running 260 in 64 ranchero. can't keep it cool at long lights. have new radiator, water pump and thermostat. do i need to try a shroud? can't think of anything else to do. any ideas? thanx as usual for all the good advice.
I had a stock 66 Charger that wouldn't run cool enough without one. Same as you, new everything. Made a shroud and never had a problem since.
If your timing is correct and the jetting correct ... then Yes ... you need a shroud. I do not know IF one is available but ... it is not that difficult to fabricate one. .
You generally need a shroud if the fan is father than 3/4 inch from the radiator. A shroud can be as simple as a drum around the fan, or as complex as the factory offerings, which cover the whole radiator. Cosmo
You generally need a shroud if the fan is father than 3/4 inch from the radiator. A shroud can be as simple as a drum around the fan, or as complex as the factory offerings, which cover the whole radiator. Cosmo
I hope you are running a 260 and not at 260, if you look at the edge of the fan you will notice how the end shape lends itself to wasting air, if you shroud it you concentrate that wasted air m*** and get to use it, absolutely shroud it, and at temps like that check for a damaged stat or a plugged radiator or damaged water pump.
Theres alot of factors that can be causing your problem. A shroud is good but, If your getting hot just sitting at a long light then my guess is something else is causing this heating problem. If you change nothing else and ad a shroud is that going to bring down the temp from 260 to 180 or so ? edit; Ha, my bad, I'm sure he ment a 260 V8 and he'd be boiling anyway at that temp.... More info...
I have 63 Fairlane with a 260 v8 . I had a 2 row radiator added a 3 third row now i run at 160 all day long and 190 when it's in the high 90' . You could have a head problem try some head sealer then flush your radiator and if that doesnt work had a row . Thats how i did it .
Shroud will make fan pull 15% to 30% more air[depending on blade design and how far from rad] at nearly no cost in power ,so yup add one
Yes, you need a shroud. Period. Past that, how many blades does your fan have? Step up and get the biggest factory fan available. Hypocritically, I don't have a shroud on my Suburban yet, and the fan is set 7 inches back from the radiator, and I don't have an overflow bottle. This is a recipe for disaster, especially living in Atlanta and using it as a daily driver. I have the biggest factory 7-blade fan I could find (clutch fan), and 160-degree thermostat. At idle, it will hold a sheet of notebook paper against the radiator. At rest on really, really hot days, it takes about 15 minutes of not moving before things get dicey. In very slow-moving freeway traffic with heat-soaked pavement and air, it starts to climb too. I have a shroud, but need to fabricate brackets for it. I expect that fan with a shroud will **** birds out of the air, and will end any and all cooling problems I will ever have. -Brad
Always had trouble with mine in hot weather during parades and **** like that......no shroud.....guess I need a shroud.....
you dont mention what kind of fan you are using. I ran a clutch fan, it went bad, ditched it for a flex fan, overheated. Went back to a flex fan, no problems. Shroud will definately help, if youre still having issues look at the fan itself, check your thermo in a pan of water as it heats up make sure it opens.
granted my engine is bigger than yours.....but, i had the heat probs with a brand new 3 core aluminum radiator. i have a friend that does louvers and he's beggin to do the hood. instead....so far, i put a smaller water pump pulley, and most important a 20.00 nylon flex fan in, from Summit. just took a 200+ mile trip in 100 degree+ weather and it was sittin at 180. Now, on the strip.....still gettin up to the 200 mark on occasion. maybe i should do a shroud?
Mechanical fans off a older ( 60's ) Ford with factory A/C have more deflection to the blades and move more air. I used one on my 40 Ford with a SBC. If you do not want to HUNT down one in the junkyard or Craigslist ... Summit Racing and Speedway out of Nebraska sells new ones for the 30 dollar or so range that are very similar and very effective. I would install the largest one I could fit ... and space it within 3/4 ths or 1 inch of the radiator.
