You could get a mist sprayer to mist the radiator. Less and less efficient as the humidity rises. I imagine it would make the engine bay a mess, and really a mess unless using distilled water. Just pretend I didn't even mention it.

 

I did this on my 1988 Mustang that I put a 460 in, I redirected my windshield wiper sprayers to my radiator. lol... Stupid kid I was

 

I would also suggest an oil cooler if you don't have one. I have one on my 1990 Ford F-250 that really does help keep the engine temp down when pulling a load.

 

Boy, talking about going to left field........, but very interesting. I think I learned a lot.

 

@Carson Blocks

I really enjoy conversing with you.

 

@Carson Blocks

I really enjoy conversing with you.

Agreed...he is definitely very insightful and knowledgeable. Always detailed and articulate. I enjoy his perspectives and insights as well....Canada apparently has talent...

 

Back to the OP.

Glad the louvers worked. Get some good ventilation, get off the mechanical fans, get good airflow and air management (shroud and ventilation).

Basic rules of Rodding, take a look at what turbo guys do...there is your answer.

 

Studies Prove Electric: Trash Mechanical Fans for New Engine Cooling Tech - Waste Advantage Magazine

By replacing today’s large single mechanical fan with a series of smaller electric fans, this new electric cooling approach accounts for fuel economy

wasteadvantagemag.com

Someone be sure to pic up that mic 🎤 on the floor.

 

@twin engines It's frustrating to try to have a debate if you're not going to read, and just post up random links. Politely, I'm not going to put the time in if you aren't.

That article doesn't negate anything written above, if you'd taken the time to read it. Of course you can gain efficiency by running electric fans at a lower rpm in the peak of their efficiency curve over a longer period of time. It doesn't mean they flow more CFM or that they magically turn with less energy input.

I mean this with all due respect, but you're not even trying to understand what I'm saying.

 

@twin engines It's frustrating to try to have a debate if you're not going to read, and just post up random links. Politely, I'm not going to put the time in if you aren't.

That article doesn't negate anything written above, if you'd taken the time to read it. Of course you can gain efficiency by running electric fans at a lower rpm in the peak of their efficiency curve over a longer period of time. It doesn't mean they flow more CFM or that they magically turn with less energy input.

I mean this with all due respect, but you're not even trying to understand what I'm saying.

Mechanical fans push more air at higher RPM, but they reach a point of capacity where they overrun themselves and overtax the engine, creating more strain and more heat. Electric fans may not push as much at the higher RPMs and they too reach a point of limitation, but they do not creat drag on the power plant or generate the resistance on the engine, or heat from drag. That CFM you are referring to is inefficient and costs too much on the backend to be worth it, especially in a performance application.

You're not totally incorrect, but you have flaws in the end result of your conclusions.

 

All this discussion about the conductivity of aluminum, steel, dry air, humid air, etc. is not all that meaningful. There are 3 kinds of heat transfer - conductive, convective, and radiant. Fans and airflow are convective heat transfer, as is the heat transfer from engine blocks and heads to coolant liquid. Convective heat transfer is more dependent on surface finish and surface area. The main place where conductive properties affect conductive heat transfer are cylinder walls to coolant, as well as combustion chambers to coolant. Those are very efficient no matter what the materials are so while they matter, it's not what matters most.

 

All this discussion about the conductivity of aluminum, steel, dry air, humid air, etc. is not all that meaningful.

It is a meaningful point when @sikryd started having heating problems when switching to a 3.5x more thermally conductive aluminum head.

Convective heat transfer is more dependent on surface finish and surface area. The main place where conductive properties affect conductive heat transfer are cylinder walls to coolant, as well as combustion chambers to coolant. Those are very efficient no matter what the materials are so while they matter, it's not what matters most.

While surface area and finish matter, 3.5x the conductivity is absolutely where the main difference is. Our surface area will be reasonably close between the two heads. Plug some numbers in to Fouriers law and see just how much difference in SA/finish you'd need to make up for 3.5x difference in k.

 

What I'm wondering about now, is how hot is too hot under the hood? With cooler weather coming and no heater, or side windows, I could use a little more.

 

Too hot is just before you see smoke.

 

Wait , is this the Ford site? I'm lost...

 

Let me add this, I rarely go on the freeway because of the 5:1 gearing in my 9" Ford rear end. I have 31x18 MT tires and an M21 transmission, it screams on the freeway, 60 mph is 3500 RPM. Most of my driving is around town, 45 mph or less. Yes, I moved to Las Vegas and only drove for a short time before changing the heads, so I am not sure if I would have had the same issue had I kept the cast iron heads. I replaced the heads, added the aluminum Dewitts radiator, the FlowKooler water pump, and still have issues. I don't have head gasket issues, my timing is set at 14 degrees initial, 36 total. My air/fuel is not lean or overly rich. I suppose I can test out the mechanical fan, but due to the fact that most of my driving is under 2500 RPM, will a mechanical fan help me there? The SPAL fans have 12 rubber flaps that open up at higher speeds, so I would think this aids in cooling when the electric fans reach their limit due to higher road speeds. I may end up looking at the shroud and mechanical fan, I certainly don't have the money for a Cold-Case or Be Cool system that thousands upon thousands of dollars.

 

If you have a clutch fan, check the clutch...they wear.

If you have a mechanical and want to keep it, check your shroud engagement...most people get it wrong

If you want to get out of the stone age and have the $ means, run shrouded electric fan (or fans). They don't suck hp or make the engine work harder at high RPMs.

