Aluminum Radiators

[killian96ss]

I've never liked the plastic/aluminum design.

The older brass radiators and even the aftermarket all aluminum radiators are much better.

I guess the plastic/aluminum ones are cheaper to make so that's why they are used in just about everything today.

Steve

[roadrunner]

I guess the plastic/aluminum ones are cheaper to make so that's why they are used in just about everything today.

Steve

With ya totally on that one bud!

[HenryJ]

The plastic tanked radiators have some advantages over the welded aluminum radiators in that they are less expensive to construct. They handle vibration and torsional forces better. The all aluminum radiators have been known to fracture. They are also rigid and don't flex.
Aluminum is better for cooling in that it releases the heat better. It weighs less, and is less expensive therefore it has advantages over copper / brass.
When you buy a replacement radiator you need to look closely a the reinforcing ribs on the plastic tanks. Big and thick is what you are looking for. The stock radiator is a good example. This helps to keep it from warping.
Many of the "lifetime" replacements are not built very well. Cheap tanks and poor seals. The seals need to be pliable. The aluminum and plastic expand at different rates. A rigid seal will separate and leak. Many of the early radiators had epoxied tanks. That was where much of the bad rap came from. Newer designs use a seal and the tank is held to the core by crimping the header to the tank. Shop around.
Radiator manufacturers seem to be gobbled up pretty quickly. be careful. That name brand may be selling another product now.
My replacement is the Go/Dan - TransPro- Modine- Proliance- ??? . That company has been bought at least three times since my purchase.
It provides extra capacity by using larger tubes.

[killian96ss]

The plastic tanked radiators have some advantages over the welded aluminum radiators in that they are less expensive to construct. They handle vibration and torsional forces better. The all aluminum radiators have been known to fracture. They are also rigid and don't flex.

Not surprisingly I have to disagree here.

You must have had some bad luck in the past with an "all aluminum" radiator, because all of the guys I know running them love them and don't have any problems with them.

I even had 1 one in my old 68 impala drag car and it worked just fine.

You do realize that almost all racing radiators are the "all aluminum" type.

If they hold up fine to that kind of punishment (vibration and stress and flexing) they will work just fine in a daily driver, and are actually much better than the plastic/aluminum type.

You are right about the price though, very expensive.

Steve

[HenryJ]

We have been through this all before. Do a search and you will find plenty having problems with all aluminum radiators cracking. Most of the louder voices seem to be mad at BeCools product. Some of this may be due to mounting, others the materials , construction and design. Differences created by material thickness and heat affected zones seem to be the areas that fail.
Easy enough to patch, just weld them back together if it is on the tank. Not much you can do if it splits a tube between the fins. Some cheap cores can fail this way, but the plastic tanked versions have the same chance.

Are they used in drag cars, sure. Not so much on street driven daily drivers though. Those see much more abuse than a drag car

I have had good luck with Griffon Radiators for the all aluminum radiators I have installed. Look to one with formed rather than welded tanks. Less places for cracks to develop.
For the cost, and if weight is an issue, I would seriously consider using a plastic tanked radiator at 25% the cost.

[killian96ss]

Those Griffin radiators are pretty good and priced better than the way overpriced Be-Cool radiators.

When I said the all aluminum radiators are used for racing I meant road racing (street and off road) although they are also used in drag cars.

Look under the hood of any race car (NASCAR, IRL, Le Mans, Baja Trucks, Monster Trucks, etc.) and you will see an all aluminum radiator.

My point was that they are much better at handling vibration, stress, and flexing than those cheap plastic/aluminum radiators.

Your thinking seems to be the opposite for some reason.

There are literally hundreds of members in our Impala club running these radiators with little or no problems at all.

The only problems I ever hear about usually refer to installation modifications to get them to fit better.

Sorry for getting a little off topic.

Steve

[HenryJ]

My point was that they are much better at handling vibration, stress, and flexing than those cheap plastic/aluminum radiators.

Your thinking seems to be the opposite for some reason.

Yep. Too rigid. Take a walk through the salvage yard. You see some very good examples of the abuse the plastic tanked radiators can take.
The numbers really speak to that as well. Millions of them out there in service.
I will grant you that any radiator can be mounted in such a way that it will withstand more abuse. This is an option for a "race" vehicle. Maybe not something that an uninformed installer would consider in a simple swap.

[killian96ss]

The numbers really speak to that as well. Millions of them out there in service.

Only because they are cheap, not because they are better.

You must be the only person I know who would defend a plastic/aluminum radiator.

Steve

[HenryJ]

You must be the only person I know who would defend a plastic/aluminum radiator.

Like the commercial says... "Whats in your wallet?"
Still running the stocker in you Blazer? Must not be that bad.

[2kwik4u]

I'll defend them as well. They are truly overkill for anything but a full race machine.

I don't see any correlation between material and durability. If you're flexing your truck enough to break/crack a plastic tanked radiator, chances are you're going to hurt the all aluminum one too.

[knaffie]

I did a lot of research before buying a new radiator for mine when it blew. For dependability reasons, I went with the aluminum / plastic one, for the exact reasons Brule posted here. I've also done a lot of work with aluminum in the past and have witnessed how easy it tends to crack, which is scary to me considering the thickness of the aluminum on radiators.

[2kwik4u]

The cracks come from the inherent rigidity in aluminum.

Just like a tree flexes greatly before finally cracking, the plastic will tend to flex more before failing than the aluminum will.

Ask a structural engineer how much deflection he designs into his buildings. I'll bet you would be surprised by the answer!

[knaffie]

You don't have to school me. I got good grades in all my engineering classes. And you've proven the point again. Since aluminum does tend to crack, a hybrid radiator of plastic a aluminum that is less prone to cracking just makes sense. At least to me anyway.

[2kwik4u]

Didn't intend to sound like I was schooling, although I suppose it did come off that way!

[roadrunner]

Well fellas, I'm gonna go on "record" as prefering the all copper or brass radiators. Strictly my opinion based on my personal use. Bouncing and rattling around on rough country roads as much as I do I have had far better luck with far less problems and expense using them as compared to all aluminum or aluminum/plastic styles. As to cooling ability, I'd cut a bigger hole in the front header and put in one of these if needed to conpensate for loss of efficiency. Weight is not of major concern to me so no issues there. I know lots of you will disagree. So be it. This is what works best for my usage.

[2kwik4u]

This is what works best for my usage.

That is the key!

Regardless of what the rest of us keyboard mechanics might think, if it's not working best for you, our advice is essentially worthless!

[Walt]

Well fellas, I'm gonna go on "record" as prefering the all copper or brass radiators. Strictly my opinion based on my personal use. Bouncing and rattling around on rough country roads as much as I do I have had far better luck with far less problems and expense using them as compared to all aluminum or aluminum/plastic styles. As to cooling ability, I'd cut a bigger hole in the front header and put in one of these if needed to conpensate for loss of efficiency. Weight is not of major concern to me so no issues there. I know lots of you will disagree. So be it. This is what works best for my usage.

I prefer 24k gold myself.

[border man]

I prefer 24k gold myself.

That's so Yesterday!!!!

Gots to go with da PLATINUM!!!!

[roadrunner]

I prefer 24k gold myself.

That's so Yesterday!!!!

Gots to go with da PLATINUM!!!!

Shucks you guys might as well go with uranium. That way you could also drive by the "glow" at night as well.