After all the discussion on this subject, I don't recall any mention on the affect of airflow through the radiator being diminished by putting an A/C condenser in front of the radiator.
In thinking back, I don't think I had high temperatures BEFORE I put my A/C in. And it doesn't seem to matter if the compressor is running or not even though the condenser fan runs whenever the main fan runs.
SO, I'm thinking maybe airflow may be my main problem.
If so, where would a good alternate location be?
I have my oil cooler below the radiator so that's not a problem.
Thoughts??? Steve??? Whoever???

Hi Fred, My 2 cents would be, Do you have a fan shroud? The condenser does impede the airflow somewhat, also when running the compressor the condenser gets hot, so if you are thinking of puting it elsewhere it has to have a fan on it to cool it while you are standing still. A shroud is a real effective way to insure good airflow through the radiator Do the towel test, Hover a towel in front of your radiator about 8 inches from it while the fan or engine is running, if you have good flow, it should suck it right to the radiator, let it go, it should stick. I did this test with my deuce, before and after the installation of a shroud. There was an unbelievable differance in air flow.

Ed;
The 16" puller fan on teh back of the radiator has a built in shroud. The condenser has a 10" pusher fan on it & they are wired to run together. So if I move the condenser the fan will go too. Just wondering where I can put it. Yeah, yeah I know one place I can put it. LOL But it won't get much airflow there.
By the way, when I had the condenser fan wired to run only when the A/C was on, the water temp really got hot in the summer. It got bette when I wired the two together. That's why I now suspect airflow problems.

I`m not a big fan {lol] of electric fans, a waterpump driven fan makes more airflow at speeds, the electric fan in my opinion only flows at one set speed, when you go fast enough say around 55-65, the air going through the radiator is going at a faster rate of speed than the electric fan can handle, thus it forms a wall where the air dosent flow through efficiently. I had my bout with these fans and changed over to mechanical fan and shroud, cured the problem of inconsistantly running warmer than I was comfortable with, This is where Steve comes in and give me a good bitch slapping, but it worked for me. I`m sure it would rely on the engine and cooling system used. I have a 417 sb stroker, never gets over 170 degrees in 90 degree heat.

Fred, Ed does have a good point about the condensing coil doing some blocking of air at speed. Anything in front of the rad is going to do some blocking. It's important to have the air coils as close to the radiator as possible, eliminating eddys from forming in front of the radiator. But, this has been a tried and true method of air conditioning since Barney Rubble.

You could move the coil to an alternative location, and you will have to decide depending on vehicle and space available. I have seen them on floorboards, tucked behind the differential, under running boards and even in big fenders. I have even see two smaller units tied together in fenders that worked really good. I put air on a 35 ford truck just recently and we put the coil under the bed in the middle just back of the cab. The 10 inch electric fan is there pointing down thru the coil. You have to run a fan on anything that is not in front of the rad. Works like a charm and no coil up front and the overall cooling is better.

Now, Ed is right, I am going to slap him silly with logic and science. Wanna watch! While he is right,... if at speed, and that's the operative word here...at engine speed or RPMS, your engine is turning more than 2600 RPM and has a big 17 inch 7 blade big block fan, then the thing will, if not clutched and departed, outpace a quality electric fan with those circumstances. About a tested 2600CFM...not my me...CHP. But at those engine speeds the incoming airflow is supposed to be sufficient enough to do the job. Anyway, when you are motoring down the road you should have enough airflow (actually everyone uses 26 MPH, depending on rad size) to cool your engine and air. Obviously, as the temp goes up (whether produced by ambiant temps or just turning on the air) the cooling is less unless you can produce more coolant flow and/or airflow. Anywho, Dc motored fans will produce more airflow if the incoming air is moving before it gets to the blades as well. The air pressure is more on the front and less on the back making for more air through the fan. Anyway, the dc electric fan running does not block air to any great extent at all (a big rigid fan sitting clutched and sitting still or moving at a low speed will block more air than a windmilling electric fan will anyday). In fact, the radiator should cool down at speed and shut the fan off only to "freewheel" at almost throughput airspeed. So, when you really need the cooling, at idle and slow speed conditions, the electric fan will out produce ANY mechanical fan, even tho as our adorable Ed says, the mechanical fan will outproduce an electric fan at speed. Correctmundo there buddy. But, your absolute need for induced airflow is at idle and slow cruise and should not be at just cruising around.

