Basically, there are two radiator designs: DOWNFLOW and CROSSFLOW.
It isn’t that one design is better than the other; they simply relate to the functional
design of the vehicle. However, it is important to determine how the measurements
are to be made. The Tanks are located on either side of the core. The rails are
located on the opposing sides. ALWAYS MEASURE THE CORE ONLY.
DOWNFLOW RADIATORS
The engine coolant flows down in the radiator from the top tank to the bottom
tank.
The CORE HEIGHT is always measured between the tanks, across the fin area only.
The CORE WIDTH is always measured between the rails, across the fin area only.
CROSSFLOW RADIATORS
The engine coolant flows across the radiator from one side tank to the other side
tank.
The CORE HEIGHT is always measured between the tanks, across the fin area only.
The CORE WIDTH is always measured between the rails, across the fin area only.
RADIATOR THICKNESS (DEPTH)
The CORE DEPTH is the thickness of the radiator. The easiest way to measure the
thickness, is to place a small piece of wire between the fin so each end is flush
from one side to the other.
Mark the wire and measure it to get the radiator’s thickness.
