Given two radiators of identical design, an aluminum one would cool (transfer heat) better than brass, since the thermal conductivity of aluminum is better than brass.

..... but you can't build an aluminum radiator to IDENTICAL spec's of a brass/copper radiator. The tubes of a vintage brass/copper radiator are ~0.007" thick (modern aluminum beer can) modern aluminum radiators are ~0.016".



from aluminum radiator info....

You sir are sadly mistaken on the conducitivity of aluminum and cooper and brass for heat and electricity

Arguing with scientifically proven facts??


BTW, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity are two entirely different properties of materials.

Thermal conductivity for common materials and products:

Thermal Conductivity
- k -
W/(m K)
Material/Substance Temperature - oC
25 125 225
Acetals 0.23
Acetone 0.16
Acetylene (gas) 0.018
Acrylic 0.2
Air, atmosphere (gas) 0.024
Air, elevation 10000 m 0.020
Alcohol 0.17
Aluminum 205 215 250
Aluminum Brass 121
Aluminum Oxide 30
Ammonia (gas) 0.022
Antimony 18.5
Apple (85.6% moisture) 0.39
Argon (gas) 0.016
Asbestos-cement board 0.744
Asbestos-cement sheets 0.166
Asbestos-cement 2.07
Asbestos, loosely packed 0.15
Asbestos mill board 0.14
Asphalt 0.75
Balsa wood 0.048
Bitumen 0.17
Bitumen/felt layers 0.5
Beef, lean (78.9 % moisture) 0.43 - 0.48
Benzene 0.16
Beryllium 218
Bitumen 0.17
Blast furnace gas (gas) 0.02
Brass 109

Where is the balance of the list ? You need to go farther and include copper !!

Since you asked.....

Basically, the thermal conductivity of aluminum is about 2 times greater than brass and copper is about two times greater than aluminum.

Thermal conductivity for common materials and products:

Thermal Conductivity
- k -
W/(m K)
Material/Substance Temperature - oC
25 125 225
Acetals 0.23
Acetone 0.16
Acetylene (gas) 0.018
Acrylic 0.2
Air, atmosphere (gas) 0.024
Air, elevation 10000 m 0.020
Alcohol 0.17
Aluminum 205 215 250
Aluminum Brass 121
Aluminum Oxide 30
Ammonia (gas) 0.022
Antimony 18.5
Apple (85.6% moisture) 0.39
Argon (gas) 0.016
Asbestos-cement board 0.744
Asbestos-cement sheets 0.166
Asbestos-cement 2.07
Asbestos, loosely packed 0.15
Asbestos mill board 0.14
Asphalt 0.75
Balsa wood 0.048
Bitumen 0.17
Bitumen/felt layers 0.5
Beef, lean (78.9 % moisture) 0.43 - 0.48
Benzene 0.16
Beryllium 218
Bitumen 0.17
Blast furnace gas (gas) 0.02
Brass 109
Breeze block 0.10 - 0.20
Brick dense 1.31
Brick, insulating 0.15
Brickwork, common (Building Brick) 0.6 -1.0
Brickwork, dense 1.6
Bromine (gas) 0.004
Bronze 110
Butter (15% moisture content) 0.20
Cadmium 92
Calcium silicate 0.05
Carbon 1.7
Carbon dioxide (gas) 0.0146
Carbon monoxide 0.0232
Cellulose, cotton, wood pulp and regenerated 0.23
Cellulose acetate, molded, sheet

