Cooling Questions?

Ford_Crazy · 2011-03-07 09:51

The weather here in Florida is nice right now with 60-80 degree days. My big block is running about 190 degrees and seems to be doing OK with an aluminum radiator, no shroud, anti-freeze and water wetter. In the summer, I'm thinking I may have a cooling problem while in traffic or waiting in line at the car show. I would love to get away with not running a shroud or junking my clutch fan for an electric fan setup. Has anyone had experience with a pusher fan mounted ahead of the radiator?

Ford Blue blood · 2011-03-07 17:40

Yes...they don't help and tend to block the air flow. The easiest solution will be a puller with a shroud. Walker and a couple of other manufacturers offer a fan/shroud combination that is very nice looking and work great. But run it first, my 62 Bird was a 30 over 390, air and ran dead on in 105 with the air in traffic in Nashville a few summers ago.

geraldchainsaw · 2011-03-12 19:45

funny u should mention about a electric fan, i just installed one today, i'll have to make a little long story of why i put it in. when i got the car 4 or 5 years ago it had a electric fan installed, never used it, decided i would take it out, well the last 2 years of cruises and what i thought was really heating up to much, gage showed 220 or more, but never boiled over, i would put it back on and c what happens this year, so for right now i can't say if its going to help or not, but there easy to take off anyway. just my 2 cents, i didn't have anything to do. jerry

Ford_Crazy · 2011-03-13 07:26

So far, my big block hasn't experienced any overheating issues. I've been on two longer rides with traffic and it hasn't had a problem. It seemed to run a little hot at first, then settled in. My guess is that the rings and bearings seated and that I may be OK. This August may be a different, but for now I don't see any need for a shroud or electric fans.

Bubba · 2011-03-14 11:06

OK Bros, here's my $.02 for what its worth.
I had a 72 Chebbie pickup that I ran a 468 Corvette big block [notorious for running hot] in with a Chebbie 454 Chevelle SS HD radiator and engine driven mechanical fan with a shroud. It was OK on the open road, but in traffic in the summer [it can get into the 100's here in Virginia] it would overheat very quickly. I went to the wreckers and found a pusher set of dual electric fans that I was told were from a Jaguar, and I installed them with a temperature controlled thermostatic switch and a manual override dash mounted switch. I used a VDO mechanical temperature gauge to monitor under the hood. I also kept the mechanical fan. When sitting in traffic I could watch the temp gauge climb very rapidly. Once it got to the preset temp I wanted the pusher fans kicked in and dropped the temperature really rapidly. They worked flawlessly and they didn't appear to block the airflow as they freewheeled when not in use. I never had to resort to the manual override switch. A friend of mine bought the truck from me and still runs the same set up trouble free. I had also added a set of hood vents from a Lumina Z34 which could be opened or closed and that also made a big difference in the under the hood operating temp when running them open in the summer. Whenever possible run a shroud.
BuBBa

Ford_Crazy · 2011-03-14 14:28

Bubba. What size fans did you use? How were they postioned in the radiator? Thanks!

Bubba · 2011-03-15 07:16

I will have to check with the friend of mine who now owns the truck as to what size they were.
They were positioned right up against the front of the radiator so they would pull air in from the grill and push it through the radiator toward the engine.
BuBBa

Ford_Crazy · 2011-03-15 07:25

Since you were running two fans, I was wondering if the fans were positioned at the bottom, top, vertical or diagonal?

Bubba · 2011-03-15 08:45

The fans were centered, horizontally positioned side by side in a shroud.
Given the narrow width of the 57 Ford radiator core area [about 24.5 inches wide by 15 high] you should be able to mount two 11 inch units side by side without a problem. You will also need to make sure you've got enough fan motor to water pump snout clearance. With dual fans you can usually get away with heavier fan motors as the water pump snout may fit between them. With a larger HD single fan centered on the core you can run into water pump to fan motor clearance problems, which is why the fan manufacturers also offer slim line motors. I know of two companies who will custom make radiator-fan-shroud combinations, they're pricey but good quality and look really great. I can Email you the info on the companies if you're interested.
BuBBa

05gt · 2011-03-19 20:11

I had an overhaeting problem with my 312 for a few summers. Last year, I put on a 16" electric pusher. Going down the road, it seems to let plenty of air through as I never have a probelm overheating while moving. When i stop though, I can watch the gause climb if i'm sitting for awhile. I flip on the manual switch i have under the dash, and it seems to do decent at keeping it from getting to warm. I think double fans with a shroud would be the ultimate setup, but even a single should be enough to keep you from running on "H".

If it's warm out, I usualyl just flip it on when I first start sitting, that way it keeps it at normal temp instead of trying to bring it back down.

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Cooling Questions?