Has anyone had good luck with them? I've read that a 4 core Champion gets too hot. I've read ECP doesn't fit right. Does anyone have a positive experience with an aluminum 22" radiator for a fairly high horsepower engine that keeps their car cool?

I just have a cheap aluminum universal radiator. It keeps my 575hp is iron small block cool. It probably wouldn't work if I wanted to run bonneville but for the street it does fine. I run a dodge intrepid dual fan setup and a meziere electric water pump.

I don't understand radiators and horsepower ratings. why would a radiator have a horsepower rating? I have two cars both with 22" radiators. one makes close to 500hp and runs cool and the other about 325hp and runs hot; so what's up with that if horsepower is relevant? i'd toss the horsepower stuff and look at more relevant issues to cooling.

I use the 22 alu radiator that Mancini sell but you need to fill out a form to have it made for your car ! If it matters to you i have a 505 rb hookt up to that radiator whit 600+hp and it works realy great combined whit a mr gasket 160f full flow termostat that results in 165-175f when driveing and it can idel forever ! I do use a hi flow mp water pump whit steel impeller also! Stan away from castingen impeller pump is my advice becas the are no good crap....

You would really have to ask radiator manufacturers why they rate it by horsepower. When Champion's site says one radiator is "good to 400 horsepower", another is "good to 600 horsepower" and a 4 core is "good to more than 700 horsepower".
But why did I ask about horsepower? Well, my line of thinking was that to make more power, you're going to either need more cubes, more compression or more cylinder pressure. More cubes create more area to cool, more compression creates more heat, as does more boost. Gotta be a way to get that heat out, right? Like through the radiator? Which brings me back to my original question(s). Now that that's all out of the way, did you have a 22" radiator made of alumninum in anything with lots of cubic inches or lots of compression that was street driven that you kept under or at 180°? If so, what brand was it and how did it fit and what modifications did you have to make?
Thanks.

I don't mind doing the paperwork. Thank you.

Been running the same 22" Summit radiator forever and w/an elec. water pump and HHR fan, it cools my junk pretty well being I live in the HOT High Desert...........

When you modify an engine to make more horsepower, you also increase the heat load on the cooling system.

that's the basic assumption the marketers would spout. I don't buy it. how much time is spent at 600hp vs 60hp? it's all b.s. if more time was spent at 60hp vs 600hp would you buy a radiator 1/10 the size? of course not. vendors will say or do anything to sell something. there are too many other factors in cooling a water cooled engine than peak horsepower.

Here is a good read. Going thru the same thing for my son's Cuda. 22' or a 26" opening. www.saldanaracingproducts.com/Cooling%20System%20Principles.pdfstall

I would run cooler with efi over a carburetor, right?

i use a universal thin alum Griffin radiator , 07' HHR fan , stock w/p , 160 t-stat. Car never gets hot

Copper '65 OEM with clutch fan. I don't even run a shroud.

I'm kinda kicking myself for selling the good 22" 053 radiator that kept the last engine cool.
Wait. Your car can't run cool. It doesn't have a thermostat...

I have a Mancini 3 core in my Savoy and it cools great since I got my coolant flowing good through it. I'm using a good older pump where the impeller is close to the housing so it's more efficient. The pulleys have a huge impact on the flow as well. I had aluminum race pulleys on it and then switched to some factory ones and presto now it runs cooler.

Are you running hot on the highway or idling around town? Just saying maybe it's not the radiator I tried everything else before I changed my radiator and found a system that works for my mild(maybe 570) combo. My engine gets up to around 200 when I cruise around on 90 degree days but that is really not overheating.

Gus

The car isn't on the road yet. I had the stock radiator in front of the Stealth headed 383 that was in it, and idling and 55-60 it never saw much over 185. When I got on 23 heading north and hit 70-75, it was up around 190.
I have a 440 Source pump and housing on the engine going in it. That's all the cooling system I have figured out so far.
I don't want to cut the core support for a 26". I haven't decide on mechanical or electric fans, although I'm leaning towards a clutch or flex fan.

My 434 small block is in the 650 hp range and I run a generic 22" aluminium radiator, a flow kooler pump, viscous fan, shroud and a 160° thermostat. Even with a small aluminium crank pulley I've never seen over 185° on the street or strip.

Yep. LOL!

I have the small Moroso crank pulley too.

Stock 26" small block radiator, stock clutch fan and shroud in my hemi with a 180° thermostat and it doesn't get hot at all. It's got stock Chrysler pulleys too. I'd say it's got 580-600ish horsepower.

