godzilladude

So, like lots of folks, I have added a centri to a street car, and notice it is running a mite warmer. Adding water wetter makes it work pretty well now, even in 100+ Texas heat. While just looking at some other items under the hood, I noticed that there is lots of open room for air to flow around the sides of the radiator. Is that good? My first thought would have been that I'd want everything in front of the radiator sealed up so ALL the air coming in the nose HAS to go through the radiator and not bypass it.

Is there some reason to leave those big gaps around the radiator? Some max air flow issue with the radiator?

Apologies if this is a stupid question, just looking for some knowledge.

meldog21

Air that is supposed to go through the radiator and leaks out through other areas will reduce cooling. When I installed my supercharger I used foam around the edges of the radiator and any other areas (around the intake/air filter/dongle). After closer inspection I had to make some additional plastic plates to completely seal the air flow on the sides. It wasn't too hard. Just make some paper or cardboard templates, transfer to some excess plastic, cut out the shapes, rivet to existing shrouding.

The supercharger will add heat anyway. The intercooler will block air to the radiator. You just have to do the best you can to keep everything cool.

Dog

gbvette62

I agree with Meldog21.

Air flows just like water. Any resistance it encounters, will cause it to change direction. The better you can seal the radiator, the better it will cool.

AU N EGL

duct tape works too

z06801

Everybody here hates my front, but it defiantly keeps my temps where they should be, and that is feeding a forged 434ci ls2. the air is forced though the radiator with ducting. no gaps Z06 screens are covered with duct tape.

godzilladude

Thanks for the feedback! I thought I was missing something tricky here. Why the heck didn't they seal all that up from the factory? Ah well, time for some creative engineering . . .

John Shiels

they don't build race cars.

RacePro Engineering

DISCLAIMER: We have not played with cooling a C6.

With that understood, it also helps to provide as smooth an EXIT for the air as possible, after it has passed through the radiator, hopefully not evacuating it directly under the car.

Simply jamming more air through a narrower space (radiator) in the front will only create more high pressure and turbulance in front of the car. Providing it a way to flow faster through and past the radiator will help.

Ed

waddisme

I have always wondered about the seal at the back of the engine bay in front of the cowl. Would removing that allow the air to flow thru faster? Seems like someone in their aero testing would have tried that. Anyone?

Cobra4B

I removed the rear gasket/seal at the cowl with no ill effects. I've always heard that it's a high pressure area and can let air go back into the engine bay though.

VetteDrmr

Haven't flow tested a C5/6 to make sure, but typically the area at the base of the windshield is a high pressure area. You can see this on a NASCAR intake setup where the air to the intake comes from the base of the windshield.

Low pressure area usually is around 1/4 to 1/2 the distance back from the front of the hood. Again that's a generality, but gives you an idea.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

vms4evr

That would suck air into the engine bay, not let it flow out and over the windshield. Which is what you want for cooling. NASCAR runs their cowl opening for inlet air to the carburetor. Leave your seal on.

Look at the C5R and/or C6R hoods for reference. Since GM spent a lot of money getting the hood vents to get hot air out of the radiator and brakes. I made a poor mans version since I didn't feel like buying a $1500 hood just to get vents.

realcanuk

I have removed that seal and while it seems to have no noticable effect on coolant temps (which I have no problem with anyways), my IAT's dropped considerably while the car is moving.

Pumba

More data please.

That's a very interesting observation. Are you using the standard C6 air filter and induction system?

realcanuk

I have an eforce supercharger which has its own air intake but its very similar to the stock one. Like I said, engine temps are maybe a little cooler although my car never ran hot so that's not important to me. As far as intake air temps, they run about 20° cooler on a hot day on the highway. They also drop much quicker when moving from traffic to steady speeds. I have seen no bad effects from removing that weather strip.

Pumba

Thanks Jody.

I find your comments support an observation I made during this year's Hot Rod Power Tour.

On the fouth day of the tour, we were driving between Champaign, Illinois and Maidson, Illinois - Gatway Motorsports Park. On the tour, you can take either a route that follows the expressways, or you can take a route that follows two-lane roads. We were on the two-lane road route. The ambient temperatures were in the 95 to 98 degrees F area. My water temps, which are usually stabile at 187 degrees F, had climbed to 192 degrees F. I have a Ron Davis radiator and a SETRAB oil cooler, so I did not understand why they had climbed.

As an experiment, I popped my hood release as I was driving. On a C5 that allows the hood to rise at the rear about two to three inches. Over the next 5 minutes my coolant temperature dropped by 4 degrees F. That leads me to believe that I had increased the airflow through my radiator and out of the engine compartment.

Has anyone else tried this?

yooper

Are you running the stock non-vented hood?

Pumba

No, I am running a Motor City Mold vented Hood.





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moespeeds

A buddy at the track told me to drill a bunch of 1/2" holes in my fender well to help exchange air behind the radiator. Any validity to this theory? C5 btw.

Gering

Nice Looking Vet!