just asking, thnx. i want the "mouth" of the car to look dark and deep.

 

Depending on the paint, you could actually decrease the performance of the radiator. I can't imagine by too much though.

 

You can paint the rad fins black....Ive seen regular gloss tremclad used by rad shops. Make sure you dont build up the paint too much as you may decrease the airflow.

 

I would tape of the fins and paint the sides real good. Then mist the fins just enough to turn them black.

 

Well, you could do it, yeah... but man... I don't think thats a good idea. I mean, you'd hate to find yourself having to buy a new radiator/engine because your coat of spraypaint was too thick. I think the juice isn't worth the squeeze, but then again, thats just me.

 

Any coating will definitely insulate the metal cooling efficiency.

 

Painting any rad fin can provide a layer of insulation and quite possibly adversely affect the rate and degree of heat transfer. By how much, I couldn't say. It's your car, but if it were mine, I would sure monitor the water temp closely with a good gauge.

 

would painting that canister/cylinder (AC condenser?) in front of the radiator have an adverse effect?

 

No problem. Paint that if you like.

 

My first thpught would be no for all the same reasons listed above, but than again, it's your car. If you do do it and everything comes out fine, let us know. We could all learn something new.