new radiator suggestions? (overheating)

[85cutlass6.6]

finally got the 403 running in the 82 olds cutlass, after letting it sit for about 5 minutes it heated up to 210 😳 . we took out the thermostat, it was open, but we ran it with no thermostat to see if it made any difference, good water flow, we could keep the temp down only to 190 and that was with cold hose water constantly sprayed directly onto the radiator, so im planning on buying a new aluminum radiator, probably should run a new one anyways and it will probably solve my problem, what radiator would you suggest for a high temp engine in a g body? i dont really want to spend more than $500
thanks ahead of time

 

[G_Body_Enthusiast]

you need a thermostat so put one back in. 210 isnt overly hot, if it gets to 220 and above i would be concerned. you didnt mention what fan you were using but if it's mechanical the clutch COULD be not working correctly.

if you want it to run cooler consider a 160 or 180 degree thermostat. i use a 160 with an electric fan and it stays at 180 in the dead middle of summer in stop and go traffic. the cooling system is a SYSTEM meaning all of it's parts should work together in order for it to cool the way you want it to so everything needs to match. if everything is factory then 210 is normal. running cooler isnt always a good thing, i'm swapping my 160 out for a 180 and turning up the temp on my fan so it comes on around 200 or so.

 

[85cutlass6.6]

the thermostat is 160, and the fan is just bolted to the waterpump with a spacer, no clutch, the only thing thats stock is the radiator and the car was powered by a diesel, i bought "water wetter" but havent used it yet, ive never bought anything from ebay but thats where i saw the best deals, i couldnt find much at all, i may try the electric fan, thanks

 

[JBreu]

Go to championcooling.com I bought one from there and I'm even a featured car on their youtube demo.....The aluminum radiator keeps my car cool ,I did have a clutch fan with it, I recently went with the mark viii electric fan (only for extra HP) I paid just over $200.00 for this radiator and it's a direct fit for the G-Body cars. Part # cc-162. .....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rfwmBkk ... ature=plcp

 

[hurst1979olds]

I have a summit racing aluminum radiator, it was pretty cheap as compared to other top name brand radiators. I'm not sure of the part number. But they just slap their name on a Northern Radiator (made in USA). Its a big 2 row. I had overheating issues as well and its fine now. I also run an electric fan.

But as Jbreu mentioned I have heard of great success from Champion Cooling. Just never dealt with them myself.

 

[Max Headroom]

If the car is not stock then someone probably took the shroud off of the radiator. On some models that doesn't make much difference but with some cars takling the shroud off keeps the fan from pulling air through the outer edges of the radiator. Thsi can make a big (10 to 20 degree) difference in how hot the engine runs.

Also, check your timing. Too much advance can cause a rise in motor heat. So can a too lean air/fuel mixture.

Your problem might be a combination of things.

 

[85cutlass6.6]

thanks for the help, will take all things into consideration, the fan shrowd is there, i just purchased a street & strip summit aluminum radiator, $144, figure ill start there, there car wont be going anywhere for a while, its in pieces and still needs to be painted

 

[85cutlass6.6]

 

[online170]

A freind has always had cooling issues with his olds (A-body) and this is what fixed it. Id do the following mods in this order.

1) fan shroud if you dont have one.
2) summit radiator
3) high flow water pump
4) dual electric fans with a derale programmable controller.


No reason to run without a thermostat, it will actually run worse. Also imo i would never run a 160. Coolest id run is 180. Water vapor in oil versus oil life. Its an outdated 60s trick to free up hp, like big cams small heads and the holley tuning guide. Oil tech has come a long way since then, let it do its job by keeping it clean. If youre running the 160 to cool intake charge, theres better ways.

Btw, with the above mods the car wont get up to temp now. He is running a 160 too and it usually runs never a tick over 160.

 

[V6UnderPressure]

I've dealt with the same issues, and wondered what direct fit aluminum radiators are out there without the trans cooler? I'm running a stand alone transmission cooler so I dont need it in the radiator. Anyone? I've heard of fitment issues with BE Cool. Looking for a cheap alternative.