On the left in the above photograph is the Corvette radiator core (the aftermarket unit sold by Stealth Conversions uses the same design). The tube width is 1-1/4", and the tubes are spaced at 7/16" intervals. The wide tube has more surface area that contacts the cooling fins than the radiator cores shown to the right. The better surface area results in better heat transfer.

The center radiator core is a two-row copper-brass design that is used on a lot of cars built in the early 1980s. The tubes are 3/8" wide and they are spaced at 7/16" intervals.

The core on the right is also a two-row copper-brass design. Its tubes are 1/2" wide and they are spaced at 9/16" intervals. This design was used through the 1970s.

The one-row core design is the best for cooling and the lightest weight of the three radiators shown. Copper has better heat transfer characteristics than aluminum, but the aluminum is more easily formed into wide tubes, and it is lighter than the copper.

Custom four-row core radiators do not cool as well as oftern advertised. One reason is that it is difficult to get air through the thick core due to aerodynamic restriction. Also, once the cooling air has gone past the first row, the air is heated up so that it cannot cool the second row as much as the first row, and this pattern continues to the fourth row, which does not provide much additional cooling. Of course, a four-row radiator core is normally 2-5/8" thick, and this will make an already crowded engine compartment even more crowded. The aluminum one-row radiator is the best radiator we have found for an air-conditioned V-8 S-10.

The point about the 86-89 Corvetter radiator being the best for an air conditioned V-8 truck bears repeating, because we are always asked, "what radiator do you recomment for the V-8 swap?"

The radiator shown below is a custom-made aluminum radiator. It has 3" side tanks and a 2-1/4" thick core, compared to the Corvette's 2-1/4" tanks and 1-3/8" thick core. Because of its thickness it does not work well in the V-8 S-Truck, because it does not allow room for an engine-driven fan.

We used this radiator in our truck with two electric pusher fans in front of the radiator and no engine-driven fan, and it just didn't cool the truck adequately.

Another problem with the all-aluminum racing radiators is a tendency for them to crack where the side tank is welded to the core. Typically, the crack will develop within two years on a daily-driven vehicle.