1969 Charger 383 4BBL, 4-Speed 22" or 26" Radiator?

I recently attended a car show and saw a '69 Charger that appeared to be a factor 383 4BBL 4-speed. I didn't measure but it looked like it had a 22 inch radiator. A quick glance at the fender tag and it had E63 (383HP), D21 (4-Speed) but no "26"? The car was built in Hamtramck with a March something SPD. (Sorry no picture). I thought all 383 HP cars w/ 4-speeds came with a 26 inch radiator, no?

22" is correct..my 70 440-6 C body has one also..and get this,.... NO SHROUD....

Probably no axle package.
Ron

Rounded upper tank = 22"
Squared-off upper tank = 26"

22" std w/o AC or axle pkg.

Had a 68 R/T with a 22"

So, axle package or AC got you a 26" radiator and 22" was standard? Interesting. Most big block B-Bodys I see have the 26" radiator. Could you order a 26" radiator as a separate option?

NO - trailer towing packages also included the 26" radiator

my charger also came with a 22" radiator, but with a shroud.
i have owned that car since i bought it totaled [hit very HARD in the rear] in 1970. the original radiator had the "fan bites" repaired by a local shop back then, and that repair lasted all these years keeping different combos cool and not leaking a drop.
i pulled it a couple of years ago when i decided to go to a huge aluminum unit and will be using twin electric fans from a late model chrysler 300 with a hemi.
the core was starting to get green and slightly damp around the edges, although the coolant level was still up there.
the last i saw of that was when it was shipped out west to a member here to use the perfect tanks it had with the correct date code for a road runner he was restoring.

What amazes me is back then they made 22" radiators that cooled a big block and lasted 30+ years, heater cores as well. Try that with todays cars

I don't see max cooling as a separate option so it appears the only way to get a 26" rad is to get a package that requires it.

I always wonder about the '68-'69 B-bodies with fan shrouds on their 22" radiators.
I'm not aware of a separate option for that, but there must be something that would add them but not the 26" radiator ?
I recall that plenty of cars would overheat back in the day - SoCal's "Grapevine" was legendary for that, and in the '50s, many cars traversing a desert had a water-bag on their grilles.
Nowadays, of course, running temps are 30-40 degrees higher than the '60s, but cooling systems have improved.

Here's an original '68 383 4-speed, with a 22" radiator.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,131348.0/all.html