Are aluminum radiators available for Mid-60's big cars? Not trying to incite a flame war here, just looking for ideas.

I see options for Cutlass/442's but am not finding anything for 65-66 88s /Starfires / 98s. I'm not quite sure how to measure cores to search out other GM models that might fit.

I'm running traditional copper/brass 4 core radiators with high fin density in both of my '66 big cars on the advice of my long time mechanics. The radiators are maybe 10 years old, in generally good shape, not blocked, old, leaking, or anything. I've built custom plastic shrouds for both my big Old's so that the shroud covers the entire rad, unlike the '66 factory solutions which cover about 70%. I've even redone the front rubber bumper seals that force the air through the rad as tightly as possible.

I'm slightly concerned engine temps in my A/C-equipped '66 Starfire. I'm curious about aluminum radiators. As daily temps rise and traffic gets worse, I want to prepare for sitting in traffic on a hot day without getting stressed out about running the A/C. Maybe aluminum is a better answer... I can't think of a modern car that uses copper/brass approach. But that may be cost-, not quality- related. Basically I'm looking for cooling "margin". Here's why:

Yesterday I took the Starfire on a 2 or so hour highway run after leaning out the mixture with A/C off. The mileage was great @14 mpg, but it ran a lot warmer than the 160 degree Spring temps I'm used to. The engine temps ran from 180 to 195 and over 200 at idle in traffic pretty quickly. With the leaner mixture, running hotter didn't surprise me, but I'd feel a lot better if the range went from 160 - 190, not 180 - 200. Y'know?

I'd like to be able to run the A/C on a hot day and have idle temps <200 degrees F for at least 30 minutes or so. So I'm looking to aluminum radiators on the possibility that 2 or 3 row (large row) can outperform 4 row copper/brass (even high fin count ones). I'm not overly concerned about originality: this car has a late '78 qjet, internally regulated alternator, front discs, and HEI. You can probably tell I'm in favor of performance enhancements with a stock look.

It may be that I'm uneccesarily concerned about the temps, but I want to get comfortable running A/C in traffic on hot days. Here & there I've seen Joe P mention that 220 or so is normal for these engines. I'm sure he's right but those temps make me nervous. He's an authority so this may just be me getting comfortable with >180F temps. Please say so if that's your experience. From what I can see here in SF, the traffic won't get better and ambient temps aren't going to drop, so it's probably smart to adapt.

I see Champion, BeCool, and others out there with possible solutions. Do you recommend, or suggest I avoid particular vendors? Like a lot of you I'm partial to onshore (USA) made stuff. It seems like a lot vendors are coy about their manufacturing. I'm under no illusions that a lot (or most) of stuff gets made overseas in countries whose, uh, focus on quality follows focus on cost.

So
1) Are there good quality domestic Aluminum rad's available for '65-70 big cars? Ideally with the auto trans line ports?

2) Am I worrying about temps too much? 3) Is it reasonable to think I could have a rad that would keep temps around 180 - 190 with A/C on during a hot day (85F ambient)?

3) Do one of you know of a Pontiac, Buick or Cadillac aluminum rad that will drop in. I can bend the mounting saddles a bit, and it'd be great to have them pre-plumbed for the TH-400 cooling lines.

Suggestions, recommendations and warnings most appreciated.

Chris

 

2) As a comparison, my 450hp 403 with a two row aluminum would push 195 degrees with the A/C on a hot day (stock fan, shroud and thermo clutch on a 72 cutlass). IMO, 200 is not a big deal. If it keeps climbing, and especially passes 210, then I'd worry.
However, I doubt an aluminum would be more effective at removing heat than the copper ones you have. The modern switch is due to cost and weight. Manufacturing those plastic/aluminum radiators is waaaaay easier (hence cheaper) and materials are waaaay cheaper than copper/brass. And newer engines don't dump as much heat into the coolant, so they don't need the radiators to be as robust as our old junk.

You're likely looking at $300 to $600 for a good aluminum radiator, and sadly, I doubt that would significantly change your cooling situation.

One option is to add a pusher electric fan that comes on with the A/C. My current setup is a large variable speed puller fan for engine cooling and a high amperage pusher fan for A/C. Kept it at 185 degrees on a 95 degree day with, gah, 70% humidity or something.