Gents - Did lots of research on this one when my radiator began crapping out. I only gleaned over what's been posted, so sorry if I repeat...
Good luck getting a hold of a Fluidyne Radiator. You'll see them for sale online, but after trying to make a purchase from 3 different vendors, all came back saying they are out of stock. Called Fluidyne, and they said they are no longer making them due to demand. This was about 10 months ago.
Aluminum radiators IMHO aren't worth it for a couple reasons: heard too many times where they start leaking early, the stock ones are completely rebuildable for hundreds less (and will probably last as long or longer), and most of all, I've heard from too many Viper builders who say there is no extra cooling gained from going with an aluminum radiator.
Triple Pass vs Single Pass - I recommend going single pass, which is the only way you can rebuild a stock radiator anyways, the tanks are not designed to go triple pass without some significant modding. Single pass radiators will also last longer because they are not as prone to obstructing flow due to corrosion as they age. Single passes use the entire height of the radiator to flow from one side to the other, whereas the triple pass uses 1/3 of that height (coolant goes across, down, back across, down, and across one more time, hence triple pass). As the radiator ages and begins to build up corrosion on the inside, the triple pass radiator will clog up much sooner than the single pass.
The stock radiators, as mentioned, come as a dual core (2 inches thick), but the tanks are built to accomodate a triple core (3 inches thick). I'm assuming Dodge was trying to save money when they did this, albeit stupid. Going triple core is a no brainer. It costs hardly any more than a dual core, and you're going to maximize the cooling ability of the radiator.
Bottom line, any good radiator shop in your local area can rebuild these radiators with a triple core no problem. For me, there's a shop here in Yorktown Virginia called Steve's Radiator, Steve's Radiator Service, who overhauled mine. Steve is a super nice guy, and did the complete build for under $600, and guaranteed the work. He even called me a month after I got it back and in the car to check on me and make sure I was happy. I am extremely happy, and I'd recommend him to anyone. While I'd love for you to use him if you need a rebuild, I'd check your local area first to compare prices. You might find a better deal where you live.
The results: Dave is right, besides heat exchange, the name of the game is air flow through the radiator. While the triple core doesn't prevent my GTS from getting hot (getting to the tick mark to the right of center, maybe 220?), it definitely takes quite a bit longer to get there. I think one big reason is lack of air flow through the radiator. I currently have no other mods for cooling, but I'm confident with an auxiliary fan project I'm working on, I should be able to get her to stay right at whatever my T-stat temp is.
The triple core looks exactly like the stocker, except thinner, but if you really want pics I can post a couple.
Just my $.02.
Good luck getting a hold of a Fluidyne Radiator. You'll see them for sale online, but after trying to make a purchase from 3 different vendors, all came back saying they are out of stock. Called Fluidyne, and they said they are no longer making them due to demand. This was about 10 months ago.
Aluminum radiators IMHO aren't worth it for a couple reasons: heard too many times where they start leaking early, the stock ones are completely rebuildable for hundreds less (and will probably last as long or longer), and most of all, I've heard from too many Viper builders who say there is no extra cooling gained from going with an aluminum radiator.
Triple Pass vs Single Pass - I recommend going single pass, which is the only way you can rebuild a stock radiator anyways, the tanks are not designed to go triple pass without some significant modding. Single pass radiators will also last longer because they are not as prone to obstructing flow due to corrosion as they age. Single passes use the entire height of the radiator to flow from one side to the other, whereas the triple pass uses 1/3 of that height (coolant goes across, down, back across, down, and across one more time, hence triple pass). As the radiator ages and begins to build up corrosion on the inside, the triple pass radiator will clog up much sooner than the single pass.
The stock radiators, as mentioned, come as a dual core (2 inches thick), but the tanks are built to accomodate a triple core (3 inches thick). I'm assuming Dodge was trying to save money when they did this, albeit stupid. Going triple core is a no brainer. It costs hardly any more than a dual core, and you're going to maximize the cooling ability of the radiator.
Bottom line, any good radiator shop in your local area can rebuild these radiators with a triple core no problem. For me, there's a shop here in Yorktown Virginia called Steve's Radiator, Steve's Radiator Service, who overhauled mine. Steve is a super nice guy, and did the complete build for under $600, and guaranteed the work. He even called me a month after I got it back and in the car to check on me and make sure I was happy. I am extremely happy, and I'd recommend him to anyone. While I'd love for you to use him if you need a rebuild, I'd check your local area first to compare prices. You might find a better deal where you live.
The results: Dave is right, besides heat exchange, the name of the game is air flow through the radiator. While the triple core doesn't prevent my GTS from getting hot (getting to the tick mark to the right of center, maybe 220?), it definitely takes quite a bit longer to get there. I think one big reason is lack of air flow through the radiator. I currently have no other mods for cooling, but I'm confident with an auxiliary fan project I'm working on, I should be able to get her to stay right at whatever my T-stat temp is.
The triple core looks exactly like the stocker, except thinner, but if you really want pics I can post a couple.
Just my $.02.
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