'48 Olds

[Sam_Fear]

Should the fan even make much difference at 65-70 mph? I mean, shouldn't I be able to run at speed without a fan? I think I could bolt in a 3 core aluminum, but I'm not sold that will gain me much of anything.

I may take my hood off and do a test run to see if I'm getting hot air jammed up in the engine compartment.

 

[DJ3100]

If you take the hood off and it is getting air jammed up in the engine compartment, what is the fix?

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Should the fan even make much difference at 65-70 mph? I mean, shouldn't I be able to run at speed without a fan?

At idle, your fan and radiator are adequate. At speed, the fan is less important than the radiator's ability to dissipate heat. Sounds counterintuitive, but as you say, airflow shouldn't be a problem at speed and likely isn't...

What this says to me, is the radiator at "full blow" cannot remove enough heat under load and RPM. It's getting all the airflow it needs but is short on capacity, where the BTU's IN are greater than the BTU's removed.

Assuming your rad is clean and in good condition, I think it's your problem.

.

 

[Sam_Fear]

If you take the hood off and it is getting air jammed up in the engine compartment, what is the fix?

Louvers or port holes in the hood I guess.

Doc, I know the rad is too small, but it's the biggest I can fit between the frame rails.

I might mess with the fan and shroud too. As it is, it is right up flat on the rad, so the shroud probably blocks airflow at higher speeds. Try making it deeper or removing the shroud all together - see how that affects it at idle.

After that it's an oil cooler or auxiliary radiator - I have space on the outside of the passenger side frame rail where a motorcycle sized rad could fit.

I'd like to get to the point where I don't need the fan at 65mph.
(changing rear gears would probably help too. )

 

[Old Iron]

A puller fan cools better than a pusher fan.
On my GTO's shroud, I made three air flaps for each side on hinges that open going down the highway and close as the air flow slows down like in town.
If the Mustang radiator is brass an aluminum radiator will cool better.

 

[earthman]

 

[Sam_Fear]

Hey, I had that idea once! I wonder what that looks like from the back?

 

[Sam_Fear]

Well, here's my updates finally - with pictures!!!

I rebuilt the TH350 in April. I'd never done a trans before, but one of the mechanics at work used to run a transmission shop, so he let me know a lot of tricks and had the tools too. Took a couple weeks working slow, but I got it back together.

The first time I took it out for a test, as soon as it shifted into second, I started dumping fluid. The cover for the accumulator was leaking. Cut through the trans cover to get to that - fixed. Second run - it would shift, but instantly go to third. Shifted OK manually. Drove it 60 miles to Torque Fest and on the way home, it started shifting right. Leaves about a 2" spot of fluid on the ground after parking it - someday I'll see if I can track that down, but for now I'm happy with it. Transmission brains pic offered as proof :

 

[Sam_Fear]

Next up: visor install. A guy at a car show last year walked up and offered me a free visor. Sold! Wound up being for like a 51 Olds so it was a little wide. Cut about 1-1/2" out of the center - redrilled the holes and put it back together. There wasn't really enough drip rail to mount it to, so I made some wings to rivet it to. Made some center brackets that bolt to the roof and used a Fenton bracket for the windshield mount. It's solid.

 

[Sam_Fear]

Unfortunately, the visor chrome is not even on both sides, so I've got a little different twist on one side from the other. It bugs me a little, but I'm not sure I can safely bend that chrome.

And here is a decent view of the visor painted up and my skirts.

Now with the visor on, I'm thinking I need headlight visors and curb feelers.

 

[Sam_Fear]

I don't think I ever told the story of the fender skirts!

A couple years ago at the Torque Fest, I guy walks up to me and says he has a set of skirts that would match my car - same color and everything. I contact him a few weeks later and he sends me some pics, but we never quite make the deal. Next year, same car show we make the deal. I slap the skirts on right there at the show and they look like they had been with the car since it left the dealer... Awesome!

They are actually for 46, but I'm not picky.

Another skirt story: On the way back from the Torque Fest this year, all of a sudden I hear a clunk to the rear of the Olds - instantly hit the brakes and see my driver side skirt go sail into the air and land in the fast lane - outside face down (4 lane highway - not busy). I back up, stop, and get out. Walk to the back of the car and have to wait because there are cars coming. I am way off the side of the road but the car starts moving over anyhow. I am literally yelling "No no no!!" and right at the last second they quit rubber necking my car and see the big chunk of metal in the road. Straddle it... Whew! Second car almost runs off the road and the third basically does the same thing as the first. I was cuss by then. Another car comes over the hill and I say screw it and go get my skirt. Scuffed up a bit, but whatever, it's not caught under some idiots Prius!

 

[earthman]

Another tale from the Adventures In Rat Rodding series by sam fear. [cl

 

[05snopro440]

Should the fan even make much difference at 65-70 mph? I mean, shouldn't I be able to run at speed without a fan? I think I could bolt in a 3 core aluminum, but I'm not sold that will gain me much of anything.

I may take my hood off and do a test run to see if I'm getting hot air jammed up in the engine compartment.

A large 2-core aluminum WILL make a huge difference over a copper-brass. You don't need a 3-core with aluminum, as they can make the cores larger so you can get one with two 1" or thicker cores, so it will flow much better and cool much better.

I run a Northern in mine and it's a great radiator. My dad had a copper-brass mustang rad in his 33 Dodge and changed it to an Aluminum, it runs much cooler now.

http://www.northernfactory.com/HIGH_PERFORMANCE/SEARCH_BY_VEHICLE/FORD/MUSTANG/1965/205064

Also, going to an external transmission cooler instead of the in-radiator cooler can help drop your coolant temperature.

 

[jfg455]

Sam can you get a thicker double pass radiator in the same size as the mustang unit? It will be thicker as well as cooling better as a double pass[P

 

[sgtpontiac]

Had a similar experience.....

Another skirt story: On the way back from the Torque Fest this year, all of a sudden I hear a clunk to the rear of the Olds - instantly hit the brakes and see my driver side skirt go sail into the air and land in the fast lane - outside face down (4 lane highway - not busy). I back up, stop, and get out. Walk to the back of the car and have to wait because there are cars coming. I am way off the side of the road but the car starts moving over anyhow. I am literally yelling "No no no!!" and right at the last second they quit rubber necking my car and see the big chunk of metal in the road. Straddle it... Whew! Second car almost runs off the road and the third basically does the same thing as the first. I was cuss by then. Another car comes over the hill and I say screw it and go get my skirt. Scuffed up a bit, but whatever, it's not caught under some idiots Prius![/QUOTE]

I had stopped to let my wife relieve herself (which happens way to often by the way) at one of the rest areas along I75....was going to pull the car over to the pumps for fuel...my wife got out but her skirt got caught in the door....I failed to notice it and contuined on to the pumps...people were screaming at me to stop and I smiled and waved to them as I drove....when I stopped I realized my wife was still attached to the door....she was ok...just scuffed up a bit....kinda like your fender skirts...I think she called me a Prius Idiot or something like that....

 

[Sam_Fear]

You do realize you're lucky she puts up with you, right?

 

[vht]

Now that's funny. If that had been my exwife, I'd hit the interstate hammer down.

 

[sgtpontiac]

Yes I do....I'm a lucky guy....

You do realize you're lucky she puts up with you, right?

Guys you do know I was kidding right?? [S...I love my wife.....she on the other hand puts up with me...lol...

 

[Sunnybeach]

I was thinking about this car today, not sure why.

Might as well bump it to the top.

 

[christcrusader13]

This thing is too cool... you still working on this?