First time doing a restoration. 1966 coupe. BluePrint BP38318CTCV.. First mistake was not getting the serpentine system. I am on my 3rd w.p. , v-belt driven. First one leaked. Second one, along with the first one, had the wrong direction impeller. Third one is from BluePrint. Back plate drips a little. Prob. have to pull it off and reseal it. . On a 100 mile + drive I don't have to add and coolant. Minor leak. Drips about the size of 50 cent piece over night.

I installed the 32-SP020 DeWitts radiator. One 16 inch fan. DeWitts web sight recommends this for the 1965-67 small block, natural finish.

Car runs 210 all the time this afternoon. Nebraska 95 degree day. Maybe 200 in the morning on the highway.

Am I overly concerned ? Should I have used a different radiator ? I left the org. fan shroud on the car. New belts. Tight. Fan moves about 1,918/ min. I think they have a 2,000 or 2,300 cfm fan now.

New top rad. hose. Used the old bottom one, it looked in good shape. DeWitts switch kicks the fan in at 195 degrees.

Do I want a cooler switch and thermostat ? Like 185 or something ? Or am I just a worry wart ? 1.5 years of work. Sure would like to use it. lol.

I am concerned about the extra load the a.c. system will have on the cooling.

How are others getting along with their DeWitts and after market a.c. systems ?

P.S. I have a fast idle solenoid ordered for this Holley carb to kick in when the a.c. kicks in. Arrives Friday.

 

You say it runs 210. Is that by dashboard gage or by direct reading thermal indicator gun?

 



 

Dash gauge. Tell me about this gun. Where do I shoot it ? Block, radiator, radiator hoses ?

 

Dash gages are not precision measuring devices and can be badly off. So, you first need to know actual temps. Try this: . Just shoot it at any surface in contact with coolant. Start there before spending more $$$ on parts.

 

IR Gun to confirm the accuracy of your gauge. I find the thermostat housing to be the best spot to shoot.
Temp send units are often not calibrated properly, causing inaccurate readings.

 

Try not to direct heat guns to shiny surfaces. It will distort the heat reading. Add tape to any chrome/shiny surface to be shot.....

 

"Cooler switch and thermostat"

Can you be more specific? I don't want to assume you mean the t-stat on the engine, as I'm unfamiliar with the exact cooling system you are using.

 

Point the Infra Red gun at the temperature sending unit, the thermostat housing, the upper radiator hose (near the thermostat housing) and take readings from a distance of 6 - 8". This will give you a much better idea of the coolant temperature

 

Thanks to all for the education. Will do.

 

Weel, between me and another mech. we are pouring over this cooling problem on my 1966 with a new DeWitt alum with a single fan and a new BluePrint BP38318CTCV. Bad water pumps to seals leaking ect.

Found the problem, we think. I did not have a hood on the car. Air was running up and over the radiator, instead of through it. As you can see in the pic the cardboard did the trick. The high temps you see in the pic was with no electric fan working, I pulled the fuse. Other pic show with the fuse in. It was 90 degrees during testing.Drove 60 mph during testing.

On to the next problem. Micro switch in A.C. unit from Classic Air not kicking in the compressor. I hope I left a wire unplugged some place and don't have to pull the whole unit out. Org. when I got my C.A. I called and complained that the shaft the micro works on was way to sloppy a fit. No, they said it is normal. Not. I sent it back in and they took about 50% of the slope out on the pivoting shaft that controls the micro switch. After careful examination I decide it should work ok. I was guilty of not check the continuity of the electric system before buttoning it all up and installing it. Like I said, I hope I find the blue wire from the microswitch is bad and not the microswitch.

Oh, I had a shop shoot the radiator, manifold, hoses, ect. We concluded that the dash heat gauge is or about 10 degrees off. Meaning it shows 10 degrees hotter than the motor actual is running.

Thanks for your help, and always run with a hood on. lol.