Cooling /Radiator Question

[olds307 and 403]

You may want to upgrade to the 6 or 7 blade fan. I assume it is a 5 blade fan now.

 

[Oldscarnut]

You may want to upgrade to the 6 or 7 blade fan. I assume it is a 5 blade fan now.

6 or 7 Fan clutch blade? Mine is 5 and weighs about 10 pounds

 

[olds307 and 403]

I went from 5 to a 7 blade on a 403, made a noticeable difference. A few have gone to a copy of the fixed 4 blade fan and have seen a 30 to 60 degree drop. You may be fine as is.

 

[Deadeyejedi80]

I was in the same situation my radiator was like brand new ,aftermarket aluminum core and plastic side tanks 2 core with ac and cooled the 307 olds perfectly . I just didn’t trust it to cool the .030 over 455 we put in the car so I bought a 4 row all aluminum from summit .added a robert shaw 160 degree thermostat a 19.5 inch 5 blade olds clutch fan and used my factory gbody shroud.ive put several hundred miles on the car and it never runs above 180 (even in 85 degree stop and go city driving).imo was worth the investment .i did however remove the a/c condenser .

 

[olds307 and 403]

I was in the same situation my radiator was like brand new ,aftermarket aluminum core and plastic side tanks 2 core with ac and cooled the 307 olds perfectly . I just didn’t trust it to cool the .030 over 455 we put in the car so I bought a 4 row all aluminum from summit .added a robert shaw 160 degree thermostat a 19.5 inch 5 blade olds clutch fan and used my factory gbody shroud.ive put several hundred miles on the car and it never runs above 180 (even in 85 degree stop and go city driving).imo was worth the investment .i did however remove the a/c condenser .

Good to hear. He might be fine, the 350 is much easier to cool than a 403 or 455.

 

[hangar401]

I have been getting all sorts of advice from people would could not possibly know the answer, so I will put it to the guys I think should know, and more than that, have experience with it! My 231 V6 Oil Dripper had a 2 row aluminum radiator installed. It did fine for all the time I drove it, over 2 years with never an overheat. Some have told me because the climate is mild here and I do not run A/C or even have it installed, the 2 row will be fine for normal commutes and trips. I have eliminated the cat convertor, and will run pretty much stock exhaust for W-31. Timing will probably be around stock as well, and the carb is calibrated for a W engine. I will run the best fuel I can find, maybe even with some octane boost if needed. NON A/C cooling, radiator rows 2 or 3 for standard driving and non-HP bursts. I plan to take it to swap meets and events, and cruise. I will have A fan clutch on it even w/o the a/c.

So the #1 question is; is 2 rows ALUMINUM enough? The V6 radiator has the trans. cooling also. Please keep in mind, I try very hard not to just do wholesale parts buying. I know this radiator was nearly new when I got the car, so it probably would not need anything for years to come if it cools well enough for a V8. What say you OLDS V8 G Body Guys? 👀

#2 What does anyone with experience think of the waterless coolant for everyday use?

I added a transmission cooler way back in mid 80s plus 180 thermostat.In 90 deg weather never gets to 180 even when using the air.Separate trans cooler with my original 2core alum rad.

 

[Oldscarnut]

I added a transmission cooler way back in mid 80s plus 180 thermostat.In 90 deg weather never gets to 180 even when using the air.Separate trans cooler with my original 2core alum rad.

Thanks! I think I should be fine here...but if it shows signs of heating up, an oil cooler is cheaper than a new radiator!

 

[hangar401]

Good to hear. He might be fine, the 350 is much easier to cool than a 403 or 455.

Add seperate trans cooler

 

[olds307 and 403]

Add seperate trans cooler

I bypass the one in the rad altogether.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

I bypass the one in the rad altogether.

If you bypass the internal ATF cooler, you must run a larger external ATF cooler. Liquid to liquid heat transfer is much mord efficient than liquid to air heat transfer. That is why most external ATF cooler manufacturers recommend using an external cooler inline with the factory internal cooler.

If you are swapping from a V6 to a V8 motor, you need a rad that is sized for V8s. You also want a 195 degree tstat to extend engine life. No need to run engines so cold.