i just built my 352 for my 62..it should put out between 450 and 500 hp,,it still has the stock radiator,,my question is will the stock radiator cool the car in traffic like at the rod-run if i add a good electric fan to it,, if so what flavor fan should i get?..let me know what u guys think..thanks
cooling my 62..help
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Hard to figure an idling 352 needing supplemental cooling. What cam?
go to the junkyard and get a taurus efan out of a 92-95 ford taurus that has a 3.8liter. it a single fan with 2 speeds. i just finished wiring mine up tonight. with the fan and controller and wiring im only in it 70$. they are great fans. i have seen them on mustangs with 600+ hp, so im more than sure it will do great on your car.
team423,
I found over the last 5 years of cooling fans ( which BTW had a fan blade come loose and eat up my radiator ), a new 3 row Cool Craft radiator, fan shrouds, and different fan blades that the only way to take care of cooling on my 57 Fairlane was an Aluminum Radiator from Griffin. I run 160 degree thermostats ( no fan shrouds, no fans, no special fan blade ) and you can let it idle all day long in 90 degree heat.
Now, you can take advice from people that may use their car only when the sun shines and it's a trip to a cruise in or you can take advice from someone that tours the country and has put 35K miles on their car in the last three years. During the NMRA meet in Columbus, OH last year it was 105 degrees. I ran two classes all day and didn't lift my hood once in the staging lanes. My water temp didn't get over 190 degrees all day. I lasted three rounds in one class and two in the other.
I should be the poster boy for Griffin. Jim
I found over the last 5 years of cooling fans ( which BTW had a fan blade come loose and eat up my radiator ), a new 3 row Cool Craft radiator, fan shrouds, and different fan blades that the only way to take care of cooling on my 57 Fairlane was an Aluminum Radiator from Griffin. I run 160 degree thermostats ( no fan shrouds, no fans, no special fan blade ) and you can let it idle all day long in 90 degree heat.
Now, you can take advice from people that may use their car only when the sun shines and it's a trip to a cruise in or you can take advice from someone that tours the country and has put 35K miles on their car in the last three years. During the NMRA meet in Columbus, OH last year it was 105 degrees. I ran two classes all day and didn't lift my hood once in the staging lanes. My water temp didn't get over 190 degrees all day. I lasted three rounds in one class and two in the other.
I should be the poster boy for Griffin. Jim
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Team423,
The Griffin radiator I got was dedicated to fit a 57 Ford Fairlane V8. It was just a simple two row radiator. The bolt holes to fasten it on to the radiator support were so close I had to push the bolt through it and then it fit the holes in the support perfectly. No slotted holes or anything like that. When you got through mounting it, it turned into a structural piece of the front end.
I don't know about other aluminum radiators, I've only got experience with the one Griffin radiator.
Before I bought this Griffin radiator I had spent $650.00 for a Cool Craft OmniFlow radiator from California that would let it over heat. I also had to have it fixed twice at my own expense for leaks. It was a copper core radiator that the appearance looked just like an original 57. They also would not stand behind their warranty. I also spent $150.00 for a electric Fan and switch that I mounted on front of the radiator. I also bought a fan shroud from a place in Texas that made custom shrouds for 57 Fords for about $150.00 best I remember. That's a thousand dollars before I paid about $450.00 for the Griffin that cured all my heating problems.
Now, if you want to make something work, that's up to you. Money is tight everywhere. But, if I had got the Griffin that fit my car to begin with I'd have saved a thousand dollars and a whole bunch of aggrivation. Jim
The Griffin radiator I got was dedicated to fit a 57 Ford Fairlane V8. It was just a simple two row radiator. The bolt holes to fasten it on to the radiator support were so close I had to push the bolt through it and then it fit the holes in the support perfectly. No slotted holes or anything like that. When you got through mounting it, it turned into a structural piece of the front end.
I don't know about other aluminum radiators, I've only got experience with the one Griffin radiator.
