Thread: 350 too HOT!

Tweet

Now that spring is starting to hit, we are seeing lots of questions about cooling. My own Jeep got up to 240 in traffic the other day, so I moved some stuff around.

As for your problem, I think your problem is that the air when you are moving is not going through the radiator, but rather, around it. I think these model Fords are known to trap air inside the engine compartment, especially when you add a V8 in there, taking up more space. It leaves nowhere for the air to exit, so the incoming just goes around the radiator. The grilles on these were smallish anyways.

Have you tried running without hood sides or a hood to see if that helps. If it does, my theory may be correct. If that is the case, you will have to provide some way for the air to pass on through. I don't remember the exact fix, but I do remember some past issues of rod magazines addressing this issue in articles.

Two things affect cooling, water flow and air flow. Generally, if a car cools going down the road but heats up at traffic lights, it is because the cooling fan isn't moving the same amount of air as the wind. And even though your problem is the reverse, which would seem to be water flow, I think it is what I described above, because of what I remember reading.

But, you might also try a high volume water pump, a REALLY GOOD thermostat, a shroud, and maybe a single very large fan. One thing in your favor, there are enough guys running similar setups in 37-40 Fords, that someone has to have fixed the same problem.

Someone else on here may have better info, but I just thought I recognised your problem from my reading, and thought I'd kick out this info.

Hope to see you at Turkey Run. I swear, this year my Son's and I are actually going to have 3 finished cars to take. We missed having ours done last year, but come hell or high water that won't happen this year.

Good luck with your problem, at least you have the right radiator in there.

Don

PS: I think I just remembered what the fix was. They cut out or louved the inner fender panels to let the air escape. (I think) The article was something like "keeping your 40 cool" and I'll try to dig it out, (I only have 4 zillion magazines to look through !!!!)