472 Hemi in a 68 cuda ,cooling problems

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hdphilbo

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I have a 68 cuda with a hughes engines built 472 hemi and a 727 auto with a 3000 stall converter.it was originally a 318 car and has the original 22" 3 core radiator with shroud.it has a 6 blade flex fan and a 1" spacer 180 thermostat.on the hwy it's fine.idling or in traffic.it gets real hot.do i need a different radiator and fan combo?or what do i need to keep this beast cool?
 
Tell you what. You send the 472 up here and if I ever get this figured out, I'll send it back
 
In short, get a 26"w x22"h x3"thick alum rad with 1"-1 1/4" tubes, 22 or so fins-per-inch & 2 elec fans that will pull as much air as possible. Use Evans coolant, and an alum waterpump and you should be set. My 528 Hemi has this set-up & it seems to work.
This can get technical so I suggest you talk to a rad. MANUFACTURER first, not just a supplier, and get their input.
 
do you have undersize(race) pulleys that reduce the fan speed? they would slow down not only the air movement thru the radiator ,but also the amount of coolant flowing thru it?

I have done several Hemi A body swaps....all with March pulleys that are standard ratio....never a cooling problem in the 100 plus degree summer heat....with the A/C on.

A simple check....does it cool down when sitting still , but holding the RPM around 1200RPM?....if it does....bingo!
 
hdphilbo said:
I have a 68 cuda with a hughes engines built 472 hemi and a 727 auto with a 3000 stall converter.it was originally a 318 car and has the original 22" 3 core radiator with shroud.it has a 6 blade flex fan and a 1" spacer 180 thermostat.on the hwy it's fine.idling or in traffic.it gets real hot.do i need a different radiator and fan combo?or what do i need to keep this beast cool?
Click to expand...

how hot is it you call real hot ?
 
If you are fine on the highway that means your system has the capacity to keep it cool. At idle you do not have enough airflow.

And like jimjimjimmy asked: What is hot? I hope you are using something more than a 40 year old, factory gauge, without any numbers on it, that wasn't even accurate when new to keep track of that engine.
 
HemiDenny said:
do you have undersize(race) pulleys that reduce the fan speed? they would slow down not only the air movement thru the radiator ,but also the amount of coolant flowing thru it?

I have done several Hemi A body swaps....all with March pulleys that are standard ratio....never a cooling problem in the 100 plus degree summer heat....with the A/C on.

A simple check....does it cool down when sitting still , but holding the RPM around 1200RPM?....if it does....bingo!
Click to expand...

idling it will pin the gauge if i leave it
 
hemicop said:
In short, get a 26"w x22"h x3"thick alum rad with 1"-1 1/4" tubes, 22 or so fins-per-inch & 2 elec fans that will pull as much air as possible. Use Evans coolant, and an alum waterpump and you should be set. My 528 Hemi has this set-up & it seems to work.
This can get technical so I suggest you talk to a rad. MANUFACTURER first, not just a supplier, and get their input.
Click to expand...

can you put a 26" rad in the a body cuda? im working on getting the correct clutch fan for it and i have a 14 electric im installing on the outside of the rad.hoping the double push pull air will help? i have the mopar aluminum water pump on it. never heard of evens coolant?good stuff?
 
1968FormulaS340 said:
And what temperature is that? You need to at least install an accurate gauge temporarily.

Pics of the fan and pulley system would help.
Click to expand...
im getting a real gauge for it this week so i know exactly how hot it's getting.i dont want to let it get to hot.im afraid of blowing it up or messing something else up
 
hdphilbo said:
can you put a 26" rad in the a body cuda? im working on getting the correct clutch fan for it and i have a 14 electric im installing on the outside of the rad.hoping the double push pull air will help? i have the mopar aluminum water pump on it. never heard of evens coolant?good stuff?
Click to expand...
I would assume so, as they're both A-bodies. As to the coolant, "Evans" is polypropelyne based, not gycol, so it has a higher boiling point, absorbs & dissipates heat faster & is allowed on NHRA tracks. Something gycol-based coolants aren't or at least frowned upon. Evans has it's own website. Is your pusher fan thermostatically controlled? If so, what's it set for? I don't know too many people that run pusher-type set-ups anymore as the tachnology has pretty much scienced-out many cooling problems. Another issue : are SURE your thermostat is working?
My car had a faulty one right from the start---replaced it--- problem solved!
 
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