0.17 - 0.33
Cellulose nitrate, celluloid 0.12 - 0.21
Cement, portland 0.29
Cement, mortar 1.73
Chalk 0. 09
Charcoal 0.2
Chlorinated poly-ether 0.13
Chlorine (gas) 0.0081
Chrome Nickel Steel (18% Cr, 8 % Ni) 16.3
Chromium 94
Clay, dry to moist 0.15 - 1.8
Clay, saturated 0.6 - 2.5
Coal 0.2
Cobalt 69
Cod (83% moisture content) 0.54
Concrete, lightweight 0.1 - 0.3
Concrete, medium 0.4 - 0.7
Concrete, dense 1.0 - 1.8
Concrete, stone 1.7
Constantan 22
Copper 401 400 398
Corian (ceramic filled) 1.06
Cork board 0.043
Cork, re-granulated 0.044
Cork 0.07
Cotton 0.04
Cotton wool 0.029
Carbon Steel 54 51 47
Cotton Wool insulation 0.029
Diamond 1000
Diatomaceous earth (Sil-o-cel) 0.06
Diatomite 0.12
Earth, dry 1.5
Engine Oil 0.15
Ethane (gas) 0.018
Ether 0.14
Ethylene (gas) 0.017
Epoxy 0.35
Ethylene glycol 0.25
Feathers 0.034
Felt insulation 0.04
Fiberglass 0.04
Fiber insulating board 0.048
Fiber hardboard 0.2
Fire-clay brick 500oC 1.4
Fluorine (gas) 0.0254
Foam glass 0.045
Freon R-12 (gas) 0.007
Freon R-12 (liquid) 0.09
Gasoline 0.15
Glass 1.05
Glass, Pearls, dry 0.18
Glass, Pearls, saturated 0.76
Glass, window 0.96
Glass, wool Insulation 0.04
Glycerol 0.28
Gold 310 312 310
Granite 1.7 - 4.0
Gravel 0.7
Ground or soil, very moist area 1.4
Ground or soil, moist area 1.0
Ground or soil, dry area 0.5
Ground or soil, very dry area 0.33
Gypsum board 0.17
Hairfelt 0.05
Hardboard high density 0.15
Hardwoods (oak, maple..) 0.16
Helium (gas) 0.142
Honey (12.6% moisture content) 0.5
Hydrochloric acid (gas) 0.013
Hydrogen (gas) 0.168
Hydrogen sulfide (gas) 0.013
Ice (0oC, 32oF) 2.18
Insulation materials 0.035 - 0.16
Iridium 147
Iron 80 68 60
Iron, wrought 59
Iron, cast 55
Kapok insulation 0.034
Kerosene 0.15
Krypton (gas) 0.0088
Lead Pb 35
Leather, dry 0.14
Limestone 1.26 - 1.33
Magnesia insulation (85%) 0.07
Magnesite 4.15
Magnesium 156
Marble 2.08 - 2.94
Mercury, liquid 8.3
Methane (gas) 0.030
Methanol 0.21
Mica 0.71
Milk 0.53
Mineral wool insulation materials, wool blankets .. 0.04
Molybdenum 138
Monel 26
Neon (gas) 0.046
Neoprene 0.05
Nickel 91
Nitric oxide (gas) 0.0238
Nitrogen (gas) 0.024
Nitrous oxide (gas) 0.0151
Nylon 6, Nylon 6/6 0.25
Oil, machine lubricating SAE 50 0.15
Olive oil 0.17
Oxygen (gas) 0.024
Paper 0.05
Paraffin Wax 0.25
Perlite, atmospheric pressure 0.031
Perlite, vacuum 0.00137
Phenolic cast resins 0.15
Phenol-formaldehyde moulding compounds 0.13 - 0.25
Plaster light 0.2
Plaster, metal lath 0.47
Plaster, sand 0.71
Plaster, wood lath 0.28
Plasticine 0.65 - 0.8
Plastics, foamed (insulation materials) 0.03
Platinum 70 71 72
Plutonium 6.7
Plywood 0.13
Polycarbonate 0.19
Polyester 0.05
Polyethylene low density, PEL 0.33
Polyethylene high density, PEH 0.42 - 0.51
Polyisoprene natural rubber 0.13
Polyisoprene hard rubber 0.16
Polymethylmethacrylate 0.17 - 0.25
Polypropylene, PP 0.1 - 0.22
Polystyrene, expanded styrofoam 0.03
Polystyrol 0.043
Polyurethane foam 0.03
Porcelain 1.5
Potato, raw flesh 0.55
Propane (gas) 0.015
Polytetrafluoroethylene, Teflon, PTFE 0.25
Polyvinylchloride, PVC 0.19
Pyrex glass 1.005
Quartz mineral 3
Radon (gas) 0.0033
Rock, solid 2 - 7
Rock, porous volcanic (Tuff) 0.5 - 2.5
Rock Wool insulation 0.045
Rubber, cellular 0.045
Rubber, natural 0.13
Salmon (73% moisture content) 0.50
Sand, dry 0.15 - 0.25
Sand, moist 0.25 - 2
Sand, saturated 2 - 4
Sandstone 1.7
Sawdust 0.08
Sheep wool 0.039
Silica aerogel 0.02
Silicone cast resin 0.15 - 0.32
Silicone oil 0.1
Silver 429
Slag wool 0.042
Slate 2.01
Snow (temp < 0oC) 0.05 - 0.25
Sodium 135 (solid) 86 (liquid)
Softwoods (fir, pine ..) 0.12
Soil, clay 1.1
Soil, with organic matter 0.15 - 2
Soil, saturated 0.6 - 4
Steam, saturated

