Cooling upgrade has arrived <update> road test

[AlanCasida]

I decided to take out the small, thick engine driven fan arrangement I have in my '65 Mustang in favor of a bigger, thinner, dual electric fan setup. Hopefully this will be an improvement over my current setup. Now I just have notch my frame and set it in. 

 

[Dan859]

That looks nice!  Are the fans and shroud some sort of kit?  I'd like to do something similar on my Comet.
Take care,
Dan

[AlanCasida]

That looks nice!  Are the fans and shroud some sort of kit?  I'd like to do something similar on my Comet.
Take care,
Dan

Yes the fans and shroud came together. The fans are 12" Spal and are rated at 1670 cfm each. I got it off of Ebay and it was about $100 less than similar components from a parts warehouse. 

[AlanCasida]

Well I took the Mustang out today to see if my upgrades made any difference and it seemed to be working ok. It was about 95 here with a heat index of 102. Going down the highway it stayed around 190 and the same in town. That is until my overdrive quit working so I got to torture it the last 25 miles running 3000 rpm at about 55 mph. Then it got up to about 205-210 but when I got home I let it set idling for about 5 minutes and the temp went back doe to 190 before I shut it off.  So the radiator/fan set up is working ok but it is still an oven in the car. I am not sure I am going to want to spend 6+ hours in it for DW or RMRW.   When I built the headers I wanted them tucked up fairly close to the underbody because I don't like headers hanging way down under the car. This may have been a mistake. Even after just 60 miles my feet were burning up. 

[RustyCrankshaft]

Sounds like it's time for some insulation on the floor above the headers. DEI and HeatShield products both have some good stuff I've used - makes a noticeable difference. Combine it with some under carpet insulation and it can make a big difference.

At least the engine is cool and happy, even if the driver isn't quite so comfortable!

[AlanCasida]

Sounds like it's time for some insulation on the floor above the headers. DEI and HeatShield products both have some good stuff I've used - makes a noticeable difference. Combine it with some under carpet insulation and it can make a big difference.

At least the engine is cool and happy, even if the driver isn't quite so comfortable!

I've already put 1/2" of heat absorbent mat under my carpet, which still has the jute backing on it. I also put 1/2" of heat absorbing mat on the firewall behind the OEM style insulator. When I was checking the floor when I got home I put my hand on the front roll cage down bar near the floor and it was really hot too.  If I open the floor vent it's like turning the heater on because it blows the heat from the floor up in my face. Maybe I am just getting old...

[70tp]

I’ve got a 458 tunnelport in my 70 Mach - here , in fl, we used to joke that our shoes were melting to the floor.    Always was torture to drive it in the summer    I could make the motor run cool, but the interior was another story.   I want to try to install ac in it bit I’m not sure it can overcome the interior heat   

[jayb]

Alan, are your headers ceramic coated?  That coating really cuts down on the radiant heat...

[AlanCasida]

Alan, are your headers ceramic coated?  That coating really cuts down on the radiant heat...

They are coated but not like Jet Hot. I got it done locally and I'll just say I was less than satisfied. That may be what I need to try.

[winr1]

Is there any way to allow incoming air to flow through the engine bay and to the outside ??

That is I mean, air other than the air that has went through your radiator

Some sort of ducting such as disk brake backing plates or such ...



Ricky.

[wcbrowning]

How about header wrap?

Alan, are your headers ceramic coated?  That coating really cuts down on the radiant heat...

They are coated but not like Jet Hot. I got it done locally and I'll just say I was less than satisfied. That may be what I need to try.

[cobracammer]

I had this exact same issue!  It was opposite of what I thought, but by mounting the fans directly on the radiator without the shroud, I got more airflow at any speed and the temp came down.  My only difference between overheating and perfection was removing the shroud. Hope this helps   

[e philpott]

Maybe a thin aluminum heat shield underneath between the Body and Header like how new cars have ? Maybe some heat wrap in that area ? Jet hot Coating ? maybe a combination of several things Jet Hot and a heat shield or wrap ?

[machoneman]

Alan, are your headers ceramic coated?  That coating really cuts down on the radiant heat...

They are coated but not like Jet Hot. I got it done locally and I'll just say I was less than satisfied. That may be what I need to try.

Yep, my Jet-Hot coated Hookers made an amazing difference in underhood heat. Need to ask though: total timing is ? Running a vacuum advance?

[AlanCasida]

Alan, are your headers ceramic coated?  That coating really cuts down on the radiant heat...

They are coated but not like Jet Hot. I got it done locally and I'll just say I was less than satisfied. That may be what I need to try.

Yep, my Jet-Hot coated Hookers made an amazing difference in underhood heat. Need to ask though: total timing is ? Running a vacuum advance?
[/quote
My total timing is set at 32 deg and I do not have vacuum advance. The engine seems to be running ok as far as temp goes. I guess  having always run in a big car (66 Galaxie) I am not used to the extra interior heat that goes with a big motor in a small car.