I am in process of building my '48 3100. Engine will be a V8 with a T5 behind it with either 3.42 or 3.08 gearing. What are the limitations in cooling with the stock sized radiator? Is there a better radiator core from those who have BTDT?

My concern is the heat rejection from the V8 will be more than triple that of the original 216 simply because the engine output will be triple. To me the square area of the stock radiator is a little on the small side. Since the engine heat generated while cruising will be minimal as the truck will only require 10-15hp to maintain speed, my concern is slow traffic, stop-and-go traffic, and towing. Thicker cores will only help to a slight degree as after 4 rows, the radiator efficiency starts to drop. Even a staggered core rad will loose efficiency after 5 rows. The other thougth was to have a large surge tank to act as reservoir to extend the time it takes to heat the coolant to boil in a slow traffic / high load period.

Can anyone comment.

Scott

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