Is a 27" 2 Row radiator enough to keep a big block cool idling?

[WH23G3G]

I haven't driven my 73 Charger 400-4bbl since last summer and haven't even started it up since the fall. It's got a driveshaft problem I haven't gotten around to and all around another annoyances just too much to handle. The last time I drove it the needle never went to overheating area. It did when the thermostat was bad about two years ago after picking up from the shop but it was pulled over and towed immediately. It's had some underhood heating issues since I finished the restoration or whatever you want to call it I did years ago. It gets extremely hot under the hood real quick eventhough it doesn't register to the overheating area. If you have to sit awhile at lights or backed up stop signs is when that needle starts quickly moving. It's even got all the factory air flow dams. The thermostat has been replaced with a 180 degrees. The radiator I put in was a 0509 I got from Ebay a few years ago. I've been thinking about wondering if it's not wide enough. I checked the specs on it and it's 27+ inches wide and a 2 row radiator non-aluminum. Is that enough to keep it cool? I even installed a Milodon high flow water pump to aid it. When I had the motor out being rebuilt it was hot tanked and jet cleaned at the machine shop and heads redone. I can't find anything noticeably wrong within the cooling system. I've had the timing adjusted and it's running the nicest it's run since I've gotten done with it years ago. It's possible the mixture of water to antifreeze could be off some. So if a 2 row radiator is adequate maybe just cleaning the radiator and adding pre-diluted antifreeze might help a little. I noticed quite a difference in temps when I did a similar thing on my 1986 Plymouth Reliant and my 1999 Dakota R/T. I went with that 0509 radiator originally because I couldn't find a true 26" core radiator that fit the odd core support of this original 318 powered 73 Charger. It's a weird core support and I couldn't figure out the reason for the engineering on it. It's flat on the passenger side and has a bulge on the driver's side but no idea what for. It looks like it would make the radiator crooked almost like it's been dented but it's original. I've seen it on other 318 powered Chargers and Satellites with the 26" radiator. I'm bringing this up now because it's getting warm here again but I need to do something with this Charger because it's just sitting in my garage after I put all this money into it.

[birdsandbees]

My 383 magnum 'Bee has had a 22" x 2 core radiator in it it's entire life. It's never overheated, other than a couple close calls where I ran the heat full blast stuck in a traffic jam for hours on the 401 going through Toronto.

[myk]

Try cleaning out the radiator first, as long as you're sure the T stat and pump are good.

If you're thinking about replacing the radiator, might I suggest an aluminum radiator from ECP if you're not worried about originality.  A lot of us here are running their aluminum radiators and are very happy...

[Mike DC]

   
Just throwing this out there - modern gasoline runs the engine hotter than the old stuff did back in the day.  So even a stock OEM cooling system working 100% up to snuff is not necessarily adequate now. 

Your car may need more cooling or it may not.  Lots of factors play into it.

[BSB67]

 
- modern gasoline runs the engine hotter than the old stuff did back in the day.  

Really.  Can you elaborate?  Does it make more power too?