Aluminum or Brass Radiator?

[jgkurz]

Hello,

I am trying to decide which radiator to choose for my 77 280z. Since I've put my intercooler in front of the radiator it will slowly overheat when the A/C is on. I currently have a new 280ZXT core. I'm trying to understand which of the below radiators will give me the best possible cooling. I know the aluminum unit is lighter, but I'm not sure it would have the cooling capability of the brass 4-core.

 

I appreciate your thoughts and opinions.

 

 

Performance Aluminum Radiator, 9/74-78 Z Manual Transmission

Code: 16-7018

http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=16-7018&Category_Code=PCLC04

 

or

 

Heavy Duty 4 Row Radiator, 74.5-78 Z Manual

Code: 16-6955

http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=16-6955&Category_Code=PCLC01

[260DET]

There is just not enough information there to work out which would be the most effective. But I would go for the aluminuim one.

[fl327]

I would go aluminum all the way over the brass unit. Brass is a little more tolerable of straight water mixes and corrosion, but if you take care of a good aluminum radiator, youll notice the difference.

Ive found that a overheating problem I had a while back was caused by too much anti freeze. I live in California and it doesnt get cold enough out here to freeze water, so I use about 85/15 water to af. Works great when its hot outside too, temp stays left of the middle of guage all the time, except in stop and go, where it gets a little hotter. If i were to do anything to the cooling system, it would be to add more powerful fans and possibly do a aluminum radiator.

Hey you could always try a V mount!

[rc's240z]

I think if you shop around a bit that you can find a better price on an aluminum radiator. Motorsport is a good resource but i would look to Ron Davis Radiators. They offer a bolt-in solution that will be substantially less expensive than the Motorsport offering and should work as good if not better.

 

My understanding is that a cross-flow radiator works better than a conventional top and bottom tank radiator. I suspect that there will be a larger gain with the aluminum radiator.

 

http://www.rondavisradiators.com/

[jgkurz]

Thanks for the advice. For some reason I mistakenly thought a brass radiator cooled better and also was little heavier than an aluminum equivalent. I'm going to look into an Aluminum cross flow unit.

[Pop N Wood]

Summit racing has Griffin aluminum radiators for less than half the MSA unit. May have to make some mount ala JTR but the Griffin unit is very popular for Z's. Do a search to see what size.

 

Also I have read posts that claim the 4 row brass radiator doesn't cool as well as a typical 3 row unit. Can't say why for sure but it could be more restrictive of air flow and/or a poor 4 row design.

 

Which brings up another point. What type of fan are you running and how good is the shroud? Also does your car heat up when idling or at speed? If you heat up at idle, you may need a better fan or fan shrouding. If you heat up at speed, then you may need to add a chin pan to smooth out air flow or seal air gaps between the radiator and from bulkhead. Air flow is really more important than radiator size. This topic gets discussed a lot, so a search should give you plenty of options.