Radiator for Big Block A-body

What aluminum radiators are you big block A-body guys using that fits well without hacking up the core support? Mine has the original 22" but it runs a little warm. Dont know if an aluminum 22" with its bigger cooling tubes would do the job or if someone makes a 26 inch aluminum that bolts right in without cutting on the core support. What are you guys running?

65 bbody I was running a stock 65 Rad.It got trashed Got a 150 buck champion from Ebay 22 inch.Cools my built 440 great.Even when its hot out its still 180.Sure fooled me.I did have to use a 1 3/4 to 1 1/2 adapter for my lower hose.It was like 8 bucks from advance.Rocky

So you have a factory 67 (929), 68 (033), or 69 (065)? If that is the case your radiator should have 1/2" tubes with 3 cores. If is has been recored at some point then it is typical for them to use 3/8" tube cores and they will not cool as well. Send it to Glen Ray Radiator and have them recore it correctly.

on my duster I run the champion 26", with a clutch fan and home made shroud. Never gets hot. I didn't cut the core support, I figured I'd try it without cutting first.

Had my 033 re-cored this spring. Made a world of difference

Just to beat a dead horse, an aluminum radiator actually cools worse than a brass/copper radiator. The best reason to use and aluminum radiator is for less weight, and most people think they look better. The main reason they have been made of aluminum/plastic since around 1980 is they are MUCH cheaper.

can you give me the part# of the 26" champion you used and what mods if any did you have to do to install it in the duster?

Yeah I've heard all kinds of brass vs aluminum battles. All in can say is the champion is fairly cheap, and it cools like refrigerator. I personally think they are ugly but they work. I put one in my wagoneeralso, and have one in my current 5.9 magnum powered wrangler, I'm hoping it works as well.
I had a hi flow thermostat in the duster when I put the bb in, I had to take it out because it wouldn't get above 168. Could have been stuck or maybe even mismarked I don't know for sure. I took it from nj to Florida in the summer for power tour 2011 and spent the week in florida instead of doing the pt. It was mid to upper 90s the whole week and 100 one day. We drove my mother in law around for the week in it as she wanted to ride in it instead of the benz. I was using it as my daily driver basically that year.

I don't know the part number, I bought it from the guy that used to sell them on here, challenger Gary I think. it's been in there since 2011. I made shroud, I have no idea if any kind of factory shroud would work. and I might have drilled 2 holes in the side brackets. I know at least 2 bolted right up. I just used some hoses I had laying around. And I painted the top tank satin black.

I call BS! My last 68 dart, hot 360. Somewhere around 435hp at the flywheel. I could NOT keep it cool at all with MANY different copper/brass radiators, fans, shrouds, pulleys. You name it I tried it with no Difference. I bought a cheap Ebay aluminum radiator, no shroud. It never went above 180 degrees! I'm a believer. I literally tried every combination of parts and couldn't get anything to work. I bolted the aluminum radiator in it with a factory clutch fan and it NEVER ran over 180 again. I drove that car to the nats that year and it was one of those hot weekends and I beat the eyeballs out of it and had ZERO issues.

I am talking proven science, not anecdotes, glad it worked for you. I have no idea if what shape the radiators you tried were in, and you probably didn't know either. I put a Champion in a 340 Dart convertible, it was not a bolt-in, had to drill two holes and the quality was not great. Sure it was cheap, that is the point of aluminum radiators. I am sure it worked great, I never drove the car as it was a customer car and he never got back to me after he got it.

Every part I tried was Brand new! No used junk, plugged up radiators for me. I'm talking new, never used parts. I tried at least 3 different A-body factory radiators with zero difference. Then I bought 1 more and it was Aluminum and it never heated up again! So much for science. Just FYI, I refuse to use an old or used radiator with any new engine build.

FACTORY radiators? I am confused!?! So you used brand new OEM radiators, not aftermarket? I wish I could find some of those!

well, I am using the original to the car, 22" radiator. car had 318 originally. When its summer and hot and humid here in TN. it wants to run hat. It doesn't do too bad when moving, but when sitting at a stop idling it creeps on up, then comes down some once moving. Its close to doing the job but not quite. Being they swear the aluminums do so well because they have 1" cooling tubes opposed to the smaller tubes the brass have, I was wondering if I got a direct fit aluminum 22" that indeed has the 1" tubes would do the trick..?

The champion don't have 1" tubes, and the more rows you get, the smaller the tubes are. They might be like 1/8" smaller for each additional row. I don't know where they came up with that, but works great for me. I would put the biggest earn that fits.