Now, that does not mean that there aren't perfectly suitable systems out there that use mechanical apparatus to get the job done as Ed has done.....no argument there. Actually, I like the look of the old mechanical setups better on some applications. My wife's Camaro has one...and it has air. But, modern car designers have just about gone to electrics on everything, not because "sidewinders" can't drive a mechanical fan, but they reduce the frontal areas of the cars which means they reduce the size of the radiators which means that they want the most and best flow and that means......electrical high CFM fans to boot. The combo of aluminum rads with powerfull electric fans cool better than anything before.

In my experiences, most people that have had bad or questionable experiences with electric fans usually have not bought the real high quality air producers. This is not always the case tho...., but just my take after anwering over 500 differing emails on cooling in the last two years alone. Usually, they fall for the "gorilla" type of hype and a claim of 2700CFMs of airflow (and at $75) usually ends up in the 1500cfm range. You have to have at least 300watts to move in excess of 2550, regardless of blade design. Buy either a Spal or a Derale. Most others are pretenders in my opinion.

To exemplify this, I recently had a guy from Atlanta bring me a 32 roadster that he was having overheating problems with. He had an electric puller fan that he thought was the tops. He said that he wanted it junked because it didn't work and Southern Rods and Parts had told him that it was the best at 2700cfms and they couldn't do anything more for him (I hate those guys)! After examining the fan and doing a running current test on the thing, it only produced about 17 amps of current draw..that means about 1700 cfms at best. I asked him to simply swap for a Spal that I gave him the part number for and he now says it runs right on the thermostat all the time....everytime, regardless of temperature.

I run an electric pusher fan (2700CFM) on my 57 with the LT1 (old style)small block, with the air a blowing at 100 degrees here in Atlanta, and it never gets off 185 degrees. Kinda coldsy inside in fact, my wife complains of a meatlocker temperature!

And Fred, anytime you add more air across the radiator the cooling will improve, regardless of whether the air is running or not! This is the case when you run the other fan I am sure. I am not sure it is an acurate indicator of airflow issues tho.....

And finally, Fred, I thought you had this problem licked, is your problem at speed or slow and idle? Let's get to it!
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Steve Jack
Engineering & Marketing Technologies
ConceptOne Brackets and Pulleys

Slow, at-idle, at speed---all the above.
It just flat runs too hot when the outside temp is above 80.

But you may have struck on something when you mentioned the eddy currents set up by a space between the radiator and condenser since I DO have a space between them. About 4" I think.

Again, remember, I never had high coolant temps until I installed the A/C system.

I know it isn't the water pump or the timing and a 2750CFM fan and a 1600 cfm fan should move enough air through the radiator and condenser unless the eddy flow is the problem.
Should I try mounting the condenser on the radiator?

Yes......mount the condensing coil as flat as possible against the radiator!I usually put small rubber slats in to prevent core to core or fin to fin contact.

If the coil is left out too far in front, the coil WILL block more air flow do to the air coming thru the aircoil and forming this blanket "dead" zone which is unorganised and in disarray after leaving the fins. By snuggling the coil up against the radiator the air coming thru still has speed and direction adding tremendously to the flow. This should improve the situation tremdously.

