum-Radiator-1961-62-63-64-65-66-67_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem45f233630fQQitemZ300416197391QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

that's the same radiator, but with more rows... I didn't like how it was considerably shorter than the stock one. The '32 Ford one is the same as my stock one, but 3 1/8" thick rather than 2 3/4"

Mine wasn't shorter and it keeps my motor cool without a belly pan and I haven't had to use the electric fan yet. If your radiator is a Champion Radiator it is guaranteed to keep your motor cool. The guy I got mine from was easy to work with and he guarantees it to keep my van cool or he will refund all my money including the shipping. As far as it being shorter you may have the taller radiator for a 240 in your van. It shouldn't make any difference though. My motor is built and has more HP than a stock 302

hey mike would you say that the rad i ordered is the same thing as you show there? its like there is only three or four base models of rad from these guys and they make it confusing by labeling them as applicable to different vehicles making it seem as though there are many models? when i searched for the econo rad it just came up as the merc comet style dimensions but with the outflow on the wrong side. so using the dimensions i need i just went with the one with the outflow on the drivers side which happened to be the merc comet. then i just hit the best price. time will tell i guess

steve wrote:hey mike would you say that the rad i ordered is the same thing as you show there? its like there is only three or four base models of rad from these guys and they make it confusing by labeling them as applicable to different vehicles making it seem as though there are many models? when i searched for the econo rad it just came up as the merc comet style dimensions but with the outflow on the wrong side. so using the dimensions i need i just went with the one with the outflow on the drivers side which happened to be the merc comet. then i just hit the best price. time will tell i guess

The link you posted isn't good anymore so I can't tell. Did you get a Champion three or four core? I measured my stock radiator then sent the guy the dimensions and he told me which ones would fit.

link is not good, its a three row champion and the dimensions are:

Core Dimensions: 16 3/8" high x 17 1/4" wide (3 row core)

Overall Dimensions: 21 1/2" high x 19 1/2" wide (including brackets)

Upper inlet: 1 1/2" located on passenger side.

Lower outlet: 1 3/4" located on drivers side.

so thats what i went with, the other options were way too wide for the doghouse

i'll hang on to the old rad and if this new one doesn't work out i'll try that info out on the rad shop guys. i like the copper ones because a guy can fix them at home sometimes. i just drain it after i know where the leak is and then strip the paint, mix up some sodium bisulphate (ph down for your hot tub) clean it with that and then use a huge propane torch a horsehair brush and lots of flux and rework the hole or crack. that kept this rad going for a long time but now the rolled edge of the cap is splitting along its length and because we plan to travel a bit in the van this summer i want dependability so i figured its time for a new one.

the new radiator is in. thanks to the help of my beautiful wife. it cools like crazy and it is incredibly well built. it arrived today. did it in 4 hours. took some adjustments in the bracketry and moving components around to accomodate the depth of it. just a beautiful looking mod all around. i will post a pic when i have time.

this is the rad i used in the end. flanges were on wrong side so i had to change that. fit my 144 62 E van. outflow tube was on driver's side but other ones on ebay sold for an econoline were on the wrong side. http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160420692757&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT champion radiator listed as 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 Mercury Comet Radiator

here is the final install. i had to move the voltage regulator. the rad is attached to the removable half frame with six 10/32 screws. tha larger out flow tube on the bottom worked out fine. there is only an inch or so of clearance to the fan. a notch had to be cut out of the rad angle to acomodate the throttle pedal rod. this was kind of involved but only took about four or five hours in a single evening. the van runs much cooler now and you really notice the temperature gauge moving a lot more. the engine pictured here is the 144ci i dont know how this radiator would work on any other engine. it was worth the time to make sure the inflow and outflow points were in the right positions. thats all folks!!

In the final stages of getting my new Champion 4 row hooked-up to my 351W. The radiator is one of two that will fit the E Van. Champion makes them as Mustang replacement radiators, primarily. The 1964.5-66 Mustangs had the same radiators. Both hoses on the passenger side is Champion's #259, and Upper passenger/lower driver is #251 - which Champion designed for old Mustangs who converted to a more modern V8.
For more tech questions and support, you can call Champion Cooling Systems @ 714.432.1266.