Thought I'd ask the brain trust about a new radiator for my Turbo Coupe. I know a lot of you guys have heavily modified cars and was wondering what type of radiator you use. Just got my A/C working in my car, swapped over from R12 to R134. Living in Southern Nevada summer cruising is a real challenge. Car is running about 210* in traffic. Air temp is in excess of 110*. I'd like to avoid a potential problem. I run the stock fan with a Cobra fan clutch and a 190* t-stat. Motor is a modified 5.0. I would like to keep my fan and shroud if possible.
Which radiator are you running now? A mechanical fan will blow more air then almost any aftermarket electric. What do you have the timing set at? Also is this ethonal fuel? We have 10% ethonal blend here, and I run 14-16° timing because the car likes it. Sometimes you can go as high as 18.
I'm going to keep my mechanical fan. Just don't trust the electric fans with all the money I have in this motor. I'm running 14* on the timing. I use nothing but 91 octane. I think it's a blend because we get it out of CA. I have no issues with horsepower, car runs great. I've had the car running since last November but just got the A/C charged. I went to R134 and had problems getting a new liquid line. Seems my 87 Turbo Coupe uses a liquid line out of a 85 TBird.
I ended up replacing the radiator and fan. I went with the Frostbit aluminum 3 row radiator. I thought about the 4 row but I would end up modifying the fan shroud to clear the tensioner. The stock 3 row is 1 1/2in deep and the new Frostbite radiator is 2 1/2in deep. I replaced the original 7 blade fan with a Mustang 10 blade fan and kept the Cobra fan clutch. Coolant temp went from 210*+ down to 190* with the A/C on in traffic. On the freeway, cruising at 70 temp stays around 180*. That is with the outside air temp above 100*. The cowl hood is working good to get the hot air out of the engine compartment. I think the suction created at the windshield helps draw it out. You can feel the hot air if you have the window down. In all I think I solved the heating problem.
Sounds like a very nice setup. Glad it is working great.
I think it might be working too good. Getting down in the thirties in the morning. If I drive the car it barely makes it to 150*. Almost like my F350 only I can't stick a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator.
LOL. I did that once in High School with my old 81 XR7. Very cold in NE Kansas. About 15 min later on hwy my idiot lights went off like a Christmas tree. I thought OH ! I DIDNT PULL THAT CARDBOARD. removed and all was fine, couldn't kill that detuned 302 in that thing.
I drive my F350 27 miles out to the VA hospital and the temperature barely hits 140*. Have to wear Carharts with the window rolled up.
It gets much colder here in Chicago and I've never had a problem with cars not reaching temp. I've driven my Thunderbird when it's been in the mid 40s and it's never had trouble getting up to thermostat temperature. Are you sure that the thermostat isn't stuck open? The thermostat should allow the engine to get to at least it's temperature rating. 30* isn't cold. It gets a lot colder here and we have heat in the winter when it's below 0* :grinno:
I thought it might be stuck so I changed it. No change. Driving on the streets, 35-45mph, I can get it up to 180*. Tried that today. On the freeway at 70mph it stays around 150-160*. I think the cowl hood might be working better than I thought with drawing the heat out.
Maybe you could make a removable plug for the back of the hood, to block air when it's cold outside.
Never thought of that. Thanks.
The stock hood has a rubber gasket seal at the rear to seal it. It might be possible to design something that can be removed when it's warm out but put in place when it's cold to block airflow. Perhaps some insulating foam carved to shape or an ABS plastic panel.
I know about that gasket. What I did was to cut along the middle of the support structure at the window. Raised the hood support up against the new cowl and added sheet metal in three locations at the rear. That allowed me to use the factory hood support. Looks like it came from the factory. I can cut foam pieces that will fit at the rear blocking the vent. I was trying to post a picture but it's asking for a url.
Most "good" quality thermostats have a bleed hole in them. I've found that the hole just allows some coolant to bypass the thermostat. Also the more expensive ones tent to open up sooner and do not fully open until the temp rating.
Most cheap thermostats act more or less like an on off switch as they open and close.
So if you did have a bad radiator before, a better thermostat may have kept it from getting hot as fast, but now it might be overlooking.
As backwards as this sounds, I'd try swapping in a cheaper thermostat.
I forgot about thermostats with bleed holes. I've been running Stants with no bleed holes for years. You know the one's you get at any auto parts stores. I've been running the 180* one and the car has no problems warming up down to about 40* (I don't really drive it under that temperature). Never runs above 200* in the summer, even with the A/C on. If you've got a thermostat with a bleed hole the coolant is constantly circulating, which keeps the car from fully warming up in cold temps. That might be part of the issue.
I cant imagine that tiny hole circulates very much coolant, its like a 1/8 inch.
But I'm no specialist. LOL
I forget what brand of T-Stat I have, 180*, costs about $15, has the bleed hole but that's just if you have air in the system. When you install it the hole goes on top. I don't know how you guys make it in Chicago. Last year a friend went there in winter and said it was -40*. Hell when it gets 70* here I break out the Carharts. Getting to be a puss in my "golden" years. Other than the Army way back I've spent my life working construction. Rain, snow, HEAT. I was the boss so I had to show up. Quit work a few years ago and kinda like looking out the window when it's in the 30's with a 45mph breeze blowing. Walk over to the fireplace and warm my hands.
That tiny hole doesn't circulcirculae much, but when its really cold, it doesnt take much to cool the car either.
My 88 car I just bought, I havent had tome to mess with it. Brand new radiator and water pump. Previous owner said it overheated easy in summer time. Threw new parts at it and then stopped driving it. Leaks out of the timing cover so I haven't messed with it much. Found a empty box full of receipts in the trunk and it has a fail safe 180° thermostat in it.
We got about a foot of snow the other day and I have been in the hospital with a new baby. Went to start the car up to keep the battery charged up and dig out the car. In 45 mins it never went over the first bar on the digi gauge and wasn't even warm enough to defrost the windows.
I did a winter out in Montana. Warmest it got was -1°f the day we finished the job and drove home, before that it was -27 to -40°f the whole time we were there, plus wind chill. And it was blowing 40+mph most days. Never been that cold before. The car ran really good the whole winter with a good heater.s the plastic headlights didn't get warm enough to keep snow off them on extended winter drives though. Never had a problem overheating that summer when I got home. Went from -40°f to 110°f running a.c. with no changes. I miss that car.
When you refill the cooling system, the antifreeze goes in the bottom and the air goes out the top through the bleed hole.
All stats have one, even the cheap ones. On some it is a tiny nick in the edge of the valve. If you shine a flashlight through it, you can see it.
Haystack- Congratulations on the new youngster. Never worked in weather like that. Had the "opportunity?" to work on a pipeline project in North Dakota and turned it down. I doubt if I would of survived coming out of Southern Nevada. Drove my F350 this morning, 40* out, drove 27mi, truck got up to 136*.