Big block E-body std. cooling

[mrob]

I'd like to hear from other Cuda or Challenger owners with big blocks and std. cooling (22 in. radiator).
My 71 Challenger R/T has a 383 and std. cooling and keeping the motor cool has always been a chore. I didn't want to cut the rad. support so last year I shelled out quite a bit of scratch and bought a 4 row, copper 22in. radiator. To make a long story short - the new radiator cools better than the original one, but on a 80 deg. day the temp. will creep up to 210 when sitting in traffic. Once you get moving, the temp does come down again to around 190, but it climbs again at idle. I'm concerned that later this summer when it's 90 deg. outside, the water temps will climb even higher.

So I'd like to hear from other members with big blocks and std. cooling. Do you have this problem too? Or what did you do to solve it? I don't want to cut the rad. support and install a wider radiator.

[72hemi]

Do you have a fan shroud?

[mrob]

72hemi,
Yes,  I use the factory shroud.
As an aside - I've tried the factory 7 bladed direct-drive fan and a 7 bladed clutch fan and the the water temps were pretty much the same. I checked for air flow in front of the radiator by feeling for air flow with my hands and by holding a paper towel near the radiator and seeing how hard it was sucked towards the radiator core. The clutch fan seemed to pull a little better than the direct-drive fan, so that's what I kept.

[72hemi]

HAve you flushed the block?

[mrob]

72hemi,
The motor was rebuilt 7 years ago and every 2 years I flush the cooling system. The last time was 2 years ago and the anti-freeze was clean, so I don't think there's much rust or scale in the cooling system. Also, when I installed the new rad. last year, I dumped the coolant that I drained and replaced it with new 50/50 coolant/water mix.

[72hemi]

Well crap. I am running out of ideas. I am having a similar problem with my car, but I have a small block, my solution is installing a 26 inch radiator, which you said you don't want to do and I can understand why. Hopefully someone else will come up with more ideas.

Have you tried products like water wetter?

[mrob]

72hemi,
Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm wondering if the cooling problem may have something to do with the rad. design. On the std. cooling rad., the inlet and outlet are both on the same side of the rad. (driver's side) which means that some of the coolant may be simply going from the outlet straight to the inlet and bypassing much of the rad. core.

[Mike70]

Are you sure that your gauge is correct? Or the sending unit? Maybe check it with a known good one.

Mike

[mikerallye]

71 440 ran hot just like yours. Tried everything like you and still ran hot. 

[tommyg29]

can someone post clear pictures of the 22" standard and the larger openings in the support area so we can "see" the difference side by side? Dont imagine cramming the 26" radiator behind a 22" opening would help, but I will also be facing the problem of cooling a 440 in traffic with the standard opening.
Thanks.

[72hemi]

As a temporary fix I will be cramming a 26 inch into a 22 inch radiator support, it will be a pita but I dont have the time or the funds to be cutting up my radiator support and repainting the engine compartment.

[ericindc]

Have you thought about installing a higher flow water pump, or an electric pump?  Perhaps an electric fan would also keep it cooler.   Thats assuming that you dont mind going with updated tech.  Im installing my 440 soon, so my plan is to go with the aluminum rad and electric flex-a-lite fan I used to have on my CJ7. Hopefully then I wont have any problems.

 

[whitesatinmopar]

CP has said (I beleive I'm right here) that most overheating problems when everything else seems to be in order is due to timing. I know when he timed our Chally we have not had problem 1 even sitting in traffic at idle in hot humid conditions. The man CP is a    

[mrob]

Mike70,
Recently I temporarily installed a radiator cap with a built-in thermometer (made by Mr. Gasket) and compared it to the aftermarket electric gauge in the car when the car was idling. Both gauges read almost the same. I checked the accuracy of the radiator cap w/thermometer before I installed it by immersing the sensor in some boiling water and looked at the needle. It read 212 deg, so I know it's pretty accurate. Since the radiator cap/thermometer and gauge read almost the same, this leads me to believe that the gauge is also reading correctly.

Mikerallye - sorry to hear that. Maybe this thread will benefit you too.

Ericindc - I have a Milodon high flow water pump, so I don't think waterflow is a problem. I do wish that Milodon published flowrates for their pumps like they do for the water pumps at 440source. I'd like to keep everything looking stock, so electric fans, electric water pumps are not something I'm looking for.

Just an FYI of what this radiator looks like. Here's a link to a company that makes them aftermarket (not an endorsement for the company):
http://www.usradiator.com/images/drawings/3/36042.gif

[Moparal]

I have a 440-6 in my car.  22 inch factory tank radiator. I had a rad shop install a 3 row core. When I built my engine, I cleaned as much as I could behind the freeze plugs. I also did my heads , then the front of my block with wire brushes inside the water ports. Then I found my best water pump housing that wasnt showing any signs of pit wear.   Then I bought a non a/c water pump from Car quest.   Once the engine was tuned, timed and adjusted. I havent had a single over heat problem.  I installed a 180 thermostat and the car runs 185 to 195 in so far 93 temps. If your timing is off or you are running fat on your jets, the engine can run hot. When I am driving 3500 rpms for a long distance the car will run 195/200.
My stuff is all stock but have zero problems.  I also run the stock 68/71 non ac pullies, factory fan shrou, and a factory stock thermal fan. J 10 y  plugs   and factory jetting in the carb.  And have the rubber hood to cowel seal on my hood to.