i know, i know, whats a dumass like this doing getting ANOTHER ONE,, when he cant fix the one he has!!!!
well,, it needs two things,, one, a radiator,, so, i got on line, did a heap of reading, one million opinions on radiators.. plastic vs alum vs copper or whatever. we all know the term about opinions,, SOOO.
what would correct for this mode.. there was some chatter that it often ran a little hot, especially sitting in traffic. there are walkers, desert eagles, 2 core three core, four core,,, addl fans, and coolers,, whew,, such a delimma, and to top it off, i read up on some of the double eagles, (expensive) about a 50 50 happy rate,, , same with others,,
so i am coming back what would be best for this model....thanks
"Best for that model" would be what was in it originally. Copper and brass. They didn't overheat from the factory and shouldn't overheat now. If it does overheat then it could be a bad thermostat, radiator plugged with years of crud, engine block plugged with years of crud, etc. When you replace the radiator be sure to flush the engine cooling passages well with a hose and lots of clean water.
Be aware that the '63 engine, while still a 390, was a redesign of the previous 390s and was a one year only engine, although very similar to the 429s that were used in 1964 through 1967. The Achilles heel for those 1963 390 engines and their 429 brothers was their aluminum oil pump housings which would wear and when they got a lot of miles on them low oil pressure would then become a problem. The only fix that I am aware of is to replace the housing when that occurs with a new or low mileage one, something that is hard to find these days. Although I am sure it is a problem that the guys over at the 63/64 chapter could help with should it ever become necessary on your engine.
so a single core, copper an brass,,, would be the best to use? as a replica of the original,,,??
Radiator currently leaks pretty good from bottom, so I'm going to replace it,, just dont want any headaches,,
engine has been rebuilt at 100k has 143k total..
Do yourself a favor and verify your fan clutch is working! It's a very common cause of overheating issues when travel is in traffic and or under 40mph. Verify fan belt tensions.
Best route with your radiator is to have the one in the car recored with a 4 row core. As long as the water pump is good and the block is clean, it should not overheat and be good for another 50 years.
Get an original radiator for an AC car. Pull the water pump off and check the impeller for proper clearance. A well know problem for the new water pumps is that they are coming out of the factory bad. The impeller is not pressed onto the shaft all the way, and the housing is out of tolerance.
It is best to get an original and have it rebuilt.
Dan's response is exactly spot on. I had a 4 row core put into the radiator of my 56. Great results and no overheating. Good luck, Larry
I bought a US Radiator 4 row for my 63. The tanks look similar to the original Harrison Radiator that came in the car. It has been a good replacement radiator that fit the factory mounts.