radiator cap and pressure

[stangme428 33]

all -- just reading up on radiator cap upgrades and the benefits of increasing pressure.

what pressure radiator cap are you all with modified, stroked setups running?

 

article on high pressure radiator caps..

[69gmachine 15]

I'm sticking with the factory rated 14 psi cap. All the plumbing inside the car was designed for relatively low pressure. If you increase the pressure and you have an old heater core, you could be creating a potential leak.

 

Now that I have an accurate temperature sensor, I've found that once I start driving it will creep up to about 4/5ths the way to HOT. It holds steady though so I'm not going to panick. Eventually I will get a 2 core aluminum radiator. From what i understand a 2 core aluminum is better than a 3 core because it allows more coolant to flow through the tubes. Maybe those with 2 and 3 core alum radiators can give us some real world experience. However, if one has a 550 HP 408 monster and another has a mild 302, the comparison will be meaningless, so we need lots of responses and some details about the size and performance of the engine.

[MaxLT 10]

I've got the two core aluminum cross flow radiator from Summit and it works great with my 408 even in the hot summer heat with a/c.

 

Also have to agree that I think it's best to stick with the stock pressure cap. BMW's run higher pressure coolant systems and their mechanics will tell you that in the first year of operating the engine the hoses actually swell so much that the system can actually take another quart or so of coolant. That seems like way too much strain to put on a 43 year old cooling system.

 

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408W, AFR-185, 10.0-1 c/r, 750 Holley HP carb, Elelbrock Performer RPM Air Gap, 1 5/8" long tube headers, 2 1/2" dual exhaust with x-pipe, TKO-500 transmission, Zoom Kevlar clutch, mid eye springs and 1" drop front/rear.

Edited July 6, 2012 by MaxLT