Technical Will a 46 ford radiator cool a sbc?

Hi Guys, I have a extra radiator for my 46 ford that has been re-cored, but never used. My question is, if I have the radiator shop block off 2 of the outlets and change the filler neck, will it cool a pretty much stock rebuilt 283 with mild cam? Or would it be better to by a new Walker radiator. Thanks.

 

Yes it should cool it just fine. I have had 40s cars with stock radiators and small blocks and they cooled just fine. I'm not sure what style of fan you have but you can always put a big fan on a sbc, or an electric fan. Also if it's not a pressurized system you can have the shop set it up for pressurized and that will give you a higher boiling point.

 

My 46 Ford convertible with several SBC's in it has had a Walker radiator in it for 20 years. Walkers are pricey but worth it. Who else gives you a ten year warranty?

 

they've done it for years. Main thing with cooling systems is ,everything clean.

 

There are 3 major considerations for any radiator; air flow, air flow, and most importantly, air flow. Take care of those and you should be fine.

 

I have a 327 in my sedan with the stock 6 cylinder radiator. I put a 10 pound radiator cap on it, and extra pressure caused the upper tank to crack. I now use a stock 6 pound cap and it seems ok. The motor runs about 180 degrees, with an electric puller fan.
I saw a cool two into one manifold made once for the upper outlets of a stock radiator. It was sort of u shaped with a single outlet hooking up to the Chevy engine. It looked good, and was creative.

 

stock ford V-8 Radiators have more capacity than you actually need...AND they were used many years BEFORE there was such thing as "Walker"

 

My old '39 has a worn out 283 with the stock radiator. Previous owner used round wooden blocks and hose clamps to block one side, and it worked fine for years. Running the stock cap, and if anything, that combo ran almost too cool. You should be fine.

 

If they'll cool a flathead, they'll pretty much cool a nuclear reactor. Haha

 

I learned a long time ago that when it comes to brakes, cooling and steering you buy the best.

Gary

 

Thanks, that 2 upper hose idea sounds like a good period correct idea, I am a seasoned fabricator, and just might do that!

 

That was funny!!

 

When I got my 40 pu, sbc and 40 radiator I pulled the radiator and took to our local 3rd generation radiator shop to have it rodded out and cleaned up. It was pressurized to run with a 4 lb cap. Several years later I replaced the cap with one off my shelf, made in China 12 lb cap. Real brain fart, cap pressure of cap didn’t register to me, and didn’t take to long at all in a hot so cal summer to kill the radiator. Those old flat head radiators cooled flatheads with the worst water passages ever. They will cool a small block easily, high pressure is the enemy of the radiator.

 

Flatheads have terribly high specific heat rejection with the way the exhaust ports are routed. On the other hand, heat rejection is a function of fuel consumption, and the flathead doesn’t breath very well, or make much power,, so it doesn’t flow a lot of fuel.

The downside is that modern engine cooling systems are designed for higher pressures, and, as noted, the old flathead radiators aren’t happy with (relatively) high pai radiator pressure caps.

Bottom line, yes, a flathead radiator works, kind of, but it’s not the best solution. Looks better than a Chinese aluminum radiator, though.

 

It worked fine with a 327 in my 47. Soldered a freeze plug in the right upper and one in the left lower pipe as block-offs

 

My '46 was a factory 6 cylinder car. I had the radiator cleaned and pressure tested and it cooled the 350 SBC just fine on the hiway. It would warm up in heavy city traffic though.