Cya
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Steve Jack
Engineering & Marketing Technologies
ConceptOne Brackets and Pulleys

The condenser should NEVER be up against the radiator(heat transfer). 1 inch away is the general rule. I also seem to have NO trouble with cars that we run mechanical fans(not the garbage flex fans ) Yes the remote condensers work very well,was a little worried at first but something like a 37 chevy that has not much grill opening cant flow enoegh air. So i tried one and everything i am currently building is getting one. HOTRODJOE how the heck could you every get a tri five to over heat. So much air movin though that grill you could cool a 12v71.LOL One other thing ,dont overlook getting the air out of the engine compartment. I have dropped 15-20 degrees by drilling some 2 1/2 inch holes in the inner fender panels of rods that have enclosed engine compartments
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Drive like you stole it !!

What I meant by the post for Fred for putting the two coil FRAMES together....this usually leaves about 1/2 to 1 inch which is fine....lostandfound you are correct. I use rubber slats that are about 1/2 inch for spacing.....this would be the minimum space. However FYI, heat transfer still abounds when the air gets turned on regardless of this space and the ambient incoming air temperature will usually see a rise of 15-20 degrees depending on coil size and system type. This is the standard in the industry for design offset between air and non air applications according to my literature from three differing sources.

Lostandfound, since you are a real hard guy to make happy, I will give you another example of application success just for you. How about my 34 ford five window, 450ish hp, narrow-nosed, obviously,.....will hold an outlet(air conditioning) temperature of 40 degrees on a 97 degree (that's the hottest I have tested it) day in Atlanta, stop and go traffic, and never gets off the thermostat of 190 ....it's sooooooo cold in here....have to open the window, say's me wifey of 30 years...LOL. This is cooled by a 16inch puller.....Spals finest and a 10" pusher on the lower part of the coil (the main fan is as high as I can make it), griffins finest rad, edelbrock high flow waterpump, etal.

You have a great point about relieving pressure behind the radiator by drilling more vents where you can if needed. Great tip!

Lynn....use the part number VA18-AP6-41MA for the 16" puller that you want from Spal. It delivers 2400cfm at O"h2o and sucks up about 22 amps, depending on how high the voltage is. It is the best single 16" self-contained fan in the business as far as air production is concerned. If you want a less noisier fan then the Derale 16" part number 16516 produces 2200cfms and uses 19amps to do such. I have used this fan alot, it's quiet and has sealed bearings too. If you live in a relatively not barbaric climate and/or do not have air, this is the fan for you. My 32 roadster ran on one of these around Atlanta in 100+ degree heat and stayed right on 185 degrees with a copper/brass radiator. So calibrate yourself accordingly.

The best place to get the both of these is from Summit!
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Steve Jack
Engineering & Marketing Technologies
ConceptOne Brackets and Pulleys

Where and how many holes would I drill on the inner fender panels of a 40 Ford Pickup? I have the cooling system setup from all the information passed on this site, but have been wondering about my underhood heat buildup. I'm still in the building stage so I can put some holes in without problem. I am running a BB 460 Ford, about 420HP. Any other tips would be helpful. I don't want to louver the hood if I don't have too. Thanks.
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Lynn Stallbaumer

Can you louver the inner fenders? They would allow for good air flow, they keep mud and road crap out of the engine bay if they're placed right, and they look cool.

HRPP has a good idea about louvers for the inner fenders. I would either do that or drive it first. The 35 that we just got on the road this summer was a tight fit, but cooled just fine with side covers etal. But, with your BB, I would at least think about a couple of louvers inside.
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Steve Jack
Engineering & Marketing Technologies
ConceptOne Brackets and Pulleys

Steve, question about auto transmission cooler. What is your opinion on running an aftermarket trans cooler by itself, not connected to the radiator. I am planning to mount a cooler on the side of the frame next to the transmission and that will be the only means to cool it. If no problem, what size and brand. I have a TCI C-6 ford with 2200 stall. Right now I plan driving the pickup normally with a few burnouts now and then, no towing.
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Lynn Stallbaumer

Lynn, I don't think you will need any more than an average tranny cooler....even with the stall. My 34 that I mentioned before has a 2400 stall and it runs right thru the radiator..no problems even on the hottest and slow crusingest of days.

