Wide radiator replacement

[FarmerFrank]

Anyone know of an all aluminum radiator replacement for the short fat one? Mines the 37" wide and champion only advertises the skinny tall (31") one.

Tired of trying to clean mine out and sick of letting off the throttle to keep it cool. What the point of putting on a turbo if I can't stay in the hammer lane!?!?

 

[Diesile]

I talked w/Champion about that +/-year ago and was going to send them my old short/wide rad to duplicate. Got busy
and didn't maybe they would still be interested in that. Otherwise there are still aftermarket copper units available.

 

[OLDBULL8]

800-radiator. The copper one lasted 20 + years. Specify you want the brass tanks, not the plastic one's. There Visteon OEM made in Mexico.

 

[chris142]

those short rads are very rare.here anyway.ive been at this radiator shop for 15 yrs and ive seen one in that time. i dont think theres enough need for them to build aluminum ones.any radiator shop can recore your old one,add more tubes and fins to make it more efficient but bring your check book.

 

[79jasper]

First year psd uses the same tall narrow radiator.
I can't remember, do you have the bumper vent holes like the psd?

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk

 

[CDX825]

The none ac trucks had the wide radiator. About 37 inches wide or so.

That's what my truck has. Sadly there is not many options for replacement either. I spent over $400 on a vista pro and it started leaking within the first couple months.

I think with a little bit of fab work one could mount one of the narrow tall radiators in place of one.

 

[rhkcommander]

IIRC the narrower taller one had slightly more surface area than the wide short...

 

[FarmerFrank]

I never had trouble with this rad with the worn out 6.9 but now with a fresh 7.3 and a turbo it'll hit 220 and creep to 230 with an empty truck if I stay into it.

Added a gallon of vinegar to it yesterday. Amazed at how much it helped, ran 190-205 with the empty trailer an 200-210 loaded running 65-70. Hit 230 on a big hill but cooled off shortly after.

I guess ill just get this one cleaned out, flush the block good and run it.

And idk about the non AC trucks having them. This was a factory AC truck.

I've contemplated cutting the core support, setting a tall one in and welding in the bottom where its needed but hate to hack up a good core support

 

[OLDBULL8]

Whatever you do, don't let a rad shop try to rod it out. The tubes have ripples in them, rodding will punch holes in them, caustic tank boiling out for a day should clean it.

Did you try 800-radiator? When I bought mine from them several years ago, they asked for the width, whether it was 31" or 37". Cost was $289 for the 31" then.

 

[riotwarrior]

dig around with search, I did some direct side by side comparisons with lots of pics of the the short wide vs tall narrow rads and corresponding rad supports....not going to be easy to redux a wide rad to a tall rad support IMHO....easier to get a whole rad support...

JM2CW

 

[icanfixall]

One of the reasons the 6.9 radiator wont cool the 7.3 is the 7.3 heads and block have the lower coolant passages plugged up. On the 6.9 these are open so they tend to run cooler. I learned this from Mel many years back.

 

[FarmerFrank]

One of the reasons the 6.9 radiator wont cool the 7.3 is the 7.3 heads and block have the lower coolant passages plugged up. On the 6.9 these are open so they tend to run cooler. I learned this from Mel many years back.

Sadly I didn't not read you mention this in another thread until it was too late and did not have the cash to pull the heads again after I just rebuilt the motor.

I will agree the cooling of my 6.9 was far ahead of my 7.3's in both trucks.

In a 3 mile drive to the farm my 6.9 ( worn engine, old water pump, same rad) would just break 180 when I got they from the house. This 7.3 is up to temp within a mile.

 

[FarmerFrank]

dig around with search, I did some direct side by side comparisons with lots of pics of the the short wide vs tall narrow rads and corresponding rad supports....not going to be easy to redux a wide rad to a tall rad support IMHO....easier to get a whole rad support...

JM2CW

Easier to change the core support?!? You never met a determined farmer with no money, scrap steel, extra rads and has a good welding skill. Anything is possible which those in mind.

 

[chris142]

Whatever you do, don't let a rad shop try to rod it out. The tubes have ripples in them, rodding will punch holes in them, caustic tank boiling out for a day should clean it.

if rodding it out blows through the tubes it was rotten to begin with. a healthy rad will take a rod fine.but since these are now 20+ yrs old finding good ones are getting tough. we cant have a caustic tank here any more so a rod out is the only way.