Before I bought this Griffin radiator I had spent $650.00 for a Cool Craft OmniFlow radiator from California that would let it over heat. I also had to have it fixed twice at my own expense for leaks. It was a copper core radiator that the appearance looked just like an original 57. They also would not stand behind their warranty. I also spent $150.00 for a electric Fan and switch that I mounted on front of the radiator. I also bought a fan shroud from a place in Texas that made custom shrouds for 57 Fords for about $150.00 best I remember. That's a thousand dollars before I paid about $450.00 for the Griffin that cured all my heating problems.
Now, if you want to make something work, that's up to you. Money is tight everywhere. But, if I had got the Griffin that fit my car to begin with I'd have saved a thousand dollars and a whole bunch of aggrivation. Jim
Jim,i aint the type to just make it work..My wife and i plan on riding the wheels off this thing so when i make a move it needs to be the right one..We built it to start doing the long rides and i looked at the griffin radiator's my buddy has a 61 impala with about 600hp and thats what he runs and he likes them two..sorry u had to go through all that to find what would keep your car cool..Do it right the first time so u only do it once..thanks for the good info jim,,ps u would make a great poster boy for griffin..got me sold
I just bought one for my 63 Galaxie. It's down at Indianapolis on a truck and can't be delivered until the 29th. I'm leaving for Carlisle on the 29th so I'll be taking the 57 Fairlane. The Griffin radiator I bought for the 1963 Galaxie was $558.00. from Summit. Jim
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While it won't hurt to go huge on a radiator, they only need to cool the heat you make. If you are making 20 hp putting along in a parade or traffic - you need to cool 20 hp. A 352? Something rated 400hp should be plenty of overkill. I use a small core 2-row 302 '69 factory radiator with my 427W without any issues, as I don't lean on it to make high heat for more than a few seconds at a time. That includes the summer heat. Unless you are actually using more power, then a stock radiator (fresh of course, with fan and shroud) or equivalent should be just fine. Bigger will allow longer applications of high horsepower.
Going electric? The Urban Legend is that electric improves cooling - another assumption based on racing and FWD cars. Facts are that you need a very good electric system to cool better. Get the best you can afford that fits, or the equivalent from the wreckers, like the Taurus dual fan, Camaro and Corvette duals, or 2G MkVIII single, etc. Be sure to also upgrade your electrical system so it actually blows like it should at idle or things will get worse instead of better. Mechanical fans with shrouds generally cool better for street, but electric can save fuel on the highway, give more options for engine swaps, or provide engine-off cooling for racers, especially with electric pumps.
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David
Going electric? The Urban Legend is that electric improves cooling - another assumption based on racing and FWD cars. Facts are that you need a very good electric system to cool better. Get the best you can afford that fits, or the equivalent from the wreckers, like the Taurus dual fan, Camaro and Corvette duals, or 2G MkVIII single, etc. Be sure to also upgrade your electrical system so it actually blows like it should at idle or things will get worse instead of better. Mechanical fans with shrouds generally cool better for street, but electric can save fuel on the highway, give more options for engine swaps, or provide engine-off cooling for racers, especially with electric pumps.
David
psig, we built it to have around 450-500hp i get the cooling as much as u put out and i dont plan on standing on it for more then a min,just want to make sure we have no problems when we sit in traffic at the rod-run's for hours,, and long trips from home on the hwy at 65-70mph,,so do u think the stock radiator will keep it cool then?
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I have a 61 Z code 3 core radiator, recored, and my stock rebuilt 2 bbl 352 still overheats in the summer. I added an eBay electric pusher fan I switch on when the temp starts rising and you can see the temps drop down. I have a 5 blade fan but no shroud, that should be my next addition.
Mike
Mike
Team423,
The part no. I ordered for my radiator was GRI-7-260BA-FAX. I have an automatic transmission.
One of the things that you need to remember about cooling an engine is that once you start rolling and it doesn't have to be real fast, you don't need a fan, you don't need a fan shroud and you sure don't need an electric fan. All you need is a radiator.