If you can find a finned tranny pan...that's helps too, but I don't know the space and volume requirement that you have. All that is in a radiator is straight tube with fins...pretty simple. The tube is emmersed in water, but the water is hotter than ambient air temps. Hayden has all kinds of these things and you don't need to put a fan on one either, unless you have heavy duty hauling to do (other than a$$ that is).

Maybe someone can come along and offer a more specific brand or experience here if you want more.
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Steve Jack
Engineering & Marketing Technologies
ConceptOne Brackets and Pulleys

Steve, What is the part number on the Spal (puller) fan that will work and fit best on a '32 Ford? Also, any suggestions on where to purchase it? Thanks!

Lynn
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'32 Ford Tudor

Lynn, Dick Z sells Spal fans right here.

We're so busy learning things and having fun here on their board that sometimes we forget they sell things too :-)

I cant get past the intro page, when I click for more info I get an error msg.
Main question....what is the current draw of the 16" ?
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Carl
Automotive gold is everywhere; you just have to learn how to dig for it

Carl,

Here's a direct link: http://www.streetrodstuff.com/Products/256/

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Jason Long
Streetrod Stuff Webmaster

SRS has these SPAL fans on special. They are now $125 (down from $150). This offer is good until the end of the month or until the current inventory runs out. This is about the lowest price we've seen on these fans, so if you're in the market for one, now's a great time get it.
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Rob Zakrzewski
Streetrod Stuff, Inc.

Gee`s there Steve, That was a slappin around? Ya wimp..LOL I`m just suprised at all the rodders having cooling problems. In building any rod, the cooling system has been on my priority list first, I aint no rocket scientist like yourself, I just use plain old common sense guy. You make valid and understandable points there, but it always boils down to how the person building their rod pays attention to all the cooling basics from the start. All the fancy hi flow waterpumps, aluminum rads, electric fans up the wazoo, Again...like I said before...Duct taping the hole in the boat. It just seems there would be deeper problems with these rods overheating. Am I just lucky after building 40 or so hot rods in my lifetime and not experiancing overheating, barring a thermostat or part failer, I can remember an instance or two. Design it right...stay cool, and no cheapo jc whitney crap, should keep ya rolling.

Hey Edward......how'zit y'all? You are absolutely right when you talk of designing your cooling system from the get-go. The think through of what is needed is just good common sense.

But, I will offer the reason why so many rodders are having cooling issues with their rods and it ain't because they don't know how to build the old fashion way.

One is that there is more horsepower going into every rod today compared with yesterday. Yes, there were mega hp rods 20 years ago, but they simply weren't as prolific as they are today and with the improvement of volumetric efficiency in engines.....it's just easy to do today without all the fuss and the engines simply make more hp per cube (alot more) than just 10 years ago. Think about building a 500 hp small block back in the 70s? Lot's of work, expense and time, and you might get there....with a blower.......... today....piece of cake with ordinary and average parts and it ain't the limit. Don't forget the big cubed motors going in today as well, and on top of that, they want aircondioning and to drive them on 110 degree days in the middle of a fourth of July parade. The expectations bar has been lifted expotentially in this area, that's why more are in trouble.

One more point and it's very errogant of me to even say, but no harm meant, but with this hobby or business of whatever it is, came lots of newbies and that's great....I love em. I have been doing this like yourself forever, but some have just started and they are learning just like we did and they too have to go thru learning curves and most of the time this means that they don't know these things...to be expected really. That's one of the reasons that I write the ariticles that I do for the new guys/gals to the hobby.....not for you old farts. Even after all these years I am still learning many facets of this.

Having said that, the proliferation of today's high performance parts is so much better than yesteryears stock parts, why would you want to use anything else. Why would you want to take a double hump head and rework it to the bone, spend all kinds of $$ and time and still come up with a head that is less than a new Vortec L31, and much more expensive too and is proned to cracking? The use of stock water pumps may be okay, but their inherent design favors the passenger side of the block, they cavitate at 5000rpms, making the engine less efficient all the way around....and they take in some cases three times the horsepower to turn em. Why wouldn't you want to use a new generation water pump with equal distribution and 60% more the flow rate and take a third of the hp? You build engines with parts to gain hp, why not do it by removing parasitic loads?

