Opinions on Aftermarket Radiator

[Nick2g95]

Hey guys my name is Nick. I'm still a little new to the site but I was looking for some opinions on aftermarket radiators for my 420. I recently decided that it might be a good idea to invest in a performance level radiator for my car simply because I live in Louisiana where it is hot 24/7 over the summer. I'm under the impression that buying this radiator would help resist the high heat conditions and run better. Correct me if I'm wrong on this or if there are better options for my goal. Also I briefly looked around for aftermarket radiators for my car and all I could find was raidators for the 4g63. So if y'all know any sites I might've missed or have any differing opinions let me know.

 

[grothe3297venge]

Finding an aftermarket radiator is a tad on the scarce side anymore, at least for our platform . Need to start looking for people parting out or get creative and use the one for the 4g63. Guy on here a while ago did an aluminum radiator swap from a 1g talon I think.

 

[Nick2g95]

Well that's not what I wanted to hear . How would it work using the one for the 4g63? Would I have to do some fabrication?
hmm maybe I'll look into a U auto pull it

 

[grothe3297venge]

Yeah it sucks. But you would have to do the modifications to properly mount the radiator. Then obviously custom length rad. hoses to fit, which is why we don't really go this route.

Your stock so I don't see why you need anything other then an OEM radiator to tell you the truth.

 

[Nick2g95]

Ahh well there goes that idea .
Yea I just figured it'd be good for my car since it gets so hot here.
Any alternative ideas?

 

[spyderdrifter]

All you'd have to do is change to custom radiator hoses. Using a 1g radiator might be better due to hose connection locations. Shouldn't be a hard thing to do. The only major thing to think about, would be the lower radiator mounts, but even that is a minor issue.

 

[grothe3297venge]

If you think your radiator is bad, obviously replace it. If not, I would do a good ol' radiator flush and make sure it's clean and what not. Beyond that, regular maintenance is all I can really suggest. I mean as long as your car don't over heat, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[jayson427]

If you want to run cooler buy a 160 degree thermostat from HowellAutomotive.com flush the radiator and fill it with 70% distilled water and 30% coolent. You could use coolent additives too but it's not necessary for a stock motor. For an aftermarket radiator it would work if you don't mind spending 400+ to make it fit and function. Pretty soon I'm going to buy a 4g63's radiator and take it to a welding shop and move the inlets to the right location.

 

[oldag98]

I have a tiny 2 core rad in my MG Midget in front of the 420A. I cools fine with electric puller fan behind rad. I also have dual remote oil filters and an oil cooler, oil cooler mounted below radiator. I have had no overheat issues in the Oklahoma summers, but the car does seem to run warmer than I think it should. I have, however, recently swapped to EVANS Lifetime waterless coolant (see on Amazon). This transfers 27.5% more heat to the radiator/cooling system, allowing the engine to run cooler than it otherwise would be able to do and prevent, to a greater extent, overheating. I have not used this during the heat of the summer, but so far the engine seems to like it and run a bit cooler than usual, usually never above normal ops temperature.. We'll see what July and August bring....

 

[Nick2g95]

Ok awesome.
Thanks for the help guys! hopefully that'll help with these hot summer days.

 

[Qking95]

You can get a meatal one for the 420A at radiatorbarn.com.

 

[silvreclips]

You can get a meatal one for the 420A at radiatorbarn.com.

Radiator barn does not sell an all metal one anymore.

Also there is no reason to upgrade your radiator. The cooling system was designed to cool the engine enough so that it will not overheat. It has proven to work this far so there is no reason to change it now. If you are experiencing overheating issues you have other issue you need to address. Your radiator could be clogged on some passages causing it not to transfer heat like it should.

 

[miliman13]

i had an aftermarket "fat" radiator , didn't like it, oem sometimes works betters of dsm.
another option is a slim fan shroud kit. it seals the radiator and the fans are much stronger than stock, maximum suction.

 

[xxNocturnalxx]

Ahh well there goes that idea .
Yea I just figured it'd be good for my car since it gets so hot here.
Any alternative ideas?

Water wetter.

 

[Nick2g95]

Radiator barn does not sell an all metal one anymore.

Also there is no reason to upgrade your radiator. The cooling system was designed to cool the engine enough so that it will not overheat. It has proven to work this far so there is no reason to change it now. If you are experiencing overheating issues you have other issue you need to address. Your radiator could be clogged on some passages causing it not to transfer heat like it should.

Ok that may be the case because after thinking about this I noticed that my car stays relatively hot for at least an hour after running(not sure if that's normal or not). So what exactly do I need to look at to determine the possible problem

Water wetter.

what is a water wetter

 

[99 gs iowa]

Look for someone parting out a fluidyne one

 

[Cdc1221]

It stays hot because the coolant is no longer moving. After shutdown, coolant temps can increase 20-30*. This is normal. Water wetter is a coolant additive that's supposed to help cooling. I noticed no change after adding this $10 bottle of crap.

 

[Nick2g95]

It stays hot because the coolant is no longer moving. After shutdown, coolant temps can increase 20-30*. This is normal. Water wetter is a coolant additive that's supposed to help cooling. I noticed no change after adding this $10 bottle of crap.

yea i may look for a fluidyne
yea that makes sense Cdc. thanks!

 

[dsmaz]

If your car is 5spd the automatic radiator is an upgrade considering its bigger than the manual one