This is what i was planning to install if the shroud does not work. Cooling components makes a shroud with a fan that fits the 32 radiator but it hits the pulley. I might be able to modify the unit and move it up to clear the pulley. I just wanted to get as much info i can so i can decide what to do. It's a lot of work just to mount the shroud. I need to drain the cooling and remove the lights and undue the wiring to remove the radiator. Don't want to do that more than i have too.
I plan to mount the old chrome fan . I only bought the other fan because all other fans i look at would not clear, i needed a thin fan. And yes as soon as the car starts moving the temp will drop fast.
This car was built in the 1960's I just rebuilt the car and put the engine in the same location. I never thought cooling would be an issue. I see lots of cars with electric fans so that will be an option. Will be interesting to see if the shroud fixes this. Heading to Florida Friday for a week. It will be at least two weeks before i can find time to do this.
I would like to know how this worked for the original builder? This might be why this car was sitting in a garage for over 40 years when i found it
I would use a combination of; -Shroud with fan properly spaced partially outside of the opening. -6 blade steel fan with no clutch -an overdrive water pump pulley -Water Wetter -a 60/40 distilled water to antifreeze ratio
Due to the length of a Buick engine, I had to run an electric fan on my Model A. I have a Walker radiator and a cooling fan that I got from a company in Washington state. It fit the radiator perfectly. I've got it set to come on at about 210. As soon as it comes on the temperature drops rapidly. It will come on setting in traffic on a hot day after maybe 5 minutes. This is a picture early in the construction.
4 pcs of flat stock (side’s and face’s) 1 tube (center hole interior) 2 solid stock ( shaped to make ends). Beveled where beveling needed to create a sealed unit during welding process.
SBFs run hot? Not the ones I had. No more than anything else. Bad thermostat, stopped up radiator…..anything will run hot. we put a 434 inch SBF in a 32. Walker radiator. Cooling components fan. Now it ran hot by the standards usually posted here. I don’t consider 220 hot for a performance engine. Didn’t boil over. And got hammered hard on the street.
@ModelARon..........A couple of things to think about as you search for your solution. You said that once you start moving, the temperature comes down. An obvious conclusion is that when air is moving thru the radiator, the radiator is sufficient to dispel the heat generated. Further, when you are actually driving/moving, the engine is producing even more heat than when its idling because its completing more combustion cycles per second.........so the radiator is therefore capable of dispeling even more heat than what is produced when idling. So the radiator doesn't need to be replaced.........its capable of doing the job. When the engine is driving, the water pump is also turning faster......so its possible that its turning too slow when idling ......but less likely to be the cause. It appears that you are on the right track by trying to increase air flow thru the radiator with a better fan, better fan location, and/or adding a shroud. I think the shroud is the best choice and needs to have some space between it and the radiator as opposed to being directly against the radiator when installed. That way the fans will pull air thru the whole radiator rather than just where the fan/fans are located. Anyway, this is just an attempt to put the train of thought into organized wording so it makes sense.
Using a pusher fan on my coupe along with a mechanical fan on the water pump. Since I have an aluminum '32 ford radiator in my '39 Chev it's tall and my engine fan only covers the bottom half of the engine. So my pusher covers the top half in front, and stat is set at 185 degrees to come on if I'm stuck in traffic. My car runs 175-180 all the time cruising, but when stopped idling on hot days the pusher comes on and keeps it at 185 degrees max.
Have you checked the water temperature with a meat thermometer or an infrared gun to verify. I had a similar issue with a 289, and after exhausting all options, found my new Bosch gauge installed by p.o. was off by 30 degrees.
FYI, your heavy equipment dealer uses blowby meters to check air flow in radiators for equipment in dirt environment. (Over Heating) Before and after air flow measurement with shroud would be beneficial. BTW maybe a hot rod supplier should offer one.... by now
Finally had some time to install the fan shroud . I also installed an over flow tank. I should have it back on the road this weekend. The weather is hot so this will be a good test.
10" shroudless pusher fans fit nicely behind a 32 grill, I've had 2 cars set up that way. They work fantastic in stop and go Florida traffic. My latest project will get the same setup.
I haven't read all the posts, so maybe this has been suggested....maybe not. On another site a fellow posted pictures of how he inserted a tube or pipe into the waterpump fitting for the heater hose so that it reduced the size of the fitting hole. He said that his waterpump was pushing less coolant thru his radiator because it was bypassing thru the large heater hose passage where it was not being cooled. I wonder if a simple test like disconnecting the heater hose and putting a rubber cap over the fitting, held by a hose clamp might produce a different result while idling. I'm currently building a fan shroud for a project vehicle. I had two electric fans attached but haven't tried it yet. Decided to remove them and make a shroud that stands off the radiator about 1.5 inches, and make it fit closely to the radiator perimeter. I plan to use some stick on insulation strips to insure it seals well and doesn't have the customary air leaks when mounted. I think this is another area that builders should think about when mounting fans or shrouds. Might not help, but probably won't hurt to have a good fit.
Late timing increases operating temp. Vacuum advance, if it is connected to manifold vacuum, will advance the timing at idle to help prevent heat from late timing, IF that is causing, or adding, to the problem. If the timing is not causing or adding to the problem it won't help at all.
If the car doesn't run hot going down the road when it is making more HP the radiator is ok. Slow speed and sitting still you lost air flow your fan location is covering 2/3 or less of the radiator I would go with the shroud and the original fan if is half or less inside the shroud.
I always ran ported vacuum to the advance so it had more advance at higher rpm. Base timing was base timing at idle. 8,10,12 degrees. I guess that’s a different discussion.
Ported vacuum won't cause the timing to be more advanced at higher rpm, it will just delay vacuum advance until the throttles are opened, at which time the manifold vacuum and ported vacuum equalize and remain equal until the throttles are closed.
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