Cooling

T

tr14

New Member
Need tips on keeping a sportsman cool:

what size fan
how shroud fits
water pump
pulleys
rad size
rad cap #
size restrictor
timing
jetting

Any suggestions?
 
I tell ya what i have and i only run about 200-220 on any given night.

Fan size- 17"

Schroud- I make mine out of aluminum. Make sure it fits snug against the radiator. And only bring the schroud back half way through the blades of the fan.

Water pump- I run a aluminum water pump i got from Marv that flows good. Little expensive but worth it. I think cost is bout $110

Pulleys- Aluminum pulleys like the one you see in the performance bodies magazine. It has a 25% reduction.

radiator size- I used to run a 19x27 1/2 but this pst year i came across a 19 x 22 and that kept it plenty cool.

Radiator cap- Run a good 22-24 lb. cap

Restrictor- Buy the restrictor kit from marv. They have blue one, red one, and yellow one. I have always run the blue one. It is the middle one in size.

Timing- Run your motor about 38 degrees advanced.

Jetting- Just gotta look at the plugs and see how it is burning. Different motors will require different jettings. But i run a pretty strong 355 with a Holley carb (500 cfm) and i got 78's in mine.

Hopefully all this helps you out. I think if you start with all that i said you should have no problem with cooling problems. When it was a decent temp outside my car would hardly hit 200. But when it was the dead of summer i would be between 210-220. Which that is still a decent running temperture. Good Luck!

Tom
 
Should try running a 1:1 ratio on the pulleys and whatever restrictor is equal to a gutted thermostat. And try to never go over 210 on the temp, optimal temp is 180-190
 
Thanks for the replies. How close do you run the fan to the rad, or how long of a spacer? If you underdrive the pulleys do you need the restrictor? Do you run mechanical advance in the distributor or is it locked out and if so is the motor hard to start?
 
set up the mechanical advance to be fully advanced at 2800-3000 then easy starts and full power at all racing speeds
 
Fans

We use the 6 blade plastic fans. $15 at the local Auto-Tire and Parts. Dont use a flex they DO flatten out at high rpm, and will not pull air. If you cant find the plastic, which will not flatten out. use the steel, but expect a noticeable drop in power.
 
tr14

I have a 17" fan but i have also run a 15" before and had no problem with either. They are both 6 bladed fans. The 15" fan part # is 1615 and the 17" fan part # is 1617. These are straight out of the performance bodies magazine. I know that Marv's carries them too. He actually gets his from performance bodies i think. If you have anymore questions feel free to respond and ask or email me at smaldirt128@aol.com and i will help you the best i can. Good Luck!

Tom
 
smaldirt28 has some good suggestions. I use racer's tape to seal the shroud to the radiator too. Also run ducts in front of the radiator to scoop air.
 
Thanks again. I think the steel fans are an OEM part that can be bought locally, just need to figure out what to tell the parts guy it comes from.
 
Those plastick fans do flatten out, they work great with alchahol and a huge carb, but for a 2bbl racer wich always runs hotter, they wont do what you need.

Small dirt was correct on most of his stuff, but the 4 blade GM fan is the best to run, and a gutted thermostat is better than a moroso restricktor, the fan should be 17-19" they have alot of pitch and cool latemodels on gas without cutting the front end or shrouds.

Make shure you radiator is clean, and the fins are strait, clean and straiten your radiator regularly, if its not easy to get the fins passible for air you need a new one, Titans are good and cheap, howe and afco are good not cheap, griffon runs 15deg hotter than others. the radiator should be 27-31 wide and 19 tall.

A few years back they said to use 30% reduction now the experts say 1:1 is best, I'm not sure. Red line Watterwetter does seem to help some.
 
some may not like this idea when i ran on the halfmile at tri-city my motor guys alway put a termostat in the motor and it would run 205

never had a heat problem
 
Your Pulley reduction all depends on what engine combination you have.Just by going to 1 to 1 pulleys doesn't always mean it will run cooler,it may run hotter.
My 2 cents.
 
So far , here's my combo: shroud that fits tight against the rad covering 1/2 the fan with 3/4" clearance around the fan, Afco rad, 3/4" restrictor, 25% underdrive pulleys, 6 blade steel fan, short stock steel water pump.
I might try the 4 blade fan.
Thanks for all the info.
 
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