What’s everyone’s cooling setup?

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standup303

standup303

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Curious what everyone is running as well as clearance w/ mechanical water pump and overall performance.

I’m thinking of going with the Champion 26” 3 row w/fans and shroud but need to dig deeper into depth of the assembly (engine is not in car yet).
Champion-CC374B-374FS12SP

But I also see a lot of guys running the Ford Contour fan as well.
 
standup303 said:
Curious what everyone is running as well as clearance w/ mechanical water pump and overall performance.

I’m thinking of going with the Champion 26” 3 row w/fans and shroud but need to dig deeper into depth of the assembly (engine is not in car yet).
Champion-CC374B-374FS12SP

But I also see a lot of guys running the Ford Contour fan as well.
Click to expand...
Champion B Body 26”, not sure on number, Mopar viscous 5 blade fan, and Hayden 2947 clutch. 1/2” clearance from clutch to rad.

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I’ve tried the Contour fans, a large Derale electric fan and ultimately I went mechanical on mine. The electric fans worked ok. The Contour fans blocked airflow on the freeway so she ran a little warmer than I was comfortable with on the longer runs in the summer. The single fan didn’t cover enough of the rad so in stop and go traffic she ran warmer than I liked. In neither case did it over heat, just warmer than I was comfortable with. The mechanical setup has been great.

ECP 26” radiator (2) 1” tube core
26″ Big Block Mopar Radiator

Flow cooler water pump
FlowKooler 1679 FlowKooler Hi-Flow Mechanical Water Pumps | Summit Racing

Steel mechanical fan
Derale Cooling Products 17318 Derale Rigid Race Fans | Summit Racing

EMP Stewart 180* thermostat
EMP/Stewart Components 301 EMP Stewart High Performance Thermostats | Summit Racing

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26 Chinesium aluminum rad, twin pusher electric fans, if that won't do it A buddy of mine who owns a sheet metal will build a custom shroud for me
 
You won't go wrong with stock copper brass radiator and a mechanical fan.

US radiator has a great video on their website about all the tube / fin options you can get and the benefits of each.

Don't be coeresed into aluminum and electric fans it is not the holy grail of radiators.
 
MomsDuster said:
I’ve tried the Contour fans, a large Derale electric fan and ultimately I went mechanical on mine. The electric fans worked ok. The Contour fans blocked airflow on the freeway so she ran a little warmer than I was comfortable with on the longer runs in the summer.
Click to expand...

That is also my experience with my 451 (26" 3-row aluminum radiator and Contour fans with an Autocoolguy PWM controller). It will idle in 95F traffic or standstill and maintain 183 all day. But at 65 mph (3300 rpm) it very slowly creeps up to 198 over about 20-30 minutes. If I hold it down to 60, it stays around 192-194. Comes back down after getting off the highway.

I don't have a radiator-to-hood seal though, and the six-pak hood may be disturbing the highway airflow through the compartment too. I haven't bothered to investigate further because... it works :) Like you said, that's not overheating, but I would be happier if it stayed just above the t-stat opening temp under any operating conditions.

This is an older pic with a simple on-off switch in the upper hose, before I got the PWM controller. It didn't work as well (didn't come on until 195, then off at 185, not adjustable) and the sudden full-on load of both fans made my already marginal idle unhappy.

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Stock 1964 A body 3 row brass copper radiator, 4 blade fixed fan, stock water pump and 160 high flow thermostat.
 
Unfortunately, none of it is in use yet but as recommended by a few members the contour fans, 26 in b-body cold case radiator, 440 source aluminum w/p housing and pump.
Someday, someday....
 
3 core 26” champion alum rad, 17” 6 blade derale hi flow mechanical fan, hi flow 160 thermostat, slight overdrive water pump pulley from CVF

Had a 190 thermostat in it before I swapped intakes and changed to a 160 hi flow but and never went over 180 with original setup.

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I have a Cold Case 22" radiator, 18" flex fan with shroud, 180 degree thermostat, high flow Milodon water pump. It will run about 175 at a cruise, and in the heat here in Arizona, it will slowly heat up at a stop, not even getting to 200. Once moving, it cools right back down. My shroud isn't sealed to the radiator very well....
 
Has a champion 4 row 22" when I first put the stock bottom 79 440 block in (read near 0 compression). When I stroked it and bumped up to 10.5:1 I would over heat even with a flowkooler high flow pump and 2 10" puller fans. Bought a 26" Cold Case and 12" Spal puller fans and its been great. Adding an oil cooler with a thermostat control never hurt ether....
 
The very good "Original" Factory setup no substitutes! Well, I guess, use a high flow stat and flow cooler pump for BB.

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In addition to fans and shrouds, has anyone tried additives to reduce friction to lower engine heat?
 
I've got a 440 and using a 26" Champion 3 core radiator, stock shroud and stock mechanical fan and clutch. With a 180 stat in it, it barely creeps over 190-195ish on the hottest of days sitting in traffic. It's usually pegged right at 180. Prior to the Champion radiator, I ran a factory Mopar 26" B body radiator from 1970 that came with the engine. It also worked perfectly to keep it cool. It's a stock water pump and pump housing for the engine too.
 
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