'48 Olds

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Well, since you guys dug this thread back up, I guess I'll post something. I'm supposed to pick up a pair of skirts at the Torque Fest - same color and matching patina. And I'm think I want to put these beauty rings on, but they stick out too far and the caps won't lock in place. Not sure how to solve that.
 

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1) replace stick with stupid crying baby...

2) rim screws...

3)build the rim edge out a bit with 1/8" rod stock for ring to attach to..

4) find correct rings...
 
Well, since you guys brought it back up, let me tell ya a little story....

The old turbo350 trans has been slipping a little for awhile now. I wanted to rebuild it last winter, but didn't get to it and it's slowly been getting worse. I planned to make it to one last show during the Labor Day weekend. Headed off to the show and made it about 6 miles before she had no more go left after a hill. My wife was busy and I figured by the time I got home, got my neighbors trailer, and got the Olds loaded up and back it would be several hours. Soooooo..... I put it in reverse and drove 6 miles backwards down gravel roads to home. :D

Guess I'll be fixing that tranny this winter.
 
Haha that's awesome! U were able to get home on your own power and that's a good thing..

Side note: U need to add some photos with the skirts on it in ur build thread here... I went back to look at it again... But I think maybe those photos were in the torque fest photos???
 
I need to get some updates with pics!!!!

Anyhow, right now I'm thinking about takling my cooling problems. It heats up as I drive, OK at an idle. Even on 70 degree days it'll slowly climb to about 200 going 65mph. It would probably keep climbing slowly, but I'm usually pulling in the drive by then.

It's a 350/350, block hugger headers, a '66 Mustang radiator with trans cooler, and an always on electric fan. That's the biggest rad I can fit between the frame rails. Also figure I ride about 2-3" off the ground, but my inner fender wells are fairly open.

So I'm looking for the best options on how to get better cooling? Oil cooler? Auxiliary radiator? - I've got room for a small rad on either outside of the frame rails. Better airflow - like louvers? Maybe make anew shroud for the fan since it is nearly flat against the rad?
 
Is the area in front of the radiator boxed in so all the air coming into the grille has to go through the radiator or can it go around the radiator?
Boxing in will help if not already done.
 
Yep, boxed. But figure that rad was made for a 289 in a light pony car, not a 350 in a behemoth. I think in a fenderless hot rod, you can get away with running that combo, but I'm pretty sure I'm pushing it over the edge.
 
Sam, my '53 3100 has a low compression 350. It runs at 180 even on the hottest Arizona days.

I changed from the mechanical fan to the largest electric fan I could get (2800 cfm) - it started running at 200 +. Went back to the mechanical fan and the temp went back to 180. I don't even have a shroud.

On another project I called Summit tech to find out if a certain radiator would cool the engine I had. The tech said this radiator is good up to 400 hp. I had never thought of it in those terms. At any rate, the inexpensive ($200 +-) aluminum radiators from Speedway and Summit have worked well for me in Arizona and you can get them in almost any size. I think they would cool a lot better than the skinny '66 Mustang rad.
 
Sounds like the fan isn't big enough. It is just enough to keep it cool at idle but not under power. Get a big ford Taurus fan or a pair of 98-02 Camaro fans and make a decent shroud for it.
 

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