You may have other factors generating heat (headers). You have to address that..louvers work, second gen trans ams had functional louvers as air extractors and they worked well.

Your heads are not going to likely cause these issues and if you are running aluminum heads....still won't.

It's not a hard problem, but watching people defend antiquated things is no longer entertaining...lol...

If you really want good gouge on heat management, go to a SYTY forum...(Syclone Typhoon) they run high heat turbos, are GM....and high HP guys use extractors and electric fans....and all the aluminum parts you can shake a stick at.

 

I have aluminum heads and I have electric fans. I don't have the money for a cross-flow radiator. I have headers, they are not ceramic coated but are coated with that Eastwood header paint. I'm going to hang a thermometer in my engine bay to see what the ambient temps get to while driving around just so I can know. I don't think louvers will match on my 56, I don't think any scoops look good on a 56, I don't think running around without a hood looks good on a 56. Really the only thing that does is a tunnel ram or a blower through the hood, both of those I don't have the money for until my extortion payments stop to the ex-wife. Maybe it's time to sell my KTM dirt bike for upgrades on the Bel Air.

 

So...., you don't consider the dual 11" Spal fan with 2720 advertised cfm to even have a chance at being adequate? There's probably hundreds of happy trifive owners that use that fan setup. What fan setup do you use?

 

Apparently not for whatever @sikryd has going on with the big block. All we've got to go on is what he says he's checked already. Maybe there are other problems going on, but all the basics have apparently been checked so that leaves me with 'move more air' as a band-aid.

On my car, I use a crappy stock mechanical, not because it's better, but because my car is a dog with a low output 283 and doesn't need any more cooling. Plus, an electric fan would look out of place on my original old junk.

I actually prefer electric fans though, love 'em!. I don't know why people think I'm crapping on electric fans. Maybe it's because I'm too verbose, I'll try to sum it up in one line.

All I'm saying is a crappy, old school, low tech, power robbing mechanical fan is probably the best solution in this one particular situation to give @sikryd more cooling for very little money.

 

sikryd, (wish I knew your first name). I’m not going to get into formulas or convection/ conductivity mind bending stuff. I’m an old school (antiquated) type that’s been through the same sort of BB heat problem before that you’re experiencing now. I’ve also endured the ‘extortion’ problem at one horrible time of my life too, so I completely understand.

All I can say is to try the cheap route first and dump the electric fans for a bit. Keep that setup just in case, but just TRY a good mechanical fan (like a Derale available from Summit) with a cheap plastic shroud. You might be happy just as I was. There just isn’t any electric fan(s) setup that works as good at regular RPM driving level. Just try it man.

Another thought is since price is important go to a Pick and Pull type of source and pull off some likely fitting stuff. Modify things if necessary just for a test. If it all don’t work you aren’t out much from the wallet.

Best of luck to you, and please report back on your findings, regardless of which route you take.

 

sikryd, (wish I knew your first name). I’m not going to get into formulas or convection/ conductivity mind bending stuff. I’m an old school (antiquated) type that’s been through the same sort of BB heat problem before that you’re experiencing now. I’ve also endured the ‘extortion’ problem at one horrible time of my life too, so I completely understand.

All I can say is to try the cheap route first and dump the electric fans for a bit. Keep that setup just in case, but just TRY a good mechanical fan (like a Derale available from Summit) with a cheap plastic shroud. You might be happy just as I was. There just isn’t any electric fan(s) setup that works as good at regular RPM driving level. Just try it man.

Another thought is since price is important go to a Pick and Pull type of source and pull off some likely fitting stuff. Modify things if necessary just for a test. If it all don’t work you aren’t out much from the wallet.

Best of luck to you, and please report back on your findings, regardless of which route you take.

Its Jared... I think I am going to try a shroud and mechanical fan because it's like $238 + shipping, which is alot cheaper and faster than any other solution. If it does not work, I can turn around and sell it with my copper/brass radiator. I may pull my headers and have them ceramic coated, but they are such a pain in the ass to get sealed properly, I loathe them. I have to lift the driver's side of the block to get that side out. Just thinking about it gives me anxiety, lol.

 

As @Rick_L stated a few pages back, I too believe there are underlying issues not revealed nor known yet. I had a client install a nice set of fans on his car and it overheated when he drove but would actually cool down and idle staying cool once he parked. His problem was that he had accidentally wired his fans backwards and they were blowing forward and as soon as he started driving the war between forward velocity and those fans was waged. It was actually kind of funny when I think about it.

Jarrod also stated he changed the water pump, it would not be the first time a faulty pump got out of a manufacturer.

Just too much unknowns for me to make an intelligent diagnoses and all the anecdotal tales is not really gonna solve this.

Jarrod, use common sense and go look at your problem from the perspective of a mechanic, (You built this car, you know more about it then all of us combined)

Cooling an engine, (Any Internal Combustion engine) requires some form of heat removal. yours uses a liquid coolant and air. Pretty simple stuff. I am sure you will see what is different now that your car is eating mainland fuel and air.

BBC's ain't hard to cool, and you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Lots and lots of us have these boat anchors under our hoods and the majority of us are able to keep them under control. FYI running a 5:10 gear on the street without an overdrive is not fun, I know, I was a teenager with the exact same set up over 40 years ago.

 

^Best post in this thread. Concise and to the point.

 

On my car this time of year, I'm looking for more under hood heat. No heater of course, no side windows, or inner fenders. Engine is perfectly happy at 195 degrees controlled by computer. In hot weather I don't even need AC.