If it gets higher than 230 turn on the heater if you are uncomfortable about the engine heat. It will bring the temp down a little and will allow you to shut down without hurting engine. Another thing to remember is the intake manifold gaskets on these engines. Lot of them have started leaking, and I think it may be due to high engine temps.
yeah i was looking at the pics an you might want to make something to direct the air to the radiator at driving speeds. The fan does the work when you are not driving fast enough and with an electric fan you would want a shroud that fits the whole radiator and you want a fan that takes up as much room as the whole radiator or you will have dead spots. and, at what temp does your thermostat open? and is it working correctly? my 52 chevy has a 350 in it and in the winter it runs 180 all day long. in the summer going down the highway it runs 180...when i get off the highway i start to sweat as it climbs up in the 220 range when i am stopped and 190 when i am moving. I need a more modern radiator and need to get my fan closer to the shroud as described by another poster here. I have a big *** flex fan on mine.
Yeah..it looks like Im not pushing the air through the radiator correctly..I'll need to figure a way to seal off around the radiator core...Thanks for the help...
That thing isn't a flathead or stovebolt 6, 210 isn't hot for it no matter what these guys say. Some of these engines run a 205 thermostat from the factory. Remember the boiling point of straight water is 212. a mix of antifreeze raises that boiling point. A pressure cap raises that boiling point. If it isn't puking water it isn't hot. I would do as DrJ metioned though and put the sheetmetal back where it belongs to direct the airflow through the radiator instead of around it. If it is running hotter at highway speeds than at lower speeds (not stopped in traffic) that would mean that you don't have the proper airflow through the radiator. It looks like you are running a short water pump so you shouldn't have a wrong rotation problem with the pump but you may have an impeller that doesn't push the water it should.
Thanks....Yeah, Im taking DrJ's advise....I dont have the original sheet metal that goes there, but I can make something or keep my eye out for some at the swapmeets..
One thing not mentioned; location of the sending unit. Since I don't see it screwed in the intake up front(a cooler spot) I ***ume it's located in the side of one of the heads, which is a much hotter spot, being right by the exhaust valves. Just for a test, try adding a second gauge, temporarily, but use one of the taps up by the thermostat. Think about it, comparing the temp' in the two places is like;,,,,,,,, apples and oranges?
I have what is basically the mechanical version of that fan. The blades are very similar "low profile" for tight clearance applications. Mine cooled horribly on my SBF in heavy traffic. On the highway, it was fine. Those lower profile fans, be it electric or mechanical, REALLY need a shroud. I was fortunate that a '69 Mustang shroud fit perfectly on my radiator...fully covers the face of the rad to maximize the air flow. Those chrome universal ones are really only good for protecting you from the blades. They typically do very little to aid in cooling because they leave radiator surface area outside the diameter of the shroud. I am also switching to a wider blade fan. Even with the shroud, I'm not very happy with the low profile blades. Like others said, gauges can vary a LOT. I replaced my water temp gauge a few weeks ago and the new one reads about 5-10% hotter than the old one with the sender in the exact same location.
Yeah...the sending unit is up front in the intake..just cant see it in the pic....Im going with DrJ's thinking too....Im switching out the fan, and getting a shroud.....any ideas on shrouds that will work?
I do see what your saying here, but what about hot rods running no hoods, no sides, and the radiator just sitting out front by it self behind a grill ? Air isnt really directed into the radiator....it would be swirling under, over, and around also..
Mine is not running hot but has started to get up around 200 on a regular basis. I was thinking that maybe I should add a trans cooler as the cooling is now handled by the radiator. Does this make any sense?
without sides, the engine gets tons of airflow to "vent" the hot air from the radiator, exhaust, but when it is closed in, it needs direction. a couple pieces of sheet metal to force incoming air from the grill to the rad, changing to a mechanical fan with a shroud should fix it.
Thanks 53sled..makes sense....on the sheet metal part..do I need to actually have the metal angled a bit towards the radiator..or can I just close off the core support attaching the metal flat? Does that make sense??
if you can funnel the air to the radiator do it. if you can only block off the areas then that should still prevent the air from going around the radiator.
In all my research into cooling systems there is one thing that stands out. It is that auto manufactures build cars with radiators that have a core area, measured in square inches that is at least 20% larger then the cubic inches of the engine behind it. ie. 350 ci engine = min. 420 sq. in radiator core. A friend has a 65 GTO with a 428 ci poncho and fought cooling troubles for the last 3 years. he tried more radiator rows, different water pumps, different fans, different pulleys. His troubles were on the freeway and his temp would start to rise 200, 210, 220, 230 then pull over and let it cool off. Turns out that when I measured the core it was only 380 square inches. I modified the radiator core support to accept a 430 sq.in. core (all that would fit) and now it runs 185 on a 180 stat on all except the hottest of days on a single row alu. rad. Just my two cents. Good luck
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