So I want to have a 440 built....

65sporty said:
I think it's time to look into a larger radiator. Motor is as loose as it's going to get until it's wore out. With the current radiator it should cool ok in about 70 - 80,000 miles.:)
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So, what do I put in?????
 
So I went back to see what size your current radiator is and does anyone make one with 3 rows and 1" tubes or 2 rows with 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" tubes.
 
Just wanna throw this in for no scientific comparison. My 65 383 4 speed car had a 4 blade fixed,no shroud and a 22" radiator.
I now have a 526 warmed over, 7 blade clutch fan with the same 22" radiator, no problems.
My radiator appears to be a 2 row stock unit.
I beat the hell out of the car. After a quarter mile 130ish mile run, it heats up to 210, but cools right down.
I am not bragging, but if all your components are working, there is a built in safety factor.
Again just wanna let my friends know, if you have a good radiator, that might be the heart of a good cooling system.
 
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I've got a nice original rad from a '66 300 for sale on here. I'll bump the ad back to the top.
 
I think going the Frankenstein engine route is the wrong way to go. What is likely going to happen is you'll end up with an engine with loads of issues because it was thrown together based on what parts were available and not what works best in concert with one another. Then you'll spend more and more money trying to make everything work right together.

There seems to be no shortage of well-built 440s for sale out there that were intended for project cars that fell by the wayside and owners are trying to make back some of their investment. These are usually in the $3,000 to $5,000 range and have twice that much invested in them. I would suggest selling your parts and applying that money to buying an engine that's been built, tested, and dynoed using someone else's money. Even with shipping the costs will likely be much less than what you're facing now.
 
Core needs to be 2"+ thick 2.25--2.5. fin count needs to be as high as possible, and IMO the core should be as wide as possible. I would think yours may be clogged a bit, however you are not losing enough temp from top to bottom. Your radiator is not transferring enough heat either because coolant is moving through radiator too fast, tubes are clogged or scaly, not enough fins to remove temp from tubes. The coolant moving too fast because you have some funky water pump, maybe but if it was on there on dyno WOT this should have popped up. Fin count looks okay from the shot of what little we can see behind that door mat that was in front. I have to go with clogged or scale, but it is still a guess. Had this happen on my big truck last fall.
 
Bruzilla said:
I think going the Frankenstein engine route is the wrong way to go. What is likely going to happen is you'll end up with an engine with loads of issues because it was thrown together based on what parts were available and not what works best in concert with one another. Then you'll spend more and more money trying to make everything work right together.

There seems to be no shortage of well-built 440s for sale out there that were intended for project cars that fell by the wayside and owners are trying to make back some of their investment. These are usually in the $3,000 to $5,000 range and have twice that much invested in them. I would suggest selling your parts and applying that money to buying an engine that's been built, tested, and dynoed using someone else's money. Even with shipping the costs will likely be much less than what you're facing now.
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Are you reading the same thread?
It is a relatively mild build of a iron headed, RB crank in a low deck block that was run in on a dyno, rejetted twice once on the dyno and again for cruise throttle with the manifolds in place. It is all factory parts with a mild comp cam and a aluminum intake. He has a cooling problem, it is only losing 20° across the core of the radiator, and it is not dropping immediately at highway speeds. That points squarely at a cooling issue on the radiator side.
 
I did gain another 5-10 degree drop when I removed the mudguard. Water pump is a Milodon unit with anti-caviation plate. Car goes in for body and paint this weekend, thinking about having rad pulled to have it flow checked and cleaned if needed.
 
Cavitation is usually a high rpm thing are you sure it's not impeding flow at lower rpm?
The low pressure area at the center of the impeller makes such a low pressure area that steam or water vapor form and the flow is lost usually they would fill in this area to eliminate it, if you never spin the pump high rpm it might be blocking some flow. I am not familiar with this pump and can't find a picture of this anti cavitation plate. Milodon products are good so I doubt it is a problem. I would still look at radiator.
 
70bigblockdodge said:
Cavitation is usually a high rpm thing are you sure it's not impeding flow at lower rpm?
The low pressure area at the center of the impeller makes such a low pressure area that steam or water vapor form and the flow is lost usually they would fill in this area to eliminate it, if you never spin the pump high rpm it might be blocking some flow. I am not familiar with this pump and can't find a picture of this anti cavitation plate. Milodon products are good so I doubt it is a problem. I would still look at radiator.
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new pump.jpg


My pump would be the one on the right with the anti-cavitation plate.
 
carrman said:
I'm thinking about their 4 -row Optima triple pass core. But it's a bunch of money.
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I don't see any reason to go with the Optima seems like overkill for your situation. Also requires big electric fans to get air flow across the radiator since fin density is so high. Best thing is to call them up and discuss what you need. In the end you may buy something from someone else but you will have been educated as to what to look for.
 
66/440 said:
I don't see any reason to go with the Optima seems like overkill for your situation. Also requires big electric fans to get air flow across the radiator since fin density is so high. Best thing is to call them up and discuss what you need. In the end you may buy something from someone else but you will have been educated as to what to look for.
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Talked to Mac's radiator out of Eugene, OR as we don't have a competent rad shop here in Medford anymore. They keep touting their copper/brass style radiators as being superior to aluminum rads. They called US radiator as they are a dealer, and US told them I just need their 4-row high efficiency radiator and all will be better. The American Eagle I have now is supposed to be good for 600hp. I'm not near that. I'm having this pulled and flow checked.
 
I have heard that the copper/brass are more efficient but with the strength of the aluminum they can make the tubes bigger and make it cool better. If you could make the copper/brass tubes the size of the aluminum tubes it would out cool the aluminum radiator.
 
Well the radiator checked out OK. There was some minor blockage but not enough to affect it according to the rad shop. It's going back in the car along with a 2400 cfm electric pusher fan that C-Barge recommends using. We'll go from there.
 
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