All in all, think about the proliferation of 400 to 500 hp streetrods, and the want to drive them in downtown Fort Worth in the middle of summer, with a cool inside....you are gonna hear issues, complaints and questions on how to make things better.

Just my two sense!
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Steve Jack
Engineering & Marketing Technologies
ConceptOne Brackets and Pulleys

Here`s ya change from your 2 sense, Most people don`t live in the great state of Texas. These rodders can use the aid of all these cooling helpers if they are experiancing 110 degree days and have 500-600 HP with the air turned on. So you would be correct there I have taken my Deuce out everyday here in 95 to 100 degree heat and I also have a 575 HP small block with all my non smoke and mirrors, I dont believe the temp guage ever reached 190. And hey.....Who ya callin "Old Farts" Ya gonna look silly when one of them old farts comes up to ya and gives you that little slappin you so deserve....yeah, but I guess we all deserve that. And one more thing, about people who are taking those double hump heads and old blocks and spending tons-o bucks.......WAKE UP! Crate engines dude! HP in a box for far less than you can spend hoping for HP out of old parts (more overheating problems). Buy junk...is junk. Oh oh, another can of worms..lol

When your poor and you have 11 sets of humper heads layin on the bench they get used.But there is no way you can beat a crate motor. Man you guys must have some pretty spiffy dynos gettin all that HP. I get 425 out of a smallblock dont seem like much gets near it on the street. I have dynoed some of those hot rod mag 500 HP motors and only seen 365-390 so what gives (maybe cause i dont sell parts i use a diff dyno? LOL) What in hell do you run for fuel in the deuce ED???
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Drive like you stole it !!

I got double humps on my 327 ... seemed a bit "sluggish" ... so , I painted 'em yellow. Things picked up a bit , but not much. Shooting for chrome covers next. Maybe a Clay Smith woodpecker sticker.

"What in hell do you run for fuel in the deuce ED???"
1 pint POWERAIDE for every GALLON of gas.

1st of all Lost, You havn`t been reading slammin`s posts. He was gracious enough to give us up and coming rodders, his power secret with the windshield washer fluid bottle and drilling a hole in the base of your manifold. I thought my 417sb was aneimic, so I tried this trick. My coupe would only turn mid 10`s in the 1/4 til I tried this little diddy. Fuel?? Old Grand Dad of course. Don`t try the Smirnoff`s, the engine won`t even start. And ...Try changing the rubberband in your dyno...it worked for me.

Hell I,m only making about 10 or 15 HP with my old 283 SBC.LOL
It still gets hot in Texas in the heat. May be those 55cc heads I'm running. Can't even run regular unleaded with those.

HEy eddie......who said that I didn't like crate motors.

I just got off the dyno last evening with the new 383 wonder from GM. Made 338hp and 428ft-lbs as a stocker right out of the crate. Sounds like a sure fit for the 57 to me?

And on 87 octane.......yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaah baby!

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Steve Jack
Engineering & Marketing Technologies
ConceptOne Brackets and Pulleys

Hey Steve, Since you've been around the block a time or 2, just out of curiousity, what kind of horsepower would one expect from a 70 Olds 455? It has a Edelbrock Torker intake and Edelbrock 600 carb, rough guesstimate.

Thanks
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YOUR ROD-LESS CRUZN BUDDY, DENISE

I`m willing to bet around 400-425 with the stock exhaust. Cam??

I agree Ed regarding the crate motor. Dad just dropped a new ZZ4 in his 37. Got a great deal and it runs like a champ. (Steve, The part that you and dad were taking about on his motor, had been changed from the plastic one)

The exhust is duel glass packs with aluminized pipe. Comp Cams 268 cam. Still around 400-425? :)
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YOUR ROD-LESS CRUZN BUDDY, DENISE

While your at it, what kind of mileage might I expect if the motor is hauling around the body of a 47 Olds ragtop?

