Got it on Fan height. Sounds like you've covered everything the best you can. Time to try it out. Also know that Edelbrock makes said water pump in reverse rotation for early app and the Guys that want to run serpentine belt systems. A shop towel in front of the fan with it running will show the direction of air flow, flip the 2 wires and it runs other direction. Sounds like a Fun little car to drive. The Wizzard
I was having the same problems as you are, I finally tried a triple pass radiator and it worked, it is a fine line between the water staying in the radiator too long for cooling and the water staying in the engine too long bringing the heat up. I also moved my transmission cooler from in front of the radiator, to along the rail it seemed to be causing added heat.
The new rad is a triple core ..not sure if that's the same a s triple pass.. so hopefully hat helps. I'm definitely going to look at remote cooler for the trans .
First mistake is your thinking on the fill point, if your rad is above the engine the rad can be your high point. I can't help you with fan room, without knowing more about the car and if you can move the radiator or not, but you are better off if you can run the fan behind the radiator. For a t stat I use a fast acting stat, I have used Moroso and Mr Gasket they are both good stats. The little holes around the edge of the stat are for cruising at speed, if you are not doing that then they are not necessary. if your engine jammed in a tight space it is important to let the heat out, that is what louvers are for. I don't know if you have done that but they really are a functional doodad. Hope that helps you.
I may be going out on a limb here, but if you have NOT run the combination as yet, how do you know it won't work as you have it now? You really need to quit overthinking this. Lot of great suggetions on here but hey, run the damn thing, then analize the results, eh?
Run it with the hood on and if it heats, take the hood off and try it. If running with the hood off cools OK, then punch the inner fender panels with louvers to let the hot air out of the engine compartment. You can have the best fan and radiator in the world, but if the hot air can't get out of the engine compartment it will still over heat due to bad air flow out.
Running without the hood allows air to pass over the top of the radiator and not forced to pass through it.
I see you have an MG. British cars had marginal cooling systems at best. Even with a replaced radiator.... consider a much wider radiator by cutting away some of the surrounding sheet metal. If you aren't using synthetic oil, change to it, your engine will run 5-10 degrees cooler. Use pure water with water pump lube and "water wetter". Water cools better then anti-freeze (but boils at a lower temperature). Waterless anti-freeze is also a possibility as it doesn't boil until something over 350 degrees. Make sure the air can get OUT after the fan pushes it in. Hood louvers are a possibility. Sunbeam Tigers (with Ford V-8's) suffered from overheating and the main problem was that the hot air couldn't get out of the engine compartment.
All good stuff ..first to clarify ..the rad is lower than the engine so its not good as a fill point. As to louvers, the hood has 2 - 4" holes in it to let out heat and the wheel wells have large openings for the headers so there is lots of area for heat/air to pass out. Synthetic oil was a good idea. I have a MR . Gasket 180 hiv vol stat in now. I can't see how to drill any bypass holes in it however for an air bleed. I'm going to put in a remote trans cooler as recommended.
Yes there is . I'm making a few other modifications before I run the car. Right now my focus is a good baseline for the cooling system. Then I have a few electrical updates etc to work out but I will get to it. .
Note-do not use water in your aluminum radiator! Everything else Janius said was right on the money. BTW that waterless anti freeze works. As dickster 27 said, at this point you need to get the car out and run it and see what happens.Good luck.
Here's my $.02: short water pump, non-flex fan, remove pusher fan, fan needs some clearance but not a lot as the further away it gets the less efficient it is as well if it too close, make sure air has a path to get out of engine compartment, make sure air is out of coolant system (deaeration) and not trapped somewhere, and also make sure temp gauge is not in one of these potential air pockets. Also realize that just because this may be a 3 row rad doesn't automatically make it more efficient as the air heats up as it passes by the rows of tubes. New semi trucks w/diesel heat rejections far exceeding yours have 3 row aluminum rads and do just fine. As for a high flow water pump this may have it flow to fast thru the core and not allow enough time for proper heat transfer. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
This may sound stupid , but where vacuum advance piped to . GM needs full vacuum to advance . Total advance of around 34-36 degrees . If vacuum is lazy or not functioning you will have incurable heat up issues . Something to think about out of the box . Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
My electronic distributor does not have any vacuum advance. The vaccum for the power brakes comes off the rear of the intake manifold. .
3 core is not the same as triple pass. With a triple pass radiator the radiator has 3 separate sections to pass through. The middle section is connected to one outside section on the top and the other section at the bottom. Also a 2 core with 1" tubes cools great, that's all I have in my cpe with a 454 in it, but I do run a mechanical fan also. As someone else said close all the holes and airways around the radiator so that the air is forced through the radiator. Change that fan for a smaller one so that you can run some kind of shroud from that top purple bar back to the radiator tank blocking air from flowing over the top of the radiator
Eastman sells a nice 3 pass ... but only certain sizes ... I was only able to find one size that would fit my car without having to se3eriously cut into the front frame area ..same size as a 1966 Mustang.. Will see how the 3 core works but wondering if a 2 core with 1 inchers might have been a better choice for airflow.
