I see several companies advertising that their all aluminum radiators cool much better than brass. I know that Corvettes used to use them and did not cool well with brass replacements, but do the new aluminum ones work that well in the El Caminos?

Really depends on the motor but yes they do cool better than their brass counter parts.

I'm using an aluminum with plastic tanks all I could afford at the time and yes it runs cooler than my three core brass one

Like so many other things in life, you must pay for quality." All aluminum" can be a catch phrase. The majority components can be aluminum, but the welding may not be. There is a lot of Chinese junk coming over here, A 1 inch two row aluminum radiator will cool with the best of them. A well constructed 3 or 4 row brass will do the same. Check out American Radiators and their "Desert Cooler" line. You can spend more, but you may not find a better deal on a quality cooler for your ride. They are in Vernon, Ca and offer both aluminum and brass constructed radiators of the highest quality at a great price.

the copper/brass replacements are not all the same,,see if they list the "fins per inch".
and some are very thin..:texas:

65 elco 350...with the brass 2 row I was hitting 220-230 on a warm day.......I installed a Champion 3 row aluminum, and I can Barely hit 180 on the hottest day with a 160 thermostat

When I had a new radiator installed last summer my friend who owns the radiator shop told me that with my engine I didn't need to spend the extra $$ on aluminum. He said a good three row copper/brass will cool nearly as well for a lot less $$. However... with a more radical engine that may be more heat critical it's probably better to go to aluminum.

Yes aluminum does dissapate heat faster than copper and brass rads...however copper and brass rads have been around for years and work just fine as long as it is of adequate size for your engine. I remember when that's all there was, even for big blocks. My concern is not which one is better as long as it's of adequate size...my concern is which one DOESN'T have plastic side tanks that are crimped on. I suggest that anyone using a radiator with plastic side tanks...get rid of it as soon as possible...I've had two now that have split on me! At the very least it'll leave you stranded on the side of the road...or even worse you'll be replacing a motor...some women don't know what a temp gauge is for...just ask my daughter. All aluminum motors don't take kindly to no coolant for very long...it gets ugly quick!

I took out a 350 that had been cooling just fine with its three row brass radiator and swapped in a 383 and the cooling problems began. But, there was one other change. I bought a $55.00 Pro-comp brand aluminum water pump off eBay instead of paying the $175 or so for an E-brock and installed it on 383. Using an infrared thermometer, the radiator creates a 20 degree drop from inlet to outlet, and the lower hose temp is about normal at 160 or so. But the water pump itself is up around 200, even at the outlets, so I suspect that the claim of 30 percent higher flow in the ad does not include the one I got. Everything I see at the moment points to lack of circulation by the pump. It has a known good thermostat, so I'm going to replace the pump and see if that fixes the problem.

Higher flow isn't always the answer. If it flows too fast through the core, it doesn't always have time to cool.

Let talk big like in BB or built engine but for reasonable street driving, in hot weather areas. A good 4 row QUALITY copper unit same engine and a two 1" row Alum welded tank (not epoxyed) are so close to equal it's a hard call on which one is really cooling better or is better. Change the word Quality to best price now you have a difference, but many engines only need a radiator that is sized right and is a moderate cost unit, if you go cheapest most of the time you paid more you just don't know it yet.
I have used both and I have ALUM for the ability to Polish it for looks It does not cool any better than the previous OLd 4 row copper at all, when new?

x2 Bill

did the 350 also run a 160* stat ?? putting in a hotter stat may help,,
my 3row 1/2" copper/brass would not keep up with my 396 with a 160*stat..
my 3row 1/2" copper/brass is working on my 383 with a 195* stat,,in town its ok,,
i have not tryed it with a/c in traffic yet..and lt1 fans dont come on till over 200 ???

nothing to do with this thread but ,,
if you go cheapest most of the time you paid more you just don't know it yet.
i gotta write that down:smileyb:

"if you go cheapest most of the time you paid more you just don't know it yet."

I agree, but I also think a water pump is a pretty simple device and it is hard to believe they got the design wrong. It is being replaced with an Ebrock 8810, so we'll know for sure in a few days.