Thread: Adding motor cooling air vents

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New here, so sorry if this has been covered.

I have a 36 Ford Sedan and I’m thinking I need an additional air escape route from my engine compartment for cooling, but I don’t want to change the looks.

I’m thinking of adding hidden vents inside the front fender wells where they abut the engine compartment, possibly using 2 - 4" round stainless louvered vents on each side. Has anyone done this or knows whether or not it is a good idea?

Never have used round tubes to exhaust the underhood air... I have put louvers in panels similar to the factory style and that helps. A tube should work if it's of sufficient diameter to move enough air...

I'm thinking you might end up with an Engine Bay full of crap off your wheels.....what about just a Deflector Plate either to force air up into Radiator or back a bit between Radiator & Axle to deflect air up into Engine Bay......but I think you need to get the air out if you are having over heating problems!!

Holes or louvers on the inner apron WORKS !!!!!!!
Done it many times and will get the hot air out much faster.

Welcome to CHR 36 enjoy your stay.

It's a little tough without seeing what you've got now, but something doesn't quites sound right here. Apparently you're having some cooling issues? The stock inner fender panels on a '36 are largely louvered as is...........your's modified? The bottom of the firewall needs to have the 45 degree slant of the toe board, that also aids exit airflow. A third thing on the '36 that aids in air flow for cooling is the panel at the bottom of the grille/radiator. Often these are left off because they are a pain to reinstall when the front sheet metal is bolted back on, but they make a difference.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the help!

It has a Walker radiator with 3 electric fans (2 push, 1 pulls) and gets a little warm at times, since the hood’s side panel have been smoothed I’m assuming the trapped air is adding to it. I also plan on changing the 7lb pressure cap to a 15lb which should help a little too.

The firewall slants back but it’s a tight fit under the hood and not a lot of space for the air to move out. My inner wells are smooth and have no louvers, so I thought adding some vents on each side would help. I can get 5" round polished stainless louvered vent grilles (actual hole size is 4") to dress it up and the louvers should help keep the dirt out.

Panel at the bottom of the grille?, tell me more please.

pusher fans are like airplane propellers---when just windmilling, they BLOCK an area as big as a solid circle--and it is almost impossible to run them fast enough to equal the vehicle speed.

Pullers are more effienct and you should use one that pulls a LOT of AMPS as the electrical load is more indicitific about there true power thatn some foolish low amp draw /high cfm number

I agree with Jerry, the pusher fan is not going to help, and in fact will impede air flow. The 15# pressure cap will not help keep things cooler - it will simply boost your sustainable peak temperature higher to prevent boiling. You need to be sure that the specific Walker radiator you have is designed to handle 15psig pressure - they have some that call for the 7# cap, I believe. Are your two puller fans mounted to a shroud panel, to force all flow through the fans?

The higher temps are at low speeds and stops, cruisin’ speeds (60 - 70mph) are OK, can get a little warm if pushed hard for a prolonged period (75 - 80mph).

Has only 1 pull fan (2 pushers) and not enough room for another puller the radiator is set close to the motor to allow room for the A/C condenser.

I'll check the radiator specs for pressure to be sure.

Originally Posted by 36 sedan

The higher temps are at low speeds and stops, cruisin’ speeds (60 - 70mph) are OK, can get a little warm if pushed hard for a prolonged period (75 - 80mph).

Has only 1 pull fan (2 pushers) and not enough room for another puller the radiator is set close to the motor to allow room for the A/C condenser.

I'll check the radiator specs for pressure to be sure.

Two out front is even worse! You're blocking off a huge area of your radiator and AC condenser. You should be fine with one good (high amp, lots of flow - I like SPAL fans) puller fan if it's mounted to a shroud plate. What thermostat are you running, and what do you consider "..a little warm"?

i did some work on a 36 years ago 350 with a 671 blower then a hi cr 383 with AC it never ran hot that i knew of i think it had all tin inners in it. after the 383 the guy ran the car threw his cement block shop and i fixed the car . it had a walker rad in it . with a big puller fan . how is the tune up on this engine ? vacuum av will help engine run abit cooler at ide water speed . it may like the water to move faster at off idle

well yep and the condenser run more hot air to trans cooler in front of the stack will not help much more heat ... check make sure fins are clean on the condenser

Motor thermostat is 160°, fans come on at 180°, tune is on, has vac advance. Runs between 180 - 190° on the road at highway speeds, in city traffic and at lights rises to 200 - 220°, occasionally gets up to 230 - 235°. Summer heat will increase temps and I would prefer it to run a little cooler at low speeds.

Originally Posted by rspears

Are your fans mounted to a shroud panel, to force all flow through the fans?

Originally Posted by rspears

.... puller fan if it's mounted to a shroud plate.

Does your radiator have a shroud for the fan(s)? I really think if you pull the two outer fans you'll see a difference in the operating temp, provided your puller is a good, high capacity fan with the controls set right or even with a three position toggle, Off/Low/High if you want manual control.