Thanks for the tip Fletch,, I may consider an oil cooler.
I have been told the 327's punched out .060 over are very hard to cool.
Anytime you bore heavy, it's critical to control temp due to the possibility of distorting the cylinder walls. Higher compression makes a difference too. I've not had much issue with sbc engines over heating with the exception of installing a reverse flow water pump on one...thanks parts guy! I mean you have to provide adequate cooling, but I personally haven't experienced any serious problems keeping non forced induction street engines happy. They are also pretty tuff and will take a fair amount of abuse. The 400 small blocks and early aluminum head engines were a different story, the 400 had issues due to the block and head water jacket design and they had a horrible reputation for blowing head gaskets and head casting failure back when they were in production and the early aluminum was inferior, it warped, cracked, etc... much better now. I threw many 400's away due to their reputation, no body wanted them. I wish I had that to do over, lol...Now the aluminum pieces don't like heat so much and the fact that iron and aluminum expands and contracts at different rates related to heat can cause issues, gasket failure, etc... the newer aluminum radiator design with the large single tubes are more efficient at dispersing heat, so a smaller size will do more for you than the older brass and copper core type. Also, although I like mechanical fans (without clutches), if you acquire quality electric fans and construct efficient, functional shrouds and utilize quality fan controllers, you can really narrow the running temp window. Another thing I've seen that I liked the thought of is using a push fan on the front and a pull fan on the back of the radiator, staggered, so they aren't impeding each other. This allows a fail safe with a seperate controller set at a bit higher temp on the secondary fan, so in the event of getting stuck in traffic or primary fan failure, your covered. I'm planning on running a mechanical flex fan on my 427, but I'm thinking about adding a push fan on the front so in traffic, or extended idle or low rpm settings where water flow isn't high, I'm covered. Keep in mind that air flow is critical. Decorative grill screens can impede air flow, so again, just something to consider. Also, back when we used to do a lot of engine swaps, etc, I found that bone yard cooling components like fans, relays, etc were superior to much of the aftermarket stuff. Cheaper too. It's a personal choice thing, but those components seem to be built better. Like everything, there are some better than others and you can buy quality aftermarket stuff. Just put some thought into it and put the effort into constructing quality, functional components like Choppinzech did. Choose a quality fail safe thermostat and a water pump with adequate flow. I have seen underdrive pulleys cause water flow and alternator issues at idle. If you are running a auto transmission, they can create a lot of heat, especially with high stall converters, and if you plumb the cooler lines into the radiator tank cooler, that can be another variable to consider. That's probably not as much of a consideration in a light bucket, but it all adds up...especially when you are hammering on it! I'm sure there is a formula to help design or determine radiator size. If you can't find anything through the manufactures, I've found the sales reps at Jegs can be quite helpful if you call when they aren't real busy. Some of those guys are very helpful. I'm sure other parts suppliers are too, just my experience.
