Its time to break down and replace my old radiator. Its leaking from a few spots & I'm having trouble keeping the temps down. Especially when idling on trail runs. Currently, my radiator is a 4 core, probably JBG, from like 12-14 years ago. One of the first repairs I made. About 5 years ago, I replaced the stainless flex fan that came on the truck with a fixed blade fan.

I think I'm going to stick with the copper/brass radiator, but I'm wondering if I need the 4 core I've got. Is anyone else running a 4 core, or had a 3 core that wouldn't keep up? I'd like to save the money and get a 3 core if I wouldn't have to worry about having to upgrade back to a 4 core.

My other thoughts are on fans. I found a CB.com discussion about a Hayden clutch fan that fits a stock v-belt set up. I took some measurements and think I'll have no problem fitting it behind either 3 or 4 core radiators.

Would the clutch fan be a better choice than an all electric set up? I've read about the Taurus fans & have another possible donor fan/shroud at work right now. I've got a 200amp alternator, so power isn't a problem. But I think, the time spent modding fans & the money spent on the relays, etc might not be worth it. When a clutch fan is available for like $70.00. Anyone running an all electric set up & love it/hate it? Any thoughts are appreciated.

If I go with the clutch fan, I'm planning to put an electric pusher fan on the front. After this weekend on Chinamen's I love the sound of an electric fan running after the truck shuts off.

Thanks
Chad

A clutch fan, properly spaced in the shroud, will pull more air than most electric fans. If it fits with your 4 core radiator just get it fixed. Even tiny leaks will cause high temps.

I'm not sure how easily I could get it fixed. There is no one in Gunnison who does radiator work anymore. Its not in great shape either. Its leaking where the finned tubes enter/exit the tanks, on both sides, and some of the front tubes are smashed from body flex, probably from last weekend. It almost looks like it would need recored. One of the mounting brackets broke free from the tanks too.

Chad

Did a lot of shopping, locally & on-line today. 3 core copper/brass rads ranged from $200.00 - $300.00.

I ran across a vendor on Amazon.com called Oconee4x4, they list a 4 core high efficiency for $299 + shipping. I went to their web site (oconeeoffroad.com) and found the same rad on sale for $269 with free shipping, with an additional 5% discount applied it came to $255.54. I went ahead & pulled the trigger.

Chad

Will do. Kinda stepped out on a limb, buying from an unknown company, but JBG wants $330 + shipping for a HE 4 core. Got one with the a/t cooler, so I can change transmissions later, same price.

Chad

I think you are smart to get the 4-core. Better to have too much than too little. Let the thermostat do it's job. Oconee sounds familiar to me, but I am not sure why. Maybe that's where I bought my heep mirror from.

I have a solid fan and have been happy with it. One nice thing about a properly sized electric is that it can flow more air when you're at low rpms crawling since it's not related to rpms. The sound for me is a tiny bit annoying because I've had to try to talk over several before and really, it's not doing much simply because the water is not circulating. But there are some quieter ones that aren't bad.

I'm not sure it's much of a downgrade. My understanding is that the 4-core doesn't cool much better than a 3 core since it is tougher to cram air through the thicker radiator.

Makes me think that the best radiator, regardless of number of cores, is the type sold by WH as "Tripple Pass", BC has their own (crazy expensive) version too. Helps maximize the path & length of time the water is in the rad.

Chad

Also the right temp t-stat. I run a 195 and never have an over heating issue. Same with my dads 74 with the 351.

I had the issue with my old Radiator in my 81 F250, leaking at the top side of passenger tank. I went to the yard and found one that was in near new condition out of a later model (1984) which had an aluminum cross flow. 65 bucks and I only had to drill two holes to make it fit because the mounting locations were changed on top. just an idea but it might not be a bad idea to just take a look. I saw several other decent radiators down there that day. Took me a total of about 2 hours tops.

just a thought.

I also would run a fan clutch unless your looking for the most efficiency out of your mileage. Or if space is an issue. I ended up with an electric fan on my 460 because there really was no room for a clutch and fan up there and I didnt want the extra load on the drive pulleys.

The company has already shipped the radiator out, not bad. They stated that the radiators might take 1 week to ship, so they are already ahead of schedule. It shipped out of Laredo, TX, if that means anything to anyone. The company in Georgia is obviously buying them from someone else. We'll see how it looks when it arrives, its scheduled to hit on Monday.

I think my biggest concern is how long it will last. Seems like a common problem to have the 4 cores leak. Mine has been leaking for a couple years, but, it lasted 11 years. I found my receipt from 2000 for the radiator from JBG. Only $195.00 back then.

Chad

Radiator arrived today, nicely packaged, lots of InstaPak foam protection. You'd really have to try to screw up the radiator. Everything looks good. I don't know what a High Efficiency core looks like compared to a standard core, but I don't see a big difference between this one and my old one. I haven't compared them side by side yet. Hecho en Mexico.

Chad

I put the radiator in last Friday. Went in just as expected, no troubles.

The core on the new rad is thinner than the old JBG rad I removed. I installed 4 core rad brackets when I put the JBG rad in 10 years ago. The new rad was a bit loose in the mounts, but nothing a little adjustment couldn't fix. It would probably fit in standard 3 core brackets. Hopefully this means the fit between the tanks & core is closer to original, maybe meaning a longer life. Only time will tell.

This new rad has more sets of tubes than my old JBG rad (49 vs 42) & more fins/inch (8 vs 6). Just to split hairs.

I took my old radiator & checked out the fit to the Kia Borrego fan I have, and it doesn't look like its worth the effort. So I'll probably be upgrading to a clutch fan & maybe adding an electric pusher. I'm also going to take some time to dam off the air to make sure the rad is pulling fresh air, and not hot engine compartment air. Seems like time well spent.

Chad

Good to hear install went well. My cousin just tested out his new radiator after having overheating issues for a long time and it performed well. Hope yours does too!

J.D.