Hmmm...Radiator thoughts for a 302 conversion

Well, I'm pondering the radiator decesion for my 302 conversion project.

I had planned on getting a Griffen 4 core aluminumn radiator, but then due to maoney I decided to swap to a regular Mustang GT radiator for $120 new.

After trading e-mails with Dogman I'm not sure now. He visited with a mechanic from Fluidyne ( I think ) and said that we needed to consider the heavier wieght of the vehicle and a Mustang GT radiator wasn't big enough.

Back to ground zero. Do I spend $300 on the Ultimate Radiator? or will the Mustang Radaiator work or should I look for a Radiator from a Crown Vic type car?

Money,Money,Money.....

 

[Gofast]

Well that's part of my delema.

I want quality cooling. However, I have to ask myself if I'm going way overboard. You know squirrel hunting with a bazooka type deal. I still have to buy the electric fans and expect that to cost around $150.

( Of course the fact that my loaner truck blew up this morning and I now have to spend money on that, lead to me starting this thread too. )

I would rather have a custom 4 core radiator, but a Crown Vic might work just as well and save me $180.00

Good question though, ( Made me admit I'm broke... )

 

[Alec]

The Crown Vic radiator should work. Those cars are pretty heavy and stand up to conditions similar to what we put our trucks through (cabs and police cruisers). I would investigate whether those applications have beefier radiators, and possibly get one of those.

 

[Perry]

Gofast,
I would think just having the four row would be plenty good. The newer motors don't run as hot as the old ones.
In my Aerostar conversion I am running a 390 with a 67 Galixie 500 four row and I don't have trouble. The biggest thing is make sure the air can get back out once it has gone past the radiator. My trouble was it would go into the engine compartment, then couldn't go anywhere.
Just my .2 cents worth.

 

[rock883]

Mustangs don't weigh that much less, do they? I remember looking at a co workers mustang door tag, and it was a little more than 4,000 w/ the 3.8L V6. So I am guessing a GT would be a little bit (not much though) heavier than the V6 stang, so the weight would be around 4,500 (just guessing), and the explorer weighs somewhere in the high 4,000's right? So there is not that much difference. Although, I could be wrong about the weights and all, so someone please make me sound like an idiot and correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Brett]

hmmmm....

Rob,

You live in Texas. It gets pretty hot there in the summer. You run the AC full blast during stop and go Dallas traffic. Get the custom aluminum radiator. You can't go wrong.

 

[2T727]

Radiator concerns

Hey glad to hear about the conversion, I'm planning on doing the same thing when I get back from Saudi next year.
Maybe this will help, My friend owns an 88 5.0 mustang with a "slightly" modified 5.0 in it, For cooling he bought a rebuilt 3 core radiator from autozone, For $210.oo, His car stays right at the 180 degree mark. "Even when he gets on it"! Which is frequently. So you may want to give that a thought.
Good Luck!
2t727

 

[Oknut]

Hey Gofast,

As you know I have done the conversion to my explorer and I bought all my conversion parts from James Duff. And so far everything has worked out great.

This is the Radiator that I got,

- RADIATOR
This new 4-core radiator uses a remote filler so that the radiator can be tucked underneath the front grill support and includes the transmission cooler. Most vehicles are equipped with a 2-core radiator which is inadequate, the inlets are in the wrong positions, and it is mounted too far back to clear the V8. 4-core fits 302, 5.0L and 351W.
4-Core Radiator $325.00

The radiator was a perfect fit in my explorer, and I wouldn't have been able to go with a different brand, because of clearence from the motor.

They also sell a 16" electric fan, and I believe the price is about $140.

On this link you can find a lot of imformation on the v8 conversion. http://jamesduff.com/broncoII/v8conversion.html

I know you had some questions about motor mounts - here is what it says on the web site

- These motor mounts bolt a V8 block to the existing crossmember. They are rubber insulated with safety pins. The mounts set the V8 slightly higher than the original engine to make enough room for the oil pan. The rear of the new V8 will be in the same location as the original V6 or 4 cyl. engine. For 2WD, a different set of adapter plates and motor mounts are necessary due to crossmember differences. The engine crossmember must be drilled for the new motor mounts. With the mounts, you receive a diagram showing the location of the new 1/2" slots. Although every attempt has been made to provide you with the correct locations, there are some variations where the slot may need to be enlarged.

Good luck

 

[Troll]

Radiator

I have close to 500 Hp with my V8 explorer and I am using a stock 1998 4 cylnder Ranger radiator. With this radiator and the AC all the way up in 95 degree weather in Miami Fl where I live the temp gauge on my dash never goes above a quarter of the way up. It runs super cool with my stock clutch mechanical fan. Do not use a electric fan or you will have problems overheating. I learned after many different set ups on my truck that the size of the radiator does not matter om my explorer only the type of fan used. If you have any Questions E-Mail Me.
Troll

 

[Paul]

Rob -

Just so you know, the vehicle weight for a new Mustang GT is right about 3100 lbs.

Don't know squat about which radiator to buy, but just wanted you to know that the GT is at about 1000 lbs less that our rigs.

Best of luck with the conversion.

Paul
'91 Sport

 

[Gofast]

Thanks Paul.

I went with a new 3 core Mustang radiator. I'll let everyone know at MOAB how it's working.

Great input everyone.

 

[Paul Gagnon]

Rob sorry I took so long to answer, probably too late but anyway... A friend of mine is running a 5.0L in his Bronco II and he is using an Explorer radiator. He doesn't have any problems with overheating but he does have an auxillary electric fan just in case.


Oh yeah, my V8 Mustang weighs in at 2880lbs, my Explorer is 4500lbs.

 

[NIGHTRANGER5.0]

http://www.homepages.go.com/homepages/s/e/v/seventydeuce/albums/album4/pic0.html This is a good pic of my 4 core setup. I went with SUPERIOR RADIATOR. They build the 4 core specificly for the ranger, not sure but i would think the radiator support on a exploder should be the same. I paid $275 to my door. It realy is a nice peice. Has a gooseneck filler so you don't have to run one of those (T) filler caps in the upperhose. The 4 core allowed me to use my stock 4.0 fan and shroud with about 2.5" of fan/radiator clearance. There's a few more pics with that link, just click the table of contents under pic. As for the engine i have since cleaned up alot of the wires, so it doesn't look all cluster f*cked anymore.