Arizona / hot weather bronco users : TBP tri-flow 4-core or their 3-core aluminum radiator

[hahnn6]

Good afternoon,
I'm putting VintageAir AC in my 69 with stock 302 with 5.0 mustang EFI added up top so I will now be running a 195 thermostat for the EFI computer rather than the prior 180 t-stat. I currently have the TBP 3-core "high efficiency radiator" and 7 blade fan for the past two years that I've ran while carbureted without issues prior to the teardown for the EFI/wiring/AC, etc. I typically just didn't drive it when it got over 100 because I didn;'t trust the old gauge so I never did a torture test on it.

I don't do any serious wheeling so it's mild use and road. I want to have it torn down only once (haha) and if I need to upgrade my cooling I'd like to do it now. So hot weather users or those with the knowledge: is my current radiator sufficient for 105+ degree town driving / mild wheeling with AC or would the TBP tri-flow 4 core be better at cooling, or a champion radiator? I'm open to suggestions and opinions so please let me know!

Thank you
Nate

Current radiator:
https://tomsoffroad.com/parts/66-77-ford-bronco-3-core-aluminum-radiator

Tri-flow 4-core I'm looking at
https://tomsoffroad.com/parts/66-77-ford-bronco-4-core-aluminum-triple-pass-radiator

 

[Rustytruck]

make sure you block the extra openings around the radiator to force all air in front of the grill through the radiator. free up all space around the wheel wells so air can flow by the exhaust. every little bit helps. open element air cleaner helps the engine to suck up the hot air too. doesnt help performance but helps air flow.

 

[BanditBronco]

While you are in there trying to fit the condenser, swap over to explorer front dress. Then you can not spend money where it isn't needed on a radiator, keep the one you have and be miles ahead. It will also give you a nice easy compressor mount that doesn't suck and you won't ever have cooling problems you don't have ever again.

 

[tbratz]

The biggest thing to keep in mind is fan spacing. I had a four core and it would not fit once I installed a vintage air unit and had to go to a much thinner three core. The width of the four core caused the fan to hit the radiator. Even with the three core the best fan to radiator clearance I could get was about 1/2 an inch. Living in Northern AZ, the vintage air unit worked okay as long as the temp was below about 90 degrees, anything hotter it wouldn't blow enough cold air. I eventually tore it out. It ended up being the worst money I put into my Bronco. However, I originally had Tom's four core and because of the space issues as stated above, I went to the high efficiency three core and it performed every bit as good as the 4-core.