The shop called today and told me everything has been installed except the radiator. They are telling me that they need to have one custom built, which obviously is going to take more time and money. I know I am not the first one to ever swap a 440 to a 73-74 B body so why the "custom built" route? Is there really no aluminum radiator out there that would work in my application? I do have an aftermarket MOPAR aluminum water pump and the block is a '77 if it matters. Just don't want to be taken to the cleaners

 

440s came factory in b-bodys so i dont know why they couldnt use a factory replacement that is aluminum and maybe a thicker core.

 

I know alot of guys fight with cooling modified Big Blocks, it useally ends up they change to factory belt driven pump, fan and (very important) shroud. More inches, cam and timing do generate more heat but I do know guys manage it with factory stuff. My best geuss would be they know it's a possible problem and want to cover their rears. Like your engine bigger (thicker) can be better. Cost and good reasoning would be my deciding factor. Big Chrysler fan and shroud IS the best.

 

I'd have to agree. If you can afford a big $$ radiator then by all means, go for it. But Chrysler knew people would be beating the crap out of their muscle cars, especially the big blocks. They had to design a cooling system able to keep up with that abuse.

 

X3! Hard to beat the factory. They tested them in towing packages pulling trailers, uphill, in the desert. Short of major surgery, a 26" inch rad [factory size] is the biggest that will fit in your RR. Anything wider would be obscured by the structure of the header panel. You can go with multiple rows of fins, three or four I think. And the aluminum is a great heat-sink. I would go with a factory fan myself, and a factory, or aluminum [built to factory dimensions] shroud. Some aftermarket water pump housings and impellers have proven to be INFERIOR to the factory, or Mopar Performance pieces! Check the outlet sizes, number of impeller vanes, shape of the vanes! I would start with reliable factory pieces first. I dont even trust aftermarket t-stats anymore! You may have gained an advantage if you are using aluminum heads. Do some research before cutting that check. In another post, I had mentioned that my old boss did a paper in college about the effects of color on heat transfer. It showed that an object painted flat black can actually radiate heat better than a bare metal one! BTW, Eastwood actually carries a "radiator paint" for this purpose. Black, thin, and non-clogging like a regular paint would do. Good luck, and cant wait to see, and hear more about your car!

 

Try champion radiator I have one in my 71,with a 500 stroker. It was $284 delivered to the door.

 

Check and make sure you have the correct size pulleys ???

 

Thanks for the help guys, I just waited it out and let the new pulleys the shop ordered come in.

I do however have a new problem. My car is stalling out after any good amount of throttle, just shuts down. The car actually wouldnt start five minutes after I got it on Monday, had it towed back and they said they had to replace volt meter and alternator, plus the carb's choke was set improperly. Got it back yesterday, ran fine all day but today I got on it a bit and it stalled as soon as I let off the pedal. Starts back up with my foot to the floor but not without. Can anyone help? Let me know if you need any other info to help solve this issue.

Thanks

 

Pulleys = Radiator *