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Brass or Aluminum Radiator! Saving Money can make

you hot!
I made this post on the CPRL thread about the radiator issue with brass vs.
aluminum radiators years ago! Ive also posted a follow up post made by the
very well respected John Hinckley. It adds more detail to my explanation
and reasoning.
CPRL Thread:
After putting the final touch's on my own car two weeks ago I ran into a very
familiar problem. After letting the car run for about 20 minutes it began to over
heat. I've done my fair share of temperature problems in the past and thought this
could be easily cured. The car at idle in the shop would hit 225 faster than you
would ever imagine.
I knew that the temperature gauge reading was correct. Hey, I tested it myself
before installing it. I knew the sender was an original NOS sender and that it was
20 years old and verified as being accurate! What I failed to do was engage my
brain vs. wallet on one simple part. The radiator! Had I not been such a tight ass I
would have put the aluminum radiator in the car instead of the cheaper
reproduction brass replacement.
We decided to test the car to eliminate the possibility of an engine problem. For
testing, I installed a 7-blade fan mid year air fan blade on the car. I then installed
in front of the car one of our larger blower cages. This blower was placed about 3"
from the front bumper of the car. After starting the car and watching the
temperature soar, we then turned on the blower fan and the temperature instantly
dropped.

Ok... Problem diagnosed. Since I've got a fairly original car and most numbers are
matching, I was now confronted with the other major question. Why did I use the
replacement over the aluminum radiator?
I called Tom DeWitt at DeWitts radiator! I ran this question past him knowing he
was the expert on the correct radiators. I was curious more than anything about
why I should spend the extra money for the correct radiator over just buying a
Howell, Be-Cool, or Flow Cooler radiator. This question was answered by Tom in
about one minute. Knowing the difference to me was enough to convince me
which way to go!
I thought I would share this with you guys and give you my results after we
replaced the Brass Wanna Be radiator.
1) Statement: Brass replacement radiators for 1960-1962, 1963-1967 small block
cars and 1965 396 big block cars flat out SUCK! Why would I ever make this
mistake? Hummmm!!! let me guess. $$$
After all these years you would think I would have known better. I've
even sold this radiator to customers when the original aluminum radiators were
not available in reproduction. I have used the brass radiators before
as a replacement for cars in my shop without any problems either. What went
wrong here?
What went wrong in my opinion was horsepower! This car isn't lacking in the
horsepower department. Maybe with a low horsepower car you can get away with
this. In my case, this was not going to happen.
2) The main question for me... What would the difference be with running a
replacement brass radiator, an aluminum replacement radiator and an original
radiator...? (Now pay attention here).
The main characteristic that is present in the original aluminum radiator and any
other replacement radiator is this:

The replacement aluminum radiators have side TANKS. As pictured below in an

aftermarket aluminum radiator.

Original radiators are what Tom and others call "Stacked Plate Radiators." This
stacked plate radiator is pictured below for comparison.

Stacked plate radiators do not have tanks. Instead they have a series of cores
stacked on top one another to form the radiator. . The replacement aluminum
radiator with tanks may still cool the car fine but according to Tom, there is still
more than a 10 percent loss in cooling ability when compared to the original style
radiator. If you look at both radiators, you will see that the tanks on the side are
about three inch's wide. That means that there is about 6 inches' of none cooling
radiator surface that would normally be cooling on an original radiator.

To end this I'll tell you one thing. Tom told me that the correct radiator in
the car would make a 35-degree difference over the brass replacement radiator. He
missed it by 5 degrees. The car will sit still and idle as long as you want it to. Top
temperature on the car is 185 degrees. Drove it this morning and it never went past
185.
OK... So here is the moral to this story....
I'm as stupid as the next guy! I had the brass radiator in stock and thought what
the heck, Ive sold this radiator and installed it in other cars (and got away with it.)
I can only imagine what an individual would go through after spending 30k on his
car only to find an overheating problem at the start up. I have the tools, manpower
and equipment to make a quick diagnosis of the car. I have the equipment to test
the sender, and the dash unit. But what I lacked were the brains to compare dollars
to sense. I wasted my time installing the wrong radiator, the time to replace it, and
the coolant. And let's be realists here too. When you have spent the money to do
the car correctly, why be cheap now....
Brass radiators were used in midyear cars from the factory in 66 and 67 big
blocks (P/N 3008566) with great success. But if you look at this radiator
compared to the small block aluminum radiator you will notice a very large
difference in core thickness and the width of the radiator. Brass radiators
were also the radiator or choice on the later model cars 73 and up to 82.
This car design is better designed for the brass radiator and there is allot
more air flow across the radiator surface.
Using the brass replacement radiators in some applications where a brass radiator
we originally used is perfectly ok and in some cases like the 1973 Big Block cars
the brass replacement radiator is more correct than the current AC Delco
replacement radiator.
Using any aluminum radiator in place of a factory brass replacement radiator is
always a good choice when it comes to cooling your car. However, always keep in
mind that the cars were designed to be cooled with the brass radiator and you may
have other issues with your car that a simple brass to aluminum radiator swap will
not cure.
Anyone interested in a Brass replacement slightly used radiator for a 61-62.
Check with Bubba! I think he's trying to install it in his truck.
Reply posted by John Hinckley on the CPRL Thread.
Great post - I can't tell you how many times I've been
through this with folks who have come to me with Corvette overheating problems.

There are two key radiator design issues here that make the difference. Most
aftermarket "bolt-in" aluminum radiators are built the same way copper/brass
radiators are - tubes and fins, with tanks on both sides, but aluminum instead of
copper/brass; is just a material substitution.
The original OEM Harrison aluminum radiators didn't have "tubes and fins" - they
were "stacked plates", which provides much more coolant-carrying area and finto-plate contact area exposed to airflow, and they are heat exchangers for their full
width - no end tanks that shorten the effective width of the heat exchanger surface
by six inches. Look at any aircraft or race car engine oil cooler, and you'll find that
they're the "stacked plate" design, not "tube and fin" like conventional car
radiators; they're more expensive to make, but they're more efficient and more
durable.
"Drop-in" aftermarket replacement "tube-and-fin" radiators will fit, be they
copper/brass or aluminum, but neither has the same heat rejection capability as
the original "stacked-plate" Harrison aluminum radiator design that was OEM for
that particular application. Reliable cooling costs money - generally, when you
spend less, you'll get less.
John Hinckley
'67 300
Copyright Willcox Inc. 2007 all rights reserved. Duplication with out expressed
written permission strictly prohibited. Willcox assumes no responsibility for broke
or damaged parts caused by errors or following these instructions. As with any
repair, use your own judgment.