I have a 1950 Pontiac with a sbc carbureted with a 3 core aluminum stock-ish style radiator with an electric fan and shroud with a 180 star and I'm having over heat issues . When I keep the hood open sits on 190 idle no prob close the hood starts wanting to climb . What have some of you other 50s era guys done to get better air flow to the engine bay ? Pulling my hair out !
How about a few more details with your combo........That would probably help a lil in figuring things out.
Something is definitely not right somewhere because that engine/car combo is as straightforward as it gets and is not trouble prone or marginal for cooling. Start with the fundamentals.
Stock small block Chevy 350 Stock heads Mid length headers Dual plane intake 750 quickfuel blow thru carburetor Vortech v3 centrifugal supercharger Stock water pump Msd street fire ignition box Hei distributer No radical timing 180 thermostat Electric fan is on at 185 Building a lot of engine compartment heat
Better...... Me- 50 Merc= Warm 350,hei,above average pistons/rotator,850 referenced carb,weiand blower,3 core aluminum rad with a 17'' puller fan. 160 t-stat. Will run all day idleing/driving at no more than 180/185, that's in 80' temps. When it's warm=90+, it'll creep some but won't crest 210. Shroud? Modified dist? carb jetting? Gotta fool with things a lil. I idle at 650-700 in gear/750 in park without any load-up,and can hammer it all day long without detonating.......... Sounds like some tuning is required....... Just gotta keep messing with it.
Put a baffle in the nose of the hood above the radiator. Keeps the hot air from being sucked back to the front of the radiator instead of leaving the engine compartment.
On my 40 Plymouth I did BJR's fix - the baffle. Then HRP's big fan, and a shroud. Went from overheating in traffic to "you can't overheat it."
Temp starts to climb at idle with hood close.... climbs to what? How does it do driving at 30 mph? 60 mph? You say mild timing.... may be too mild at idle (retarded timing will make one run hot) If it cool off driving at 30.... your fan may not be pulling enough air. Anything over about 30 mph you can just throw the fan away.
Check for air pathways that allow air to go around the radiator- block off any air that is not directed thru the radiator. As stated above a mechanical fan rather than an electric fan. Louvers in hood will also help and look good while doing so! Raise the back of the hood a little for a temporary solution.
Baffling. Aircraft piston engines depend on baffles in the correct places to keep the air (in this case outside air) moving in the right direction for cooling. This makes a lot of sense in your case along with a good mechanical fan. Yes I'm just parroting what was said above, but it does make sense.
Make the shroud funnel 110% of the air flow through the fan opening. Sealing off every millimeter off that can escape around the shroud. Forcing it to be pulled through the shroud. Flux
Sounds like you need a bigger or stronger fan? Make sure the cover that goes from the radiator to the top of the grille IS there, but make sure the big splash guard underneath is NOT. The top one ensures outside air to the radiator, the bottom one will restrict airflow.
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