I bought an aluminum radiator for the times I'm stopped on the Cincinnati bypass for 25 minutes etc. or going real slow through towns. Any radiator will work if you're moving. Good Luck, Jim PS A little trick I learned about engine fans is not to have it more than 3/4" away from the radiator. What I tell you is from my experience only. The trouble I had with my 390 staying cool is not because I ran a lot of horsepower. It just has about 275 hp. It's a stock 1972 360 truck engine with truck heads and 2V cam using a 390 crank and rods with 9.3 SCR pistons and a 63 stock 4V intake and log exhaust manifolds. You can't get any more docile than that. Best time so far on Hoosier steet tires is 15.2 sec @91mph shifting at 4000rpm. I'd go higher in rpm but I've got to drive it back home when I get through racing so I don't want to take a chance on hooking-up with slicks or maxing the engine out in rpm's. Bracket racing doesn't require you to have the fastest car, just the most consistant.
The part no. I ordered for my radiator was GRI-7-260BA-FAX. I have an automatic transmission.
One of the things that you need to remember about cooling an engine is that once you start rolling and it doesn't have to be real fast, you don't need a fan, you don't need a fan shroud and you sure don't need an electric fan. All you need is a radiator.
I bought an aluminum radiator for the times I'm stopped on the Cincinnati bypass for 25 minutes etc. or going real slow through towns. Any radiator will work if you're moving. Good Luck, Jim PS A little trick I learned about engine fans is not to have it more than 3/4" away from the radiator. What I tell you is from my experience only. The trouble I had with my 390 staying cool is not because I ran a lot of horsepower. It just has about 275 hp. It's a stock 1972 360 truck engine with truck heads and 2V cam using a 390 crank and rods with 9.3 SCR pistons and a 63 stock 4V intake and log exhaust manifolds. You can't get any more docile than that. Best time so far on Hoosier steet tires is 15.2 sec @91mph shifting at 4000rpm. I'd go higher in rpm but I've got to drive it back home when I get through racing so I don't want to take a chance on hooking-up with slicks or maxing the engine out in rpm's. Bracket racing doesn't require you to have the fastest car, just the most consistant.
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Mine do. Standing on it a minute is the only time that an oversize radiator is beneficial. My 427W runs a 160° performance thermostat and a true clutch 7-blade fan with shroud, which gives it 175-180° running temps and never goes beyond unless I blast it through the gears - then it will spike to high 180s to low 190s due to the small radiator area and limited coolant mass. Any stock or modified car that is just idling should behave like any good stock setup, and idle all day long at good temp. In traffic, parades, and cruising home should all be easily handled by a stock-level system. What you see with most issues is poor airflow, poor heat transfer to or from the coolant, or excessive heat production (usually related to ignition timing). Often it's a combination.
Mike, your issue sounds like it's mostly airflow, given your system does cool more when you use the pusher fan. I assume this is at low vehicle speeds. That indicates your radiator is good enough and it needs air. I agree a shroud should be your next improvement. When doing shroud setup, try to get the fan blades about half-way into the shroud ring, leaving about 1/3 to 1/2 of the blades exposed out the back. The fan blades seem to run most efficiently at about this point, and function as a ducted fan. Also note that when set up this way, the fan's distance to the radiator becomes unimportant. Shrouds make a huge difference in airflow through the radiator where the airflow does some good. You might want to check to see if your vacuum advance is also functioning correctly. I can take a perfectly good system, retard the timing just a few degrees, and overheat in minutes.
In all these cases, you have to look for the real reasons for issues, as these cars had no cooling issues when new with their standard radiators, and you shouldn't either. Good luck!
David
I recored the original rad in my 62 xl390 330hp.I run no shroud a 180 degree tstatand only run distilled water and water pump lube and anti-rust.I only drive it from april till oct.When i store for winter i put in anti freeze to prevent the block from cracking.Never had any overheating issues,.
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