Here again , you may think it is BS , but vacuum advance plays a huge part in low speed timing curve to help cool your engine . Do some research on this before saying BS . You may never get it to cool off without this Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I say again, how the heck do you even know it will overheat if you haven't even ran the engine. This all might be a issue of what could be but not what actually is.
Not saying its BS at all and will definitely check timing when I fire it up. Just that my distributor does not have vacuum advance as far as I know.
I hope it does not over heat but it used to so I'm making as many system changes that could help cooling BEFORE its fired up. I just rebuilt the heads and replaced the carb and I have a few other things I need to complete first. I need to flush the fuel system, adjust the trans kick down, possibly replace the pan gasket, and make a few electric updates etc. etc . Right now the car is not plated or insured so even if I fired it up I can't really road test it yet. I want to get it as close to right as I can before I turn the key and I'm in no hurry.
Ok ..new question on trans oil coolers. I'm going to use a remote cooler instead of putting the heat into the rad. I have two choices .. a traditional rad style cooler or an extruded fin type. Both claim to be able to reduce trans fluid temps by up to 30 degrees. Does anyone have experience or recommendations on each? The mini rad style would be had to package in my car.
I have my trans cooler mounted just ahead of the rear-end. It also has a fan which is on a switch as I don't need it unless in a lot of stop and go traffic
I've read through the whole of this thread, and I did not see the one piece of information that would indicate to me that there is even a problem. At what temperature does the engine run?? I see you've used 140º, 160º and 180º thermostats, yet none of these temperatures, to my experience, allow the engine to develop full power or efficiency. Me?? I'd like to see 195º to 210º at highway speeds, and would never like to see the radiator boiling over, so under 240º maximum. You know, like modern cars, designed by educated engineering folk for maximum power and efficiency. But that's me. It's your car, if you want the engine to run at 140º, well, good luck. Cosmo
Cosmo.. good comments. I know the car used to run up to 210 but can't remember how much over. I know my Jeeps run normally right at 210 regardless of speed or RPM but I'm not sure what older engines should run at?? For some reason I always though they should run cooler. Most of the gear heads I know are always trying to keep their engines close to 180 ish and start to panic if the temp runs up to 210 which on most aftermarket gauges is made to look like the "danger Will Robinson area". In reconsideration I guess I should be looking to build a system that would run like those Jeeps at a constant max 210> I'm thinking getting over 220-230 starts to get concerning.
I feel your pain.... I for the last 20 years and 60,000 miles have driven a 1939 Ford Coupe with a straight axle and 351-W small block Ford. 1969 engine - 10.25 compression - milder cam - block hugger coated headers with 2.5 mandrel bent exhaust - big Walker rad and cooling companents elect puller fan with shroud. Have a 180 tstat. Block is 30 over - cleaned and rebuilt - I have always had to watch the cooling. If 95 + degrees - at stopped traffic after about 15 mins - it will creep up to 220 - same if running 80 mph and 95+ degrees it will run 200 to 205. If 80 degree weather - 195 to 200. This engine is about 310 to 325 hp. I would feel better to pull down temp in the summer to 190. Been told - add a engine oil cooler (I run Mobile 1 syn) and I have an extra 1939 hood - bad sand blast job - it is little wavy. Considered punching this hood up with louvers. Perhaps some of my problem is just worry. Never boiled over - yes I have been to Shades of the Past Rod Run and the major traffic jams and survived. My other 1939 Ford is a ragtop. Has a MII front - machined a crank mounted fan adaptor and have a RV mechanical fan with a 345 hp - Ford Motor Sport new carte 302 engine and tremac 3550 - 5 speed. I run a 190 t stat to get this engine to run 185. Cools great - same Walker rad. - but "new engine" and the engine bay is not crammed up like the 351W in the straight axle coupe. The 351 is slightly larger - but not a significant issue. This 302 really has more hp but has alum heads. Both have shrouds to direct air into rad vs around, under or over the top. The crate 302 at standard bore really runs cool. I have wondered if the 30 over 351 block was properly cleaned out. A book can be written on "How to Cool a 1940 Ford".
Mike, my first thoughts are to punch-out the inner fenders with louvers to let the hot air OUT. Next, is to try a different water pump - NOT all aftermarket replacements are created EQUAL I've learned! I'd look at the offerings from Edelbrock, Moroso, Steward Racing. I'd try a different pump. Good Luck, Tim
If when it starts it stills overheats again......and I can establish its a flow issue, I have seriously considered adding a Stewart electric in line booster pump. They can be used with a mechanical pump already installed and they claim it will increase idle flow about 300%. The engine oil cooler idea was also an interesting idea. Ironically the stock MGB 4 cyl that was originally in car ran an OEM plate style engine oil cooler from the factor..
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