2 vs 3 Row Radiator 67' F250

[sheehyct]

Hey guys apologies if this has been covered but I am having some slight (215 degrees under heavy use and traffic in heat) over heating conditions with my 67 F250 2WD. I already threw a 180 degree thermostat in there which helped some but under high heat conditions the temp still will slowly rise. Replaced the temp sending unit and monitor temps with a infrared temp gun to double check to make sure its actually getting hot. Next plan of attack was going to be to throw a new radiator in there since it still has the original. Have $200 LMC truck credit so I was looking there for the radiator but it looks like the standard they offer for my Truck is a 2 row. If I am correct they offer an "upgraded" aluminum 3 row radiator for about $150 more. Not sure which route to go here on this and was hoping for some guidance. Thanks!

[Ranchero50]

Get the engine warm and then feel across the face of the radiator for cool tubes. they are blocked. These trucks were designed to run in the desert stock. I'd look into controlling the airflow with an electric fan / alternator upgrade if the radiator it working correctly. Just make sure the shroud draws air through the whole thing, not just part of it.

[sheehyct]

Thanks good advice, I suppose I will also potentially look into a shroud as well. I've read people saying 352's came with them originally and some who say that they don't but I figure it cant hurt!

[Manny]

Second Ranchero there with would like to know a little more info. What shroud is in it? Does the truck cool right off once moving? does it overheat all the time? Good start would be get yourself a thermal temp gun and scan your tanks. Check the top tank and the bottom tank and what's the drop 15-20 degrees is ideal. Lots of drop 50 degrees radiator is clogged. No drop whatsoever is normally airflow or radiator is clogged. As far as radiator selection, i would say stick to a quality name like champion or a good one. From my early bronco experience the chepo ones can be good or bad. That being said i have never heard a champion issue. Tubes can be deceiving two big tubes can cool better than three small ones. It's size and the number. Hope that helps not makes it worse!

[fastEdsel]

"There's no replacement for displacement!" When we have our radiators rebuilt we put in 4 rows of tubes. For the most part these trucks are designed for most applications but the car companies, being profit driven, will cut corners where possible and will get them out the factory door as fast as they can. An electric fan install is certainly a good idea to keep air moving. Something else I learned from an old mechanic is that when these FE's heat up, there is a tendency to just remove the thermostat. When that happens and because the water pumps on our engines are so aggressive, it just pumps coolant for the front two cylinders on each side leaving the rear cylinders to get hot so always run with a thermostat. Good luck with your project, keep us informed.

[colnago]

I removed my thermostat last year, because after ~5 miles, the engine would start pinging. Without the thermostat, I can go ~10 miles before pinging! Wooo-hooo! Bottom line, it just masked the real problem, which is probably that I'm running too lean. One of these days, I've gotta pull my plugs and check!

Also, I teplaced the original radiator with what was supposed to be a direct replacement. It wasn't. I had to use stand-offs for the radiator to fit, so I'm getting some air flow around the radiator vs. through. I don't know if this is enough to make a difference, but I'm probably looking at a new radiator in the next year or two.

Joseph

[Clunker]

I replaced the radiator in my 1970 F250 when I discovered a leak at one of the hose fittings. The new one only has a 2-row core, but it is 2-1/2" thick and all aluminum. With a 190 thermostat, I have never had an issue, and I think it was less than $150 on ebay. After the install, I drove it up a long 7% grade hauling 1,000 lbs of flooring in the bed in 95 degree heat, and the temp still stayed at 190 the whole way. It looks nice through the grill too.

[brkdncr]

in a different vehicle, a '61 lincoln, i had overheating issues. I took it to a radiator shop where they just took it apart, cleared a bunch of gunk, then put it all back together for like $150. it's ran great since. i took another car there that was overheating with the a/c on, same great results.