As some of you remember/know I had a very plugged radiator and it was leaky and cracked in the tanks. Well I ordered a new aluminum radiator from summit. I finally got one of my electrical autometer gauges hooked up, the water temp. I just wanted to check some numbers.

T-stat: 195*
old radiator temp: 220 in town, 240 interstate; mechanical temp gauge in the top tank
New radiator temp: 205~210 in town and highway; factory temp gauge location with autometer short sweep electrical gauge (100*-280*)


So I have sufficiently cooled this motor down quite a bit, I never see the gauge move once it hits the 210 area, even WOT on the interstate.

I also checked the temps with a IR temp gun on the surface of different parts of the cooling system:
Old radiator: inlet tank: 220, core: 180, T-stat housing: 220
New radiator: inlet tank: 190, core: 150, T-stat housing: 204

My only real question is: is my temp in the "green zone" for a slant or do I need to go cooler still? I haven't taken the freeze plugs out yet but I did pull the plug on the passenger side of the block and water almost instantly flowed freely with just a trace amount of brown water in it. I flushed the block quite a bit through this hole before installing the new radiator.

Thanks,
Seth

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Annabelle: 1970 Dodge Dart Hardtop
1991 Nissan 240sx (sileighty) Lots of mods
1974 Dodge Dart *Wrecked*

You are fine. Nice work. I shoot for running all my street slants at these temps or a bit higher for better mileage and less wear.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Excellent work, Nongan.
Can you please supply the part number for the radiator, that would be good to have together with your data in this thread, for future references.

Olaf

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Aspenized

Sure: SUM-380325 http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-380325/

and I used an external transmission cooler with it.

Note: outlet is larger than factory hose so I had to grease up my hose and slowly expand it to fit the new outlet, and it also has an odd angle in toward the center of the car that makes it a little awkward, just a couple problems I ran into using this radiator.

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Annabelle: 1970 Dodge Dart Hardtop
1991 Nissan 240sx (sileighty) Lots of mods
1974 Dodge Dart *Wrecked*

An IR gun is most accurate when the surface you are sampling is nonreflective. I used to use an IR gun at work routinely and I always hit my sample area with a shot of flat black spray paint prior to sampling. Just an FYI.

Mitch