How to be "Cool" question
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,748
Likes: 0
From: Titusville FL
How to be "Cool" question
Well like all things with these cars, I have found myself doing MUCH MUCH more than I ever thought. After rebuilding the rear suspension and lots of odds and ends on the car, I have decided to rebuild my small block. This will be a minor rebuild with new heads, mild cam, headers, etc. Nothing crazy, but around 350 hp. Well with the engine out, I was thinking it is a great time to put in a new radiator. I have read the reviews, and am opting for a Dewitts... Now for the big question... Should I be able to stick with just a Dewitts aluminum radiator and keep my original shroud and engine fan? Or should I bite the bullet and get the electric dual fan setup? Also.. The car has a TH400 and factory AC in it.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,874
Likes: 7
From: l In
Bite the bullet, After you get rid of that damned shrowd (You will be a happy Man). Never have to worry about the over heating thing. I have had the DeWitt's setup for 5 or so years and love it. Well worth the money.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,116
From: Crossville TN
Call Dewitt's and ask them that question. I'll bet that they tell you it doesn't matter which route you go, as long as the components you use are in good condition and the shroud is sealed as it should be. If it were me, and I knew the thermostatic fan was still operational, I would just keep the same hardware and save my money for 'driving gas'.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,748
Likes: 0
From: Titusville FL
Thanks Phil.. I was leaning towards that, but the tightwad in me was thinking maybe I can get away with just the radiator as I am already throwing thousand$ at it already. But for a few hundred more, I can have piece of mind that it will stay cool.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 691
Likes: 25
From: Boynton Beach Florida
My own personal experience here in the sunshine state with electric fans versus an engine driven fan clutch has been negative on the electrics and positive on the fan clutch. Now with that said maybe there is just something really odd with my car but I tried dual 11" Spal styled fans and also the Lincoln Mark VIII set up and at slower speeds it cooled pretty good but at highway speed for fairly long distance the temp rose into the 210-220 range since the fan housing seems to block air flow at higher speed.
Now the opposite tends to occur with the manual fan, cool on the highway but warm in traffic but once you're moving the temps come down. I pulled the electrics and went with a 7 blade flex fan and built a custom shroud extender and run a Dewitts radiator. The biggest challenge seems to be low speed air flow and super high humidity but then again I'm surrounded by water and that's ok
Now the opposite tends to occur with the manual fan, cool on the highway but warm in traffic but once you're moving the temps come down. I pulled the electrics and went with a 7 blade flex fan and built a custom shroud extender and run a Dewitts radiator. The biggest challenge seems to be low speed air flow and super high humidity but then again I'm surrounded by water and that's ok
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,753
Likes: 119
From: Springfield Missouri
It depends on what look you want on the engine, stock look with shroud and stock fan set up or without shroud and no stock fan but electric fan. The radiator will cool much better than a stock one, and will work great withe shroud and stock fan, or at least mine does. If you want to go with electric fans and no shroud, you will have to get wiring and sensor installed, and , will have work to do with that, and if you don't know what you are doing, ity will look like BUBBA was there. I vote on just replacing the radiator with a Dewitts' and keeping the stock shroud and fan, because that's the look I like. BUT, its your car so go with what you want in the end.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 14
From: Dallas-Fort Worth TX
Space, go with the entire package. Rad and fan combo. You will not regret it. Also it cleans up the engine bay a whole bunch.. With yer SB you will see all the extra room and a cleaner look. My fans come on in traffic/stop light and I can watch the temp gauge drop within a minute.
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Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 12,399
Likes: 247
From: San Jose CA
Space, go with the entire package. Rad and fan combo. You will not regret it. Also it cleans up the engine bay a whole bunch.. With yer SB you will see all the extra room and a cleaner look. My fans come on in traffic/stop light and I can watch the temp gauge drop within a minute.
In the later sharks, it actually cleans the engine bay up quite a bit too. There's so much crap in there that losing half a foot by three feet of engine fan & shroud is QUITE significant!
I could probably stand on the front crossmember in front of the motor if I wanted to now.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 925
Likes: 7
I live about 40 minutes south of you, run a strong-street 468 with the DeWitts and stock shroud and fan. Works great for me. Cruise at 205 at 90 degrees. After a 30 mile ride (hot oil), idling for 10 minutes in the driveway last weekend yielded 210 degrees. I'm not in traffic much, but if the temp creeps up, a minute moving will start the temp dropping.
I am happy with the stock set-up and the DeWitts. I don't know about amp draw with electric fans (is it a big deal on a 52 amp alternator?), but I'm a bubba with electrical.
