Mark1972
Well-Known Member
A quick recap. The 440 I had built for my 1970 Plymouth Satellite 2 years ago has always had issues getting hot, especially when idling or moving very slowly. By hot I mean 215-220, which I have had to either pull out of heavy slow traffic or just pull over and shut it down and watch coolant bubble out the overflow hose. Now for the record I grabbed the cheapest aluminum radiator I could find with a 26" core. A Champion. I put a 160F stat in it because I didn't really understand how automotive cooling systems worked, and ran the original clutch fan without a shroud. The clutch fan was off of the 440 from when it came out of the '77 New Yorker. It was too big for the Mopar plastic shroud that fit the car. So I left the shroud off. Update to this week. I ordered and installed a Flowkooler water pump, a Robertshaw 180 stat, and a Cold Case radiator. I also ditched the clutch fan and installed a 19" Derale fixed fan. I spaced it properly to the rad and the shroud. The biggest difference I can tell between the Cold Case and the Champion is tube size. 1 1/4" vs 5/8", which I've been told makes a big difference. Normally once the car is started cold, it will take about 15-20 minutes and it will be at 215. Today I fired it up, and ran it for 20 minutes, and held it at 2000 rpm for 2-3 minutes as well. It never got past 180. I know this is just sitting in the garage, and I need to do a good shake down run, but it seems promising. Assuming all continues to go smoothly, I'm not sure what made the biggest difference, but I have to think the radiator. I guess everything works as a team though. Just thought I'd share.