I would never try to run without one. I have had a few that ran cool, but the engine compartment was pretty tight, and then some that run warm with everything that I can think of to help keep them cool, shroud, pusher fans etc. it does not weem to matter how mild the engine is built, just how warm it wants to run.... CJO13
I did a story for Muscle Car Review on this subject a couple months ago. All metal fans are not created equally--the one being sold as a "replacement" has a big sticker on it that says "do not exceed 4,000rpm." I also discovered that fan mounts and mechanical clutches are universal: the Ford, Mopar and Chevy units I had for the story all had the same mounting holes. A 7-blade BBC with A/C fan is what's on my Suburban. I don't like the fibergl*** or plastic flex fans because I've talked to far too many people that have had to replace hoods and radiators when they came apart. As for clutches "failing," how often does that happen? And after how many years? There are two kinds of clutches, by the way: mechanical, and fluid filled. The mechanical fans either work or don't, and you can see the coiled spring on the outside to check if it's broken or corroded. The viscous fluid fans can go bad, but it takes a long while... I don't think either happens immediately, it's gradual over time, and easy to check. When one goes bad, air will still go through the radiator while driving. When an electric fan goes bad, it happens immediately, and it is now blocking air through your radiator while you're driving. -Brad
yes. do a shroud for sure. i just went through the same thing on my car. putting the shroud on it made it run generally 10 degrees cooler.
granite! Best shroud in the world won't help when the system is ****ing hot air from the ground and engine compartment back through the front of the radiator. Hot air through the radiator won't cool the liquid inside. Look at all your OEM applications. the radiator fan is sealed and only ****s cool ambient air. Even if that air is heated from the pavement it's a lot cooler than air from under the vehicle or engine compartment. It's all about heat transfer. Air through the radiator exchanging energy with the liquid in the radiator. Air heated by the engine compartment will not cool your engine. You need the temp difference of the ambient air to cool. Sitting still your car should be able to pull in 120 degree air and run below 220. The topside of the rad under the hood, sides of the radiator, and bottom of the radiator should be sealed from the engine compartment so the ambient air can cool the engine. Your car should be able to sit in the sun with no air moving on a hot day in atlanta traffic on 285 by the wall (105 plus) and idle for over an hour or longer without overheating if your fan, radiator, shroud, and cooling system is designed properly. I always put my car nose in the garage on a hot day and let it run to see if it will boil over. If it will run hour plus like that It'll survive. Let me tell you about getting stuck in between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinberg for 3 hours with my mother in the back of my 46 ford.
thanx to all who contributed. i am now at work on shroud. and yes it is a 260 cu in not 260 degrees my bad!!! larry
Im working on an idea for my fan shroud for my A right now..funny though how you see some pretty big muscle cars from the 60's without any shroud..my 68 Chargers (3 ) of them, and not one of them had a factory shroud..all 3 440 powered and never had any issues with over heating. but with the small frontal area of my A and small radiator Im going to use one just to be dam sure
what about thermometer? what temp is good to use to make one run about 10-20 degrees cooler? I have a 185
In the summer, I like to put a 160-degree t-stat in: it opens sooner, regulates the coolant to a colder temp, and I feel it gives me a little more time for the temp to get hot if I'm stuck and not moving. If it's regulated at 185, I've got the time it takes for the temp to climb to 185 before I need to start worrying. If it's regulated at 185 and traffic stops, I've got that much LESS time before I start worrying. I expect that will change somewhat once I get my shroud in place... like Tudor said, with a well-designed, complete coolant system, it should idle on a hot day for a long time before things get edgy. In the winter, I bump up to a 185, otherwise it runs too cold. -Brad
I had problems with my Dodge g***er ran at 185 on the road, but in heavy traffic it would shoot right up .Built a nice shroud now it never gets over 190.
A shroud is a bit of a crutch for another problem, but if it gets you over the hump, do one up. I like factory solid fans myself. The old Caddy ones from around 1964 or so were huge and pulled tons of air. I used them in my stock cars all the time. Have you tried running without a t-stat and see what happens? My old FE Fords would over heat in summer if I was running one, without it it was fine, come winter a 195 degree one went back in. Bob
My 383 used to overheat something fierce. I put a 7 blade fan on from a 70 Eldorado with a shroud, and it never gets hot anymore. Even driving in 90+ degree weather, it will creep up to 185. It's like a tornado under the hood with that fan
That is SOOOO far wrong, it's amazing. Needing a shroud is NOT a crutch for another problem. Period. Radiators work by flowing air through them. A shroud directs the air the fan pulls. Without a shroud, the fan pulls air over and around the radiator, while a shroud allows it to pull air ONLY THROUGH the radiator. Which, as I'm sure you'd agree, is fairly important when you're sitting in traffic, where air isn't being forced through the radiator at 65mph. Pulling a t-stat out, on the other hand, is a sign that there's something else wrong. The t-stat is a controlled restriction that is necessary to keep the water in the radiator long enough to transfer its heat to the fins. -Brad
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