64 barracuda runs hot

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64conv65hard

64conv65hard

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My 64 runs hot while sitting at stop lights (i can watch the temp climb as i sit) but will cool down (back to center of stock gauge) after getting up to speed. The engine (273) is new and the radiator (22") was sent to the shop and cleaned. New hoses and thermostat also. One thing i noticed was the fan (6 blade) does not sit in the center of radiator. There is about 3" of rad not covered on drivers side and the fan hangs out past the rad on the passenger side, also there is about a 2" spacer that has the fan close (about 1") from the radiator. I'm thinking of building a shroud (since i cannot find one that fits a 64) and hoping this will help. Also considering removing the spacer to bring fan back and extending the shroud for more air pull. Any suggestions would help. Also vapor lock is a problem, would this help eliminate the vapor lock problem or should i put spacer under carb (2bbl)?
 
The fan is supposed to be kinda close to the radiator. A fan shroud should help some.

That is a pretty group of cars in your picture.
 
Keep the fan close to the radiator. What kind of fan is it? How do you know the engine is running hot? Have you put a known good thermometer on it? Just seeing the temp gauge go up a bit is normal. Any coolers in front of the radiator? I assume something has been modified up front if you have a 22" radiator as they only came with 19's that year. Is the core support sealed to the radiator on all sides so the air can only come through the radiator and not around the edges?
 
when measuring radiator, do you measure tanks or just core? If just core then it's 19". Radiator is sealed to front so air only flows thru it and cannot flow around it.
 
Yeah, measure just the core. Those '64 models were always on the edge in cooling capacity with a V8 under the hood. If I owned one, I'd put in a 3 row core and a 7 blade rigid fan. I would still test the actual temp and see what it reads. Does the temp keep climbing when it idles or does it eventually level out without boiling over?
 
The stock gage is a guesstimate one ... put an aftermarket gage on it and it'll read the exact temp . If you do not have a space for a aftermarket one on the intake I have seen electric ones that screw to the factory sending unit and even comes with one in the package . I bought mine from O'reilly's @ $30. I have a 160 thermostate and it goes from 160 - 170 and back down again even when I had no fan , fan shroud and straight water .
 
My old slant did that bud .. we put a v8 fan in it made it alot better .. then when we got it back it was doing it agin .... It was way outta time .. check your timing bud
 
Borrowed the wife's meat thermometer and found actual temp on gauge. Straight up dead center on gauge is 180. Have a fan shroud made (post pics when i get back home) Just need to find 45 fittings for trans cooling lines because of how shroud sits. Thanks for the input.
 
It is a common misconception that the thermostat will control to a precise temperature. It doesn't. As the heat load increases, the operating point will creep up. Of course, once it is fully open, it has lost control. Do you know that is true, i.e. the temperature won't settle out at a reasonable value? Has it ever boiled over?

Making a shroud is tough. Easier to add a pusher fan to the front. That is all my 64 Valiant slant has (no mechanical fan). You might be able to fit a later 22" radiator (my slant has one). The standoffs still let air flow to the full area, even though your opening is only 19" wide.
 
Had the same problem with my Fury when I put her on the road... Went over the timing, thermostat, running too lean and fan issues..... Was running the original radiator after just having it tanked... Still ran hot - to the H on the guesstimate gauge, and would boil over in traffic.... ended up taking the radiator to another local radiator shop and they suggested a high efficiency core between my original tanks..... Best $240 I ever spent on a radiator. This thing has the advertised efficiency of a 4 core, but is only a 3 core. Kept the factory look by keeping my tanks and even in 95 degree traffic, never goes above 1/2 way on the factory gauge.
 
OK, here's the fan shroud but now i need to get (2) 45 degree angle fittings for the transmission cooling lines because the bottom of the shroud is right there.

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shroud001.jpg
 
in the summer I always just take out thermostat out, dont need heat and keeps the coolant moving through engine temp down on the 318.....never had any issues, especially when I was drag racing back in the days 10 years ago.....Jusy my own KISS methodology
 
I used an additive called "Water Wetter" and it brought my Temp. down Approx. 25 degrees. It was the only thing I did at the time so I know it was working.
 
If you get hot at idle but run cool out on the road, the problem is airflow, plain and simple.

1. Close all the gaps, holes or whatever in your core support and around the radiator. (You want all air going through, not around your radiator)

2. You need a fan that moved enough air.

3. You need a shroud to direct that air.
 
Haven't put it on yet. Just got back in town Tuesday and just found a place to order the 45's today. They should be in on Monday so after I get everything together I'll post pictures of the shroud mounted in the car and let you know how it works. BTW the radiator is sealed to the front so no problems with airflow there. One problem though is since the fan doesn't sit in the center I believe I do get alot of air (hot) being circulated from engine compartment and not enough fresh air from outside.
 
That was a problem I had with my car after I installed fenderwell headers. The fan could just beat up the air behind the radiator and not necessarily move it through. There's not a lot of room under the hood with a v-8 anyway and then with the fan offset like it is the fan was not moving air efficiently. A shroud (built from fiberglass) cured the problem for several years but it didn't look near as nice as yours!! I've since installed an aluminum radiator, Furd Turdus electric fan and a variable controller which keeps things really cool under the hood.
 
64conv65hard said:
One problem though is since the fan doesn't sit in the center I believe I do get a lot of air (hot) being circulated from engine compartment and not enough fresh air from outside.
Click to expand...

The shroud should be a big help as long as it covers the entire core area.
 
OK, sorry it took so long but got the shroud on today. works good so far but the real test will be tomorrow when it's near 90. Will be in Washington DC on an HBO film and was picked to bring the Barracuda and Valiant post down to be in the movie. More info on that later. Anyway, here's the shroud in place.

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