Hey everyone!

ok, so I'm having overheating problems with my '72. I recently swapped the original 350 for a more powerful 350 and it has been running warmer than usual...actually too warm for comfort. I have all the air out of the system and still having the same problem.

I thought about putting in a larger radiator and I was wondering if a radiator for a 454 El Camino will fit in the place of one for a 350 El Camino??

Thanks everyone!

P.S. any input anyone has on the matter is greatly appreciated.

Yes the dimensions are the same. The difference may be the number of cores. If you already have the larger core, it may need rebuilt.

are u running the same waterpump,fan,shroud,thermostat?? any other changes??
is the gauge sender in the same location???
is it idleing or going down the road,,both??
how warm is too warm??:texas:

Canted: I have the smaller 1 core right now.

JJLT1: I have the same water pump and thermostat, I swapped the fan for 2 14" electric fans with automatic switches. The gauge sender was moved from the thermostat housing to the head, it only runs warm when idling, and about 210 degrees...roughly

Thanks for the help!

if thats a 1/2" tube,1 row,,your right M you need a upgrade..
if its a 1",1 row,,,it may be the fans,,or the way there mounted,,
not all elec. fans are created equal...
bbc radiators are nice down south,,nice cruck...:texas:

I had a friend once who had a problem with his chevy truck getting hot, unless he was moving, and we powerwashed a ton of crap out of the fins of the radiator and all was well after that. His was hidden behind the air conditioner coils, so it wasn't easy to see how clogged up it had actually gotten, and this was after lots and lots of miles, so probably not a factor in your case. What would be great is if you could swap in a different or larger radiator just to see what happens, without dropping the bucks first.

Get a decent radiator in there.

I got my 4 core rad. out of a 1969 half ton p/u and it fell right in place.
I have a BBC in place of a SBC, with stock fan and clutch no shroud.
She runs no more than 210 in traffic but no a/c parts at all. check
my photobucket to see my set-up. good luck

i just did the swap for a larger rad in my 72, original one core rad did not do the job. when you get a new rad it depends if you want to spend a little more and get the tranny cooler built into the rad, if you want pictures how i mounted my tranny cooler just ask.

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z12/earlfranks/photo16.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z12/earlfranks/photo17.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z12/earlfranks/photo18.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z12/earlfranks/IMG00165-20100911-1704.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z12/earlfranks/IMG00163-20100911-1704.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z12/earlfranks/photo21.jpg

I agree. You need a radiator w/ more rows. I just ordered an aluminum 3 row from Champion for my 72. I'm running a 350 w/ AC and I'm confident this will keep my engine cool.
I have a 82 C10 w/ a 406 SB w/ a 4 row in it. I've never seen the temp gauge go above 185. Even in 95 degree temps.

Thanks for the help guys! I just ordered a 4 row radiator for a '72 with a 454, so I'm gonna drop it in there this weekend and see how she does.

Thanks again! :You_Rock:

I just put in the new big block radiator and she is running cooler than ever! The needle hasn't gone above 180!

That's good news. Glad the radiator fixed your problem. I never did understand why GM put 2 row radiators in cars w/ big V8 engines. Thank goodness for aftermarket.
BTW, did you go w/ a aluminum or copper radiator?

That's good news. Glad the radiator fixed your problem. I never did understand why GM put 2 row radiators in cars w/ big V8 engines. Thank goodness for aftermarket.
BTW, did you go w/ a aluminum or copper radiator?

I got a really good price on a copper, so thats what I went with.