I just drove my dart for about an hour and when I parked it I checked under the hood and saw that the upper radiator hose was stretched tighter than a...well, really tight. My temp gauge doesn't work so I don't know how hot it was running but I don't understand why this would happen, since I have a 16 lb. cap and an overflow tank that had only a little bit of coolant in it. It seems that the pressure was clearly not overcoming the cap and filling the tank.

I guess this means the car is overheating, huh? Question is, why. Are these stock radiators known to perform poorly?

Just means your radiator hose is old/weak or defective. In either case, replacing it with a good quality hose will fix the problem.

The stock radiators work well if they are in good condition.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

And it probably wouldn't hurt to get a new cap. Or at least have yours checked out to make sure it's holding the correct pressure.

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1974 Dodge Dart Custom, 225, 904, now with a Holley 2300...