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Snailed · 08-22-2013, 06:38 PM

My '66 came with a brand new cheap aluminum radiator. It lasted about 100 miles before I came out of work and there was a big puddle under it. I put in a $200 PRC radiator for a stock car, mostly so I could fix it right away for cheap and also because I know it's a very good radiator. I have used at least twenty of them in hotrods with 100% success.

To keep heat down at idle (and get good mileage) you want to run a bunch of timing when there is no load on the engine. Assuming you are not running a computer controlled ignition, that means a vac advance distributor and properly leaned out mixture (>13:1) at low loads. There is a reason factory vehicles did come with vac advance and didn't overheat.

08-22-2013, 06:38 PM	#17
Snailed Registered User Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Portland, Maine Posts: 219	Re: Big block cooling help My '66 came with a brand new cheap aluminum radiator. It lasted about 100 miles before I came out of work and there was a big puddle under it. I put in a $200 PRC radiator for a stock car, mostly so I could fix it right away for cheap and also because I know it's a very good radiator. I have used at least twenty of them in hotrods with 100% success. To keep heat down at idle (and get good mileage) you want to run a bunch of timing when there is no load on the engine. Assuming you are not running a computer controlled ignition, that means a vac advance distributor and properly leaned out mixture (>13:1) at low loads. There is a reason factory vehicles did come with vac advance and didn't overheat.