I run the 440 Source steel pulleys and a 5 blade viscous MP fan with no shroud. If I put a shroud on it I could probably get my cruising around town temp down below 200. My highway temp used to be high over 200 until I put the 1 to 1 pulleys on it.

Gus

I guess it's possible..........Carbs cool the intake so nicely though.......

I was thinking about Source pulleys.

Lol. I'll be calling you in a few weeks to get the specifics worked out on a carb build.

So, according to you, the factory wasted money installing a 26" radiator in anything...a 22" 2-row should be all any motor needs.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-BEST-Mopar-BIG-BLOCK-22-Wide-ECP-Aluminum-Radiator-REAL-COOLING-POWER/263230865287?hash=item3d49c83f87:g:w7sAAOSw4CFY4qsz&vxp=mtr
I used there 26" 2 row in an A body with a shroud with my 511 filled just about to the top and temps were 185-195 street driving last August. ECP radiators are very good.

I run a three core 22" champion on my hemi which is close to 600hp and it works fine. I use a fixed fan with a shroud.

$200 Afco aluminum Rad and a 16 inch Spal $135 pusher fan keeps my heap cool.I might have a little more than 600 HP

I've been looking at ECP radiators. I think someone on here said the fitment was all wrong. I know CSK loves his ECP. I have also looked at Northern Radiator and KKS Motorsports. I've heard a couple good things about both. Seems that lots of people have reviews on the 26", 22" seems a little harder to come by.

You might, indeed. How big is your Afco?

I reckon my 414 LA motor is making pretty close to 600, I run a 2 core Race radiator designed as a bolt in replacement for a 240-260Z. It's maybe 22", I have dual fans set to come on at 190 and in all but the hottest days the fans only click on coming down the return road after a pass, sometimes they don't come on at all.

but I run a full time oil cooler from a Freightliner truck and a 9 quart system, I think that helps keep from overtaxing the coolant system pretty well. I'm a big fan of oil coolers

Check your local roundy round shops, that's where mine came from. The factory replacement hoses even work.

Take a look at Wizard Cooling's web site. I have not got one yet but this is the 22 inch rad I have decided on.

Simple physics, HP=BTU
http://www.kylesconverter.com/power/horsepower-to-btus-per-hour

Those are pretty nice radiators. Another one to add to the list.
I think getting options has made it harder to decide...

The more I look at the Wizard radiators, the more I think that is the route I will go.

I've seen those Wizard radiators at the Nats before and they are very well made and he also has a good warranty for fit and performance.
Gus

That's looking like the direction I'm going to go. They even make an OEM style shroud to go with it. I didn't have one before, so that will help.

I took a look at that web site, is his prices higher or lower than others similar companies?

Higher than Champion or ECP, lower than others. Be Cool and one other is close to $800. So right in the middle.

When I was looking for a rad recently, read something about 2 vs 3 row... the 2 row have larger openings and actually flow better than the small opening 3 rows. I'm no expert on it, but I would think a bigger core would be better than thinking 3 row over 2 and such.

I have read the same thing and came to the same conclusion. Fingers crossed we are right.

Don't think you'll go wrong with a wizards, but you'll pay for that. ECP claims there 2 row will out cool any 3 row out there. 3 row just a gimmic

One other thing to keep in mind while you research, the ECP radiator uses cores that measure 1.25" ea. Most radiators out there advertise 1" cores that are a tad smaller, mine are in my Howe, 7/8". My opinion 3 1" cores stuffed into a 3 or 3.5" radiator would be tight picking up heat from each core around it. 2 1.25" cores in a 3" radiator leaves more room for cooling. Just my opinion and something to think about.

ECP was leading the way before I looked up an old thread here on a search and saw that they don't fit well and their sales staff either doesn't know the product or doesn't care that you get the right one.

ECP uses 1" cores.

Yur right, my mistake. Most of theres is true 1", but you can get them in a 1.25" from them. I thought mine was 1.25", ill have to measure. I used there 26" in an A body and had to fabricate a bit to fit. You want bolt in. I understand. It is a good radiator thou keeping my 511 filled almost to the top cool. I do use a mechanical fan too.

Maybe the thread on the less than stellar customer service was on FABO. I don't recall

I have really gotten no feedback on their 22" stuff that's good. Csk on here has a 26" in his Charger that does great, and just like they say, the 1" core does better than the 3 or 4 core Champion(?) he had before. I just don't get a good vibe at this point in time.

The wizards radiator cools real good too, i have a friend with one in his dart with 440sb chapman head street deal. He loves it.