Cooling issue in my '35 Ford

[lbroknwing]

I am having a problem trying to keep things cool at idle. I have a 1935 Ford with a 350, 290 hp crate engine. It is equipped with a Walker Cobra radiator, a 16" puller fan and a 12" pusher, and Vintage heat & AC. Has a 180 high capacity t-stat and premium water pump. I have absolutely no room for a shroud. I am running Mobile 1 synthetic oil. Just wondering if an oil cooler would help. I have run it with and without the t-stat and it still heats up (230) degrees on a hot day if I get stuck in traffic. I may have room for another small pusher fan in front of the puller if you think it would help. As always, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Itoldyouso]

Sometimes cars of that time period have engine compartments that contribute to overheating. Their design traps hot air so that no matter how hard the fans are blowing the hot air has no where to escape. When you put a larger V8 in there and toss ac into the mix, it just gets worse.

Does the car cool off when you get it moving again? If so, what does it normally run at? Also, what brand fans are you running?

Don

[rumrumm]

Spal fans are about as good as they get for electric fans and pullers work much more effectively that pushers. If you don't have a Spal, you might want to look into one of their straight bladed units which pull the most air. Have you looked into any of the products you can add to your radiator fluid to bring down the temperature? Are you hood side solid or vented? If they are solid, you might want to look at getting some that are vented if nothing else works.

[lbroknwing]

Thanks for the replies. It does cool off when moving and stays at 180. Puller is a Thinline curved blade and is at the very top due to space restrictions. Pusher is a straight blade and is mounted at the bottom of the condenser. Don't know the brand name. I added Be Cool fluid and it didn't help. Has a factory hood and the sides are vented. Still wondering if an oil cooler with a fan might help. Thanks again!

[Itoldyouso]

Ok, much more info. Those thinline fans put out almost no air compared to a good SPAL fan. I had to run them on my 27 for years because of clearance issues and once I put a SPAL on it the difference was like night and day. If you test a SPAL while holding in your hands it will try to get away!

If your car cools off when you start moving it is because of airflow. You are gettiing enough while moving but the fans are not doing the job when stopped. Maybe if you don't have a short Chevy pump setup that might give you enough room for a good puller. A shroud also helps immensely.

Don

[rspears]

Don & I were typing at the same time, but he was faster. I know you said you have no room for a shroud, but I believe that may be the problem here. Without a shroud your fans will pull/blow to the path of least resistance, which is not through the radiator core. My "shroud" is a simple piece of aluminum sheet turned down about an inch on the sides with a 16" hole for the fan. That 1" lip provides the mounting surface on the radiator, putting the fan only about 1/2" back from the core. My SPAL puller fan is biased to the bottom of the radiator to help clearance at the pulleys - I rotated it top to bottom when I laid the radiator back more... If it cools down at speed it seems to me you have an air flow problem.

[IC2]

If you can take some photos and post, we can probably get a better feel for the problem. I agree that air flow is you problem. You have a condenser which will block the air flow somewhat, then another fan. Add that to the tight engine compartment, somewhat restrictive hood sides, no shroud, then a 180* T-stat when it should have a 190-195 you have a recipe for over heat. As far as 230* and with a 15pound cap, it will not "boil over" until the water temp is about 250*F.

This Cooling Components fan (Walker owned) is what I'm using in conjunction with my Walker radiator. When it kicks on, it creates a wind!! They have a thinner version now.

[Mr Blue]

Is it possible also that the Pusher fan is blocking the radiator when used in conjunction with a puller fan on the other side of the radiator. It could be blocking open area and not allowing the puller to do its job. Just a thought. Don Jr.

[Bob Parmenter]

While I agree most heartily with Don Jr's comment about front mounted fans frequently contributing to overheating by blocking more air flow than they contribute (and don't disagree with the other thoughts expressed), since you said the condition only exists at idle that likely isn't the issue this time. I would suggest you may have an ignition timing problem. Start with the "simple" stuff first before throwing more hardware at it.

[Mikej]

How much advance at Idle? Are you you using port or manifold vaccum? Will make a big difference on idle temps.

[406Rich]

Shroud plus put in a 192 t-stat, that will give the water more radiator time to cool down.

[lbroknwing]

Thanks, will try the t-stat first, no room for a shroud.

[rspears]

Thanks, will try the t-stat first, no room for a shroud.

Can you post a couple of pictures of your installation so we can see what you're dealing with here?

[MelloYello]

Thanks, will try the t-stat first, no room for a shroud.

Pics would be great - - - you can modify or make your own shroud, if necessary.

[cffisher]

with over 400 HP it never overheated I'm Thinking like Bob. The rad. is 4 core and the same size as the stock opening. using a belt driven flex fan