Radiator replacement problems... not cool!

[undy]

Yep, I'm limited to a overall sized 22" x 19" radiator, by frontal frame design .... can't go larger (H x W) if I wanted to. My only possible radiator cooling "growth" was a thicker core and more CFMs, which I've done to the max.. Griffin rates "categories" of radiators by horsepower, 1" tube (400), 1 1/4" tube (600), 1 1/2" tube (800), 1 row, 2 row ...etc. If you have a 2 row 1 1/2" tube then it's 800 hp rated, no matter what the face measurements are.. It just gives a "ballpark" idea of what total heat rejection capacity it has. I knew all that going into it. (30+ years of mechanical engineering experience) My smaller core won't permit the use of 2 fans due to size constraints. You have 4" more radiator width that I do, a good thing ... for you. I'm running a Powermaster 140 amp 3 wire alternator with a #4 wire to my connection point and a #8 feeding the fan. I have enough amperage redundancy in my electrical system to pretty much handle anything I throw at it. The distributor's a MSD Pro-Billet, 100% centrifugal.. Changing it would be my last ditch effort. I really don't think I'll need to go there though...

Dave

Originally Posted by kitcarbp

Hi Undy, I just finished my Griffin install and noticed your thread. The first rul of thumb is have maximum frontal area, followed then by going deeper (1.25 to 1.5 " tubes. If you are running a rad as small as 17" x 18" ( 306 sq in) you will struggle to cool anything over 400 hp even with 2 rows of 1.5" tubes for street duty, I would have expected them (Griffin) to give you better advice and inform you of the fan cfms you need. Hope is not lost in these cases because the solution is to "over-fan" the rad with very high cfms and a good shroud. BTW 2,000 cfm is for smaller hp engines, not our monsters. I threw my flexalite in the bin. Its an aftermarket joke. I mean you need 4,000+ cfm or more (like the Taurus fan), as long as your alt/harness is up to the job. I went the route of twin 13" SPAL fans to get ,max rad core area coverage. check my gallery for install pics. I am running a 16 x 26 core (for 416 sq in) with 1.25" tubes with about 450-475 hp in my application. My rough calcs. tell me I should be good to 550 hp (Griffin claims 600hp) but I will spend 1% of time at rated max power anyway. Engine compartment must be vented you're right, to avoid recycling the hot air. Are you using vac advance on your dist ? That will also help reduce engine temps. Good luck.