2 Row vs 3 Row

55bowtie · Jul 19, 2011

Ok guys i 'm gonna buy a radiator.Aluminum.Designed like the original for 55/59 chevy truck.It will have the trans cooler a shroud with a solid fan.The motor is a 400 ci small blockwith 700r4.My question.I find a 2 1/2 inch thick 2 rows each row 1 inch tubes and 2 1/2 inch thick with 3 rows.Its been over 100 deg. for the last 3 weeks .im leaning towards the 2 row with 1 inch tubes.Am i pickin the right one.. MIKE http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/55-59-CH ... ccessories or http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CXRacing ... ccessories

grumpyvette · Jul 20, 2011

you should read these links

the size of the radiator is only one factor, fin count,per square inch, tube size,fan duct design, fan size, blade count,engine or electric driven, added oil coolers,ignition advance curve, available alternator amps, fuel octane , shroud design,etc. all effect cooling efficiency
yes a radiator can be too small, for the application, but you can increase the cooling efficiency of the components that fit into the car, with several component changes or mods to the OEM design.

.http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/14-rules-for-improving-engine-cooling-system-capability.6888/

Two Minute Tech : Reduce Coolant Operating Temperatures : Heating & Cooling

Reduce Coolant Operating Temperatures

www.powernationtv.com

Mechanical Vs Electrical Fans For Efficient Cooling At Idle

Cast a vote for Mechanical vs Electrical fans for a sbc 350 daily driver with air conditioning that experiences stop and go traffic in Arizona summers with temp greater than 110F. Which set up would most effectively keep the engine

garage.grumpysperformance.com

auto cooling system flow rates and heat transfer

have you ever read stuff posted on line and just shake your head at the lack of facts or in some cases outright MS-INFORMATION being posted? Honestly I'm amazed at the common myths and out right ms-information that's constantly repeated over and over as if it were facts, and a bit mystified that...

garage.grumpysperformance.com

do I need the fan shroud?

So here is what I got. I have an electric fan on my car. I'm getting a new radiator that is a good bit thicker in the car and the aluminum shroud would require some... Modification to fit. My question is would it be advantageous to modify the shroud over just attaching the fan directly to the...

garage.grumpysperformance.com

as a general rule the 3 & 4 row designs tend to cool better because a higher percentage of coolant is in direct contact with the internal aluminum tubes surface and that makes transfer of the heat to the fins that dissipate the heat more efficient,and don,t forget an efficient fan and shroud are critical to cooling but not all radiator cores are even close to equal, theres a huge variation in quality and some designs are far superior

(1) the larger the heat transfer surface area the better the system tends to operate, but a minimum of about 1.5-2 square inches of radiator fin area exposed to effective air flow per cubic inch of displacement is generally required

(2) oil does much of the initial heat transfer in the engine, keeping the oil cooled to no more than about 15F above the coolant temp, reduces the heat load on the radiator coolant, so adding a high capacity 7-8 quart oil pan and fan equipped, remote mounted oil cooler can dramatically reduce engine operational temps.

(3) air flow rates are critical so a well designed fan shroud and a fan(s) easily capable of pulling 3000 plus cubic feet per minute in air flow is very helpful

55bowtie · Aug 28, 2011

Heres what i went with 3 row 11/16 tube with shroud and 17 in solid fan.Temp set at 195/200 in the carport with a/c on a 104 degree day,50/50 mix.I can live with that

grumpyvette · Sep 13, 2012

HEY GRUMPY? I just bought a used muscle car, it runs fine , its got a rebuilt 400 sbc, but Im a bit worried, if I sit in traffic the coolant temp slowly goes from 170F to 210F , and that worries me, I checked it has a 160F T-stat and a large radiator, everything seems to work ok, but Id prefer the temps stay below 190F

heres a really good response I saw posted to a similar question,

YOU DON'T HAVE AN OVERHEATING PROBLEM!

1. General Motors designed these engines to operate at 190 - 210 degrees. Your engine oil does NOT do its job properly at temps lower than 190 degrees.

2. A new or rebuilt engine will run somewhat warm until it's broken it.

You need a quality Temp Guage, with a sender placed in the head (the head temp is much more important to you than the coolent temp is!). Then install a TStat that gives you about 195 degrees under normal driving. Yes, the temp will go up at traffic lights -- as long as it does not go way up you're okay.

Swap out that TStat, get the temp at 195, and then STOP WATCHING THE TEMP GAUGE AND ENJOY DRIVING YOUR ELKY!

Click to expand...

while I totally agree here , adding a oil cooler,with an electrical fan to the car to further reduce oil temps or a larger capacity oil pan, and/or a fan shroud that closely fits the fan diameter , that extends back from the radiator to the fan, blades center line could all be used to reduce operational temps.
but remember oil needs to reach and exceed 215F to effectively remove moisture, and mostly prevent acids forming in the oil.

2 Row vs 3 Row

55bowtie

Member

grumpyvette

Administrator

Two Minute Tech : Reduce Coolant Operating Temperatures : Heating & Cooling

Mechanical Vs Electrical Fans For Efficient Cooling At Idle

auto cooling system flow rates and heat transfer

do I need the fan shroud?

55bowtie

Member

grumpyvette

Administrator