[Vetteman61]

Is there a modern OEM radiator that will keep a 455 cool? This is in a '71 Pontiac Grand Safari station wagon. Many modern (2000+) radiators don't have the radiator cap on the radiator, and I also am looking for one that came with dual electric fans. Many more modern radiators are only 1" thick, or at most 1.25".

[Schurkey]

You're probably looking for something that came out of a pickup/Suburban. Maybe with a Diesel.

"Good luck" finding one the correct width/height/thickness. Visit a well-stocked Treasure Yard, take a tape measure.

Electric fans are wonderful if you like overheating. Too many folks install electric fan(s) and then post about the vehicle not cooling properly. Takes a REAL couple of fans to cool a performance engine, and too many buy cheap junk fan(s) with a "shroud" that blocks airflow instead of promoting airflow. At least you're looking for OEM-quality fans, which likely have decent shrouds.

Overall, electric fans are more trouble than they're worth for most folks.

[jamaca85]

i have a summit 2 row (1 inch)in my firebird with a large electric fan on it. never wonders past 180

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

They don't reproduce new radiators for your vehicle? That would be your best bet.

It's not only a matter of having to keep a performance engine cool, I'd even go as far as to wager the cooling systems as far as the water jacket designs in the cylinder heads in these motors aren't as efficient as modern cars, especially after they did away with the reverse cooling in the 60's.

There are a select few electric fans that will keep these engines running cool, but unfortunately their application is limited to certain models. The Flex-A-Lite #295 4600CFM comes to mind, but it only fits best over 2nd-gen Firebird radiators (lucky for me, not so much for others). I've heard others had luck with Ford Taurus e-fans, or Lincoln Mark V e-fans...

[steve25]

I like to look at it this way.

Let’s say your wagon was originally a 400 with factory ac.
And also let’s say that with the weight of the vehicle it took 60 Hp to sustain 60 mph on a level road suface and the vehicle never had a overheating problem with that 400 in it.

Now you’ve dropped in a 455.

This is only a increase of 13% in CID and a increase in engine weight of only some 5 lbs.

With these factors in mind it’s still going to take the about the same 60 Hp to maintain 60 mph on a level road surface .

Granted your 455 has a bit more internal friction due to the longer stroke, but it’s also making far more torque at any given rpm below 3500 then the 400 did, and with less rpm, so let’s call this added level of engine friction at 60 mph a moot point.

So now if your overheating at 60 mph just due to that 13% increase in CID over the 400 motor that you once had, then something is way wrong because surly when the 400 was being run at near wide open throttle the added Hp would over take the the level of heat made by having a 455 that was traveling at 60 mph at part throttle.

In a nut shell such a problem means the cooling system that was in the car only had a minuscule 13% reserve in handling extra heat being put into the cooling system, which would be crazy!

Just my 2 cents here!

Also the problem I see in a lot of add on electric fans is how shallow the shroud is around its perimeter, if not the whole fan set up.

Many times this is way way less then a factory shroud , and that in and of itself is a big restriction to air movement which makes the radiator act like it’s smaller then what it is.

[tstroud]

Doesn’t Cold Case make something for that wagon?


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[Radman]

Talk to Griffin Radiator. You can give them the height, width, and depth of your radiator support opening. Also the hose locations. They will tell you which of their radiators will fit the hole and support the engine. I have one of their radiators in a 62 Tempest that is running an overbore 389. Think small engine compartment and small radiator mounting hole. Also running the dual electric fan that comes with a built in shroud that fits the radiator. My temps are usually 180 or less. Only time I saw 210 was when stuck in very heavy city traffic on a 98 degree day.

[steve25]

There are plenty of radiators for that, just look up the same year Grand Prix.

[PunchT37]

Maybe one of these?

https://www.coldcaseradiators.com/pr...Bonneville-any

It says a body. Could be the same radiator.

[Formulajones]

As already suggested, I'd be more inclined to put a new aluminum in there.
Cold Case would be my first choice.

I don't know what dimensions you're working with but surely Cold Case could come up with something that fits, just have to get out the tape measure, start looking at Cold Case dimensions and see what's close.

Or better yet I'd contact Dave (I think that's his name) president of Cold Case. He goes by Ccass on the forum here. Always been helpful to me and great to deal with.

If that doesn't work out I know Be Cool and Griffin both have custom dimension radiators. Should be something there that works.

All else fails I lean on Ron Davis. He builds custom radiators for everything and is local to me. Not a cheap alternative though.

[jhein]

I have a stock radiator and a flex fan with a 180 thermostat. Stock cowl. the car stays at 180 no matter what. A couple weeks ago I was stuck behind a road line painting crew for about 30 minutes of stop and go, like on a freeway during rush hour. Never above 180. Oh, and manifold vacuum for the vacuum advance. When I had my RAIII motor on ported vacuum for the VA, it ran cool if I kept moving but sitting still it got hot.

['ol Pinion head]

'71 or 72-76 B Series 455 HDC radiator is measured by its core size:
17" tall x 27 3/8 wide x 2 5/8" thick.

Many other GM products of the 70's had that (big core) size radiator. Nearly all were AC &/or HDC equipped. That included 73+ Chevy/GMC pickups. With many of the other GM line applications, the passenger side tank is different: ie, different size hose outlet, maybe an odd sending unit fitting... For years in the Pick-N-Pulls & crusher yards, i used to grab any, what appeared to be nice, 4 core radiators out of GM big cars. Buicks, Olds, the occasional pickup. With a stock of extra passenger tanks I had from same dimension damaged 3 core radiators, my radiator guy would sweat off each passenger side tank, rod out the 4 core, & then solder the donor now "4 core" passenger tank on.

Fit... On any vehicle that originally was equipped w/ a 27 3/8" wide core radiator, you can only go so wide, there's only so much room for the tanks. Also, if you could going to a much wider core radiator, that leaves the engine side of the radiator core exposed outside where the molded factory fan shroud stops.

Years ago, I parted two early '70's Toros with one being bought in you gotta take 'em all deal. That body style Toro has a huge radiator, the core is 34" wide. Same height, 17", though, as many GM radiators of the era. Having had around the same time, the original radiator & intercooler out of my late 12V Cummins Dodge, the big Dodge radiator core is only 2" longer & a half inch shorter than a '71+ Olds Toro radiator.

There may be something out there with metal tanks out of non GM truck or van from the 90's or 00's. Might be worth a trip to local radiator shop & go through their catalogues.