Simple answer is NO they do not. I can make a 460 operate nicely at 180* and I can make that same 460 operate nicely at 210*.

The same goes for any 200 CI or 302 CI engine in the world...

 

A bigger engine requires larger cooling capacity. If that capacity is there the bigger engine will run nice and cool like a small one.

 

Putts, I grew up with nothing but 460's, 400's and 390's just South of Fort Worth. In high school during 100+ degree summers I used my truck to haul a trailer full of mowing equipment. Even with over 160,000 miles on it at the time, heat never was and never has been an issue, with a 400 or 460 in the truck, same radiator.

Do bigger engines produce more heat? Yes, because they burn more fuel/air. Do they run hotter? No, because like Dave said, bigger engines use bigger radiators so temps stay the same. Fans also change. Sometimes a several engines will use the same radiator with the smaller engines having a 4 or 5 blade or smaller diameter fan, while the larger engines get a 7 blade clutch fan with a bigger diameter. Timing also affects temp, too retarded or too advanced will make an engine run hotter. Free breathing exhaust can lower temps by getting rid of the heat faster. Sometimes larger engines actually run cooler because they don't have to work as hard to maintain the same level of power.

I can tell you that 289's and 351W's often use the same radiator, even across several years. 352's, 390's, and 410's also use the same unit. Can't say for sure with a 428 as I've not worked on a 428 car but I'd imagine it would be the same except maybe the 7 Litres. Almost every car I've ever worked on (save for a few 40's & 50's models) has had A/C which usually means they've got beefier radiators to begin with, especially if the trans is an auto. For instance my 79 F150 is auto/AC and came with the big factory radiator. It's the same part# listed for 351M, 400, and 460 and can make any of those engines run at 180*.

If your end question is: Can your current radiator handle a 390 in place of your 352? If it's in good condition and you run a 7 blade clutch fan like most Southern 390's came with stock, you should have no problems. My 67/390 never did. A 352/390 swap is about as easy as you can get. Everything is externally the same, the switch will be indiscernible until you mash the accelerator.

 

you are reading my mind, Tex. Next step actually is fixin up the Cruiso. Jay Broader can do it for under $1,000 if I can get it up there. Not going to pay $2,500 down here to someone who never saw one and can't get the parts!

Let me ask this while on the subject. I read somewhere here that instead of headers, truck manifolds do as good a job with waay less hassle. They are 2 1/2" so at some point you'd want to expand all the way back. Now I must say, it does seem like headers on Galaxie FEs are on 5% of the cars but make up 95% of the complaints, from leaking to dragging. does the truck logs idea sound like a good one?

 

Headers are the way you want to go. If you're going to pull a manifold there's no sense in replacing it with another cast chunk.

Even the oldschool "cast headers" found on the big boy hi-po engines can't perform to the levels of an entry level ghetto header.

The idea is to basically reduce the back pressure which is created in the manifold as all the cylinders are essentially sharing the same space. This means the cylinder that just went up on the exhaust stroke will negatively impact the next cylinder to come up on the exhaust stroke.

This fighting for a shared resource costs power and a pretty significant amount when you look at how easy it is to change from manifolds to headers, both in terms of cost as well as time spent bolting on the parts.

Headers reduce this back pressure which allows for each cylinder to essentially have it's own exhaust route until it reaches the collector. For a street car that's not pulling above 5000RPMs often a Tri-Y style header will make good power gains for the RPM range you'll be in.

The full tube header makes the most power above 5000RPM but they tend to "look right" on muscle cars which is why people run them on cars that will rarely use them to their maximum benefit.

Do they suck to put on? Oh yeah... but once they're in place and seated they're not that bad.

As far as things you can do to boost power, headers are the cheapest part for the biggest benefit with the least amount of time/tools needed to get them in place. Headers really should be a first consideration before anything else has been done to the motor in my opinion.


Not only that, they just look cool!

 

Never dealt with truck FE log manifolds. First thing I did when I bought the 71 F100 I had for a while was put on a set of full-length headers so the 390 could breath. But truck FE log manifolds are still log manifolds and not much different than the car ones. Plus (and I can't say for sure) the truck manifold down spouts might not be compatible with a Galaxie's frame.

As far as headers in a 65-67 Galaxie goes, I used painted Hooker 6130's on mine and never had a problem. I've heard FPA stuff is great too, but have no personal experience. As far as clearance issues go, I was running P215/70/R15 tires on the front of my 67 with standard height/stiff springs and shocks. Bottoming out wasn't really an issue. Of course Ft Worth and College Station are both pretty flat and I didn't have any steep driveways to contend with. Even so, there was a decent amount of space under there.

You can always put on a set of shorties. They cost less, have less clearance issues, and are still a VAST improvement over stock logs. The 6130 Hookers have more than doubled in price since I bought mine 11 years ago: $500 for painted $750 for ceramic. If I were doing the upgrade today, shorties no question. Dual 2.5" or 2.75" exhaust is a good size for a street 390.

 

Definitely agree with Flip and Tex. Headers are essential for maximizing scavenging and reducing deposits in the cylinders. a recently rebuilt 352 can gain 25-35 hp just by bolting on a decent set of headers. If you have the money, those Hooker 6130s are awesome (I bought the ceramic ones), and they're tuned-length primaries, so you get the best performance possible. $800 after shipping IS a lot of money, but if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

 

There are also a lot of really good smaller shops around that make custom headers that absolutely rock and tend to fit really well.

Not sure if he has galaxie headers on his site or not, but there's a local shop here that does good --> great work at a pretty decent price for what you get:

Stan's Headers, standard and custom high performance header designs for automotive and marine engines.

I'd like to buy a stainless set for my car from him once I have everything else taken care of. Till then I'll use the ones I have, but these look really nice.

 

Puttster,

The FE engines, as a rule, are not that difficult to cool. My old '63-1/2 had the 390, automatic, with dealer-installed A.C. (Factory A.C. didn't come on big Fords until 1965.) When my dad sold it, after I joined the Navy in 1968, it still had the original two-row radiator and never overheated.

I saw a '63-1/2 Saturday that had the 427 and it had the two-row radiator on it. Our family radiator shop still does old radiators and we usually recommend the three-row core as an upgrade, simply because there is little difference between the two-row and three-row cores, price-wise.

Johnny, aka captradiator