ok 1991 Camaro B4C, with a 5.7L 350 motor swap, mounted to a 5 speed tranny. has edlebrock air rails, new chip, throttle body etc, etc...nothing over the top as far as performance.

2 core currently installed with 3 fans...yes 3, keep reading.

Ok so ran into a little issue with my car overheating. Here is the background first. I was told that the original motor was swapped for a 5.7L 350 and during that time they replaced the original 4 core rad with a 2 core. This was done due to a leak in the 4 core and having a spare 2 core laying around to drop in. I got the old 4 core in the sale which has since been fixed and pressure tested.

Now, he also said with the 2 core that during real hot days and the AC running the car would run “real hot” (not sure exactly what temp real hot is…). Also he installed 3 fans, a dual fan set up on the rad side and a 3rd fan pushing air through the condenser side. Yes 3 in total and all wired right to the ignition with the help of a relay and fuse.

So the fuse blows and the car overheats or starts to anyways. We try replacing the fuse and it keeps blowing, re-did a ground and must have jiggled something just right as the fuse then ran for another 4 miles of driving before going again. There are some wiring issues with the fans but that is not the big question just yet.

Been doing some reading on the net and it is pretty hard to get any good answers on how to determine what size rad I should be running. IE, is the 2 core enough? Or do I need to swap the 4 core in there?? Second, do I need to check my water pump for how much it is pushing and this really starts to get into thermal dynamics at this point and way over my head for any immediate fix anyways.

So lets start with the 2 vs 4 debate and how do I go about determining what I should be running? If it is simply better safe than sorry put in the 4 core I am ok with that…

So the next step is to address the fan issue and why there are 3 and why the fuse keeps blowing. My initial solution to this is to check all three to make sure they are working first and foremost. Find out what kind of CFM they are pushing as the other component is not knowing if I even have the right fans in there in the first place. Wire up a 200on/180off stat at least (I was given this with the sale of the car too) then rewire them back up removing the on the condenser side if it is not needed??? Anyways lets hear it as I am sure this one will be all over the place…

 

For your application a 2 core aluminum radiator should do just fine but if you have the money to spend then go 4core aluminum. I am using a LS1 radiator and it is overkill for my little L03 but that is mostly due to the 160 stat with a hole or two drilled through it. As for the fan controller I would go with something with a broader range like 195 on- 175off but thats my opinion.


Over kill is good with the cooling system because you can always put a different thermostat and fan controller in to regulate the temp. My car on a hot FL day will not break the first line with AC running and in city driving so a little over kill isn't bad.

 

actually they are the copper rad not AL. I already have the original 4 core copper one, so not necessarily looking at purchasing another rad. Just trying to figure this all out.

 

If you have the 4 core use it. And then lose the fan on the front of the condenser. It is causing a major airflow restriction. You will get better cooling with just the dual fan factory setup. Make sure the shroud fits tight to the radiator for the most effective cooling, And check the front air dam. Your car should not overheat while it's moving.