Why You Should Use a Custom Fit Radiator for Your Hot Rod
We see it all the time at car shows. Someone has dropped thousands of dollars on their street rod to soup-up the engine, add a custom interior, and give it an incredible paint job; however, they’ve bought the cheapest radiator they could find to try to save a few bucks. Throw in a fan zip-tied in place and now that radiator is nothing but a distraction from the rest of the vehicle. Here’s how you can avoid the same fate for your hot rod.
Not all radiators perform the same, and they certainly don’t look the same. If you’ve already spent all the time, effort, and money getting your hot rod in peak condition, why would you skimp on the radiator? A custom built radiator will look and fit better than an off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all radiator. After all, the off-the-shelf radiators frequently require brackets, spacers, and a lot of work to ensure they fit well in the vehicle. Without a proper, secure fit you could end up damaging the radiator or other components. Every piece of hardware added to the installation is just one more component that has the potential to fail. Instead of going through all of that, get a radiator that fits exactly right with no modifications or additional equipment.
Apart from the fit, there are other considerations too. If you’ve modified the engine or added a larger one, then you’ll want a high performance radiator that can handle the additional cooling needs. A high performance custom built radiator will provide better cooling since it will have the most surface area available for the room you have under the hood. An off-the-shelf radiator won’t utilize all the space available under the hood giving it less surface area and less cooling ability. The last thing you want is to damage that awesome engine because a cheap radiator couldn’t keep it cool.
When it comes time to order your custom built radiator, remember to get a custom fit fan shroud too. The radiator fan is there to help cool the vehicle when it is stationary. A shroud helps improve air flow by directing the air through the radiator instead of letting it escape off the sides. In addition, a properly designed fan shroud supports the weight of the fan instead of putting that weight on the radiator. If you’re planning on just strapping the fan to the core of the radiator, please reconsider. The radiator and core are not designed to support additional weight, so even a light weight fan can cause serious damage to the radiator if mounted incorrectly.
For a great looking, high performance custom radiator, you don’t need to look any further. We can build one to fit your custom street rod whether you simply need one to match the OEM specs or you need something designed from scratch. Our in house design team will work with you to make sure your build matches your measurements and has all the features you need including the custom fan and shroud, automatic transmission cooler built in, and A/C condenser set ups. Click here to start filling your dimensions or give us a call if you have any questions.