I need to get a larger radiator for my truck. No one carries the stock one and I want to move up to a larger on anyways, what should i get? would a later year of toy fit mine. Where should I go to get one?
When i needed a radiator for my 91 model with the 22re I got it from O'Reilly Auto Parts. Got a great deal on it too & its worked great. Im not 100% sure, but why not check & see if the radiators that came in the 89-95 V6 model trucks/4-runners is bigger.
V6 models had a 3 row radiator. so they are technically bigger. the standard 2 rows however were pleanty for the 22Rs..... if you want, you could get a GOOD radiator built at a reputable shop for a bit more. i got a 4 row built a while back when i had my 4x4 and cost me around 200 bucks..... it was full on brass radiator with good tanks and such. fit right in...... only thing was that it took the truck nearly 15 20 minutes to get up to temp......
What year is your truck? Your sig says '78 but you posted in the '84-'88 section. If it's an '84-'88, try a 3-row stock replacement from radiatorbarn.com. That's what I have in mine now.
i believe NOOK put one in his truck. if i remember he used an aluminum one from ebay that was for the 84-88 trucks and slighty modified the mounting points and stock shroud.
they cant get them no one that ive called can get me one, can I have a second row added to mine when I have it rebuilt?
im sure anything can be made to fit given the right shop. the one i had made for my 84 had slightly bigger tanks, and from what i was told had the 4 cores from a forklift wish i had a picture of it...... it was heafty like i mentioned, maybe go talk to a good reputable shop and ask to see what they can do.
I cross-checked the measurements on the '84-'88 3-core vs. the '78 2-core. The newer radiator is 1" taller. All other measurments are the same except it's 5/8" thicker due to the extra core. Don't know if the mounting is the same between them.
before I respond to this let me say that my dad worked at radiator shops for more than 40 years and owned his own radiator shop for 25 years before he closed it to come work for me. I worked at his shop and another shop for 16 plus years. Ive built custon radiators for street rods, 4X4s, race cars etc. Now, the thing is you just need to find a good shop and have them put in a bigger core. You can go with a 3 row and get the highest fins per inch available. The local radiator shop supplier will build the core and the shop will install it into your tanks and side straps. You can also go with a 4 row HE, high efficiency. You dont need to look for a complete new radiator that will fit into the same space. a hand built one has better solder flow into and under the tanks and will last much longer and with more fins per inch will cool better. the fins are copper, not brass and copper cools better than brass anyway. You want brass in the tanks, headers (where the tubes go thru the plate under the tanks) and also brass tubes. But the fins are copper and are better that way. You also need the fins to be louvered, and most are. If you are running this thing in the mud or an area where the radiator core can get stopped up with grass or other material make sure the fin count is low.
If your looking for a radiator to fit a 78, they are still available, just takes some looking, it will be a standard 2 row core, in 75 they had an optional 3 row core, but are nearly impossible to find nowadays, at least new ones. I used an aluminum rad for an 84-88 truck in my 75, had to build different mounts so I could position it where I wanted it and so I could use the original 75 shroud, but was no big deal, it was basically the same size other than about an inch taller. I did have to change the lower heater hose connection as the later rad doesn't have the heater hose port on the lower hose tube like original, my later engine had the timing cover port to run the pipe like the 84-88 has or you could also use the metal tube like the early 4x4 trucks had that used a 2 piece lower hose with the heater hose port coming out of it.
All you need is a stock 2 row, and a good thermostat, if it still runs hot after that, check your water pump impellers to make sure they are still there. Unless for whatever reason you need a three row for like towing or desert racing even then I still used a 2 row and had no problems.
Im having mine rebuilt with a 3rd row and extra cross tubing. I dont want my truck running hot its going to be producing a hell of alot more power and certainly producing more heat. The motor i just put in isnnt stock to say the least....
Yup almost any radiator shop can get a new core with High Efficiency fins and smaller thinner tubes that removes heat better and faster. You can even get staggered tubes which gets more air to the tubes. stuff like that is usually found on forklifts and other applications where size up and down and across is limited but thickness is not problem. Forklifts usually have a very thick core thats staggered and also has a high fin count.