0.0184
Steam, low pressure 0.0188
Steel, Carbon 1% 43
Stainless Steel 16 17 19
Straw slab insulation, compressed 0.09
Styrofoam 0.033
Sulfur dioxide (gas) 0.0086
Sugars 0.087 - 0.22
Teflon 0.25
Timber 0.14
Tin Sn 67
Titanium 22
Tungsten 174
Uranium 27.6
Urethane foam 0.021
Vacuum 0
Vermiculite granules 0.065
Vinyl ester 0.25
Water 0.58
Water, vapor (steam) 0.016
Wheat flour 0.45
Wood across the grain, white pine 0.12
Wood across the grain, balsa 0.055
Wood across the grain, yellow pine, timber 0.147
Wood, oak 0.17
Wool, felt 0.07
Wood wool, slab 0.1 - 0.15
Xenon (gas) 0.0051
Zinc Zn 116

Wow, someone figured out how to cut and paste an entire page from wikipedia.

So what. The OEM's didn't go to aluminum cause it's better at transferring heat, they went cause it's lighter.

What's the thermal conductivity of WATER, cause that is your limiting factor NOT aluminum or brass. But leave it to a textbook engineer to miss the salient point of a SYSTEM.

And why is an aluminum radiator more costly when at current metal prices,aluminum is $0.70 lb,brass $1.34 lb and copper at $2.12 lb ?

Yes, there are many factors that need to be considered in product design. The performance of the material, the strength of the material, the cost to form the material, and the cost to manufacture the product. In this case, aluminum not only transfers heat better than brass, it's cheaper. And yes, an aluminum radiator will be designed differently than a brass radiator, so the total amount of material used, will be different.

And supercuda....the water and coolant used will be the same in both a brass or aluminum radiator so that's not even relevant for comparison purposes.

Your whole supposition is that aluminum is better than brass because it has sslightly better thermal conductivity, the difference in thermal conductivity between water and/or brass and aluminum is orders of magnitude, the restrain on the transfer is the water's ability, not the brass or aluminum's.

It's like arguing that 5/8" fuel line is better than 1/2" because it flows more, into a BBS carb. Irrelevant.

Tale of two cars, father-sons. Sons, 528 all aluminum Hemi with big aluminum radiator, runs over 2 hundred or more, all the time, with two fans and custom made shroud. Fathers, 472 Hemi steel block aluminum heads stock radiator no shroud, like it came off the line, runs 160 all day, any temp outside. 63&65 Dodges. I told him to get rid of the rad. and electric pump, won't listen, steady throwing money at it??

Tale of two different cars, apples to oranges.

To the orginial poster, you don't need a high dollar radiator to cool your car. A parts store replacement will work fine.

Aluminum is better for making a nice Mopar engine compartment look like a Chevy's. Never saw one that looks as good as the OE equipment.

I agree that for the OP's purposes a stock style brass radiator will be fine. So would an aluminum radiator. Personally I prefer the stock look under the hood, and that's why I have a stock style brass radiator behind the 360 in my Duster. It always runs as cool as the original slant 6 did.

I never said an aluminum radiator was better; only that the thermal conductivity of the base material of aluminum is better in conducting heat....and not just slightly better, about two times better. The design of the radiator can have as much to do with performance as the base material. Longevity is another issue in and of itself. There are rarely black and white answers to questions such as these and my purpose was to simply point out a fact that may be of interest to someone attempting to make an informed decision. Happy New Year!

Yep, I don't go watch Drag Week because everyone thinks they have to run a Chivvy cowl hood and aluminum radiator.

[quote=justinp61]Tale of two different cars, apples to oranges.

To the orginial poster, you don't need a high dollar radiator to cool your car. A parts store replacement will work fine. [/quote


Apples to oranges? Only difference is the block, same crank, just bigger bore in the 528, same flat tapet cam.

Is'nt that the truth...Even if you made the choice to go aluminum and all else seems well... You need to keep a sharp eye on what's actually circulating through the system...I've seen rads bite the dust with only a few years on them with low/no maintenence..

I worked for two years as an Engineering Manager for a heat exchanger manufacturer.

All HD applications were down in Copper/Brass.

Low cost was done in Aluminum.

Copper/Brass is the way to go.

Tale of two cars, father-sons. Sons, 528 all aluminum Hemi with big aluminum radiator, runs over 2 hundred or more, all the time, with two fans and custom made shroud. Fathers, 472 Hemi steel block aluminum heads stock radiator no shroud, like it came off the line, runs 160 all day, any temp outside. 63&65 Dodges. I told him to get rid of the rad. and electric pump, won't listen, steady throwing money at it??




So both cars have electric water pumps?