Boss 302 Aluminum radiator coolant ?

[Boss302fan]

Hi guys,

I am installing a new Aluminum radiator in a Boss 302 with a rebuilt boss engine. Which coolant would be best in this set up? The hp is in the 450 range so I need to keep it cool. I am not really sure if all the coolants are good with aluminum or if one is specifically set up for this application. Thanks.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: Boss302fan
Hi guys,

I am installing a new Aluminum radiator in a Boss 302 with a rebuilt boss engine. Which coolant would be best in this set up? The hp is in the 450 range so I need to keep it cool. I am not really sure if all the coolants are good with aluminum or if one is specifically set up for this application. Thanks.


The way I see it you have two clear choices, and one possible alternative.

Choice 1: conventional green silicated coolant. Advantage: its what Boss 302s always had, and silicates protect aluminum extremely well. Disadvantage: its getting harder to find, and I'm afraid that soon the "house brands" will be some form of a "universal" coolant of unknown heritage. Its also a short-life coolant and abrasive silicates can begin to precipitate out in about 2 years.

Choice 2: G-05. Advantage: The metallurgy of your cooling system is really no different than a modern Ford Modular or Chrysler Hemi, and G-05 is what both Ford and Chrysler use to protect their modern iron-block engines with lots of aluminum in the system including the radiator core. Its a modern coolant and will be available as far into the future as any coolant might be. Disadvantage: apparently its not easy to find everywhere. I can walk into my local Sclep Boyz, NAPA, O'Reilly, and several others and find Zerex G-05 concentrate on the shelves, but I gather that isn't so everywhere.

The other possibility: An Asian car phosphated HOAT antifreeze like Zerex Asian Vehicle. This is a little more of an unknown- it theoretically *should* be fine, but its the newest kid on the block and how well it works in old engines is unproven.

For what its worth, I am using G-05 in my 1966 Mopar 440, also with an all-aluminum radiator. 2 years so far, and absolutely ZERO problems. I personally believe that G-05 is by far the safest coolant out there right now, all things considered. Even if you have to order the coolant and wait a few days for it, I think its worth it. See some commentary and a photo of the current state of my radiator in the "G-05 Photo" thread here:

http://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1723205&nt=2&page=1

Whatever you do, I absolutely WOULD NOT use a "universal" coolant like Prestone, nor would I use DexCool or one of its clones.

Congrats on the rebuilt Boss- one of the all-time greats!

 

[Boss302fan]

Thanks about the Boss, unbelievable HP/TQ coming out of this engine. I spent a large amount of coin with one of the best engine rebuilders in the country, but it is paying off. This engine will now hopefully last the next 40 years.

I have heard about Zerex G-05 on a vette forum and it comes highly recommended. I am leaning towards going that route.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Chris142]

I don't have a problem with using Silicated coolant either. Some people think that it will wear the water pump seal out but my Jeep has 98K on Silicated coolant on it and all is well so far.

Lately I have been considering Toyota red and Sierra. I see many Toyotas with high milages and the OEM coolant is still clean.


The sierra is Propolene Glycol and has silicates.

 

[DieselTech]

You may consider Evans Coolant also. It's pricy, but VERY good product

 

[OVERKILL]

G-05 is what I'll be running in my 302 when it is back together. With all new gaskets in there, I wouldn't be too concerned. Ford uses G-05 in all their newer engines.

 

[Boss302fan]

I have been told by my engine builder and others that I should just use Prestone and change out the fluid every year. All the research I have done states that Prestone is fine to use with aluminum radiators and will last 3-4 years. I plan on dumping whatever I use every year or so anyways, so I guess Prestone it may be...

 

[lipadj46]

I use Prestone in my all aluminum (block, heads, front cover, radiator) land rover V8. It was spec'd for dexcool and Prestone is a (near) dexcool clone. After doing my cylinder heads and front cover due to a leak I flush my coolant every year also so any coolant will do. Napa sells pre-diluted green coolant which I have used also. Zerex or Motorcraft G05 coolant is a good choice too.

 

[carock]

I used to run a chassis dyno tuning facility. The Boss 302 was the sweetest running engine in the whole muscle car era. The dang thing winds up like a Ferrari. You will have fun with that car!

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: Boss302fan
I have been told by my engine builder and others that I should just use Prestone and change out the fluid every year. All the research I have done states that Prestone is fine to use with aluminum radiators and will last 3-4 years. I plan on dumping whatever I use every year or so anyways, so I guess Prestone it may be...


NO NO NO!!!

Please don't put that wonderful powerplant at risk.

Prestone today is NOT what it used to be, and your engine builder may not be aware of that. Its a DexCool clone containing 2EHA, which may destroy certain gasket materials. The Prestone formula may not be as oxygen-sensitive as DexCool, but I still would never use any 2EHA-containing coolant in a classic engine (or any engine, for that matter- I'm convinced that its only used because its an industrial waste product and makes for super cheap-to-produce coolant).

If you can't find Zerex G-05 locally, just grit your teeth and go to the Ford dealer and buy Motorcraft Gold, or go to a Mopar dealer and buy Mopar G-05 (dyed red, but otherwise the same as the gold-colored Motorcraft and Zerex formulas).

 

[Boss302fan]

I am looking forward to Spring to get the old Boss back on the road. On the dyno the B2 was a beast and ran smooth up to 7000 RPM. I did not want the engine over 7K on the dyno due to I will not drive it like that on the road. The HP peaked at around 6400 RPM and the torque was at its highest around 3000-3500 RPM. I payed a lot to rebuild this engine so it should be good to go for another 40 years... I did not spare any expense. It is also running the original carb, distributor, manifold and exhaust.

I will also keep an open mind concerning the coolant. In the next couple of weeks, I will be pulling the original radiator and installing the new Aluminum radiator. The original FOMOCO radiator will get cleaned out and stored.