Attached to the motor is a rebuilt TH400.
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YOUR ROD-LESS CRUZN BUDDY, DENISE

If you don`t get 14-16 mpg, you are hammering it too hard. also depending on the carb jetting. Yeah.400-425 still stands. Not bad to hump that sled down the pike.

Denise, with these questions does this mean your buying or have already bought a certain Olds vert from Minnesota?

Almost Jack, Hopefully bringing her home late next week. I've got to work out a few scheduling problems here with family obligations (they don't have the same mind set that rod's come first, LOL) Will keep you up to date. Are you coming into town for the Autorama? If so, stop by the house and check her out.
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YOUR ROD-LESS CRUZN BUDDY, DENISE

So does this mean after the end of next week you'll be our "Not so Rod-Less Cruzn Buddy Denise"..LOL??

See ya
Slammin
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Hold your ears folks...ITS SHOWTIME!!!

Hey Buddy, glad to hear you're close. If you can swing it see if you can find a built and I mean built, 700R4. You will be soooo Happy with it. It will handle the HP and the torque from that 455.
You know I/we will be in Detroit for the 50TH anniversary show It's going to be something else. They are bringing in as many of the past Riddler and A brother's winners as they can find. It'll be worth the drive for anybody else who's even close to thinking about coming. I may give you a call and drop by over the holidays, got to go to Milwaukee to look at something.
Rochie

Love to have you stop. Will it be you and John? Bringing the wives? If you guys need a place to crash on the way there or back, by all means, stay here.

As far as the 700R, I've got it in the VETTE and I love it. When the time comes, it's down on the list of stuff that needs to be done on the car, I'll get ahold of you and maybe we can find one together or you can point me in the right direction.

Everyone here in town is very excited about Autorama. It's going to be 2 full floors, over 700 cars. It hasn't been 2 floors since the 70's when they had the custom vans and motorcycles downstairs. I've got 2 buddies here in town that will be displaying their vechiles for the first time. One that done already is a Klone of the Matranga Merc. Very kool looking, especially if you like Kustoms. The other is a truck, late 40's, ear;y 50's can't remember year exactly. Just need basicly interior to finish. FYI: the 3 day pass has gone from $20US (last years price) to $30US this year. Also, bring lots of spending money if your into collecting memorbilia. There will be a huge product line with the 50th anniversary autorama logo on it. Not just t-shirts and stuff but Hot Wheels cars, leather jackets, watches, wall clocks, ect. Am I sounding like Grant (Slammin) yet??? LOL Can you tell I'm excited? Alittle over 2 months to go till showtime!!! LOL
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YOUR ROD-LESS CRUZN BUDDY, DENISE

Denise....I am reluctant to guess at the 70 era engines. The big question is compression ratio on those. You could have the mundane version or the hipo version. Do some homework on block and head numbers and we might be able to come closer. Regardless of horsies, the suckers makes lots of torque and that's what you want to go forward, so it should propel the 47 reeeeeeaaaaaal good.

The gas milage is another enigma. Depending on power and rear end ratios, and the 400 is a great tranny albeit a heavy one, so I would take a guess at no better than 14 with anything less than a 355 rear end ratio.

One of the things that is limiting the power is the carb. It can be upgraded to a 750 and still have pleaty of throttle response and I know will have more power up top! Just in case you would like to upgrade.
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Steve Jack
Engineering & Marketing Technologies
ConceptOne Brackets and Pulleys

Just another comment on hp for your 455. One of the best 455s that came in the 1970s 442 was only good for 365/375 hp depending on option. And, was about 10.5 to 1 at best. But the suckers put out around 500 ft-lbs.....wow, that will make your putter put! So, if your 455 has all those components in it and the basic mechanics have not been changed, the hp will not exceed 400 assuming that it's been bored.
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Steve Jack
Engineering & Marketing Technologies
ConceptOne Brackets and Pulleys

I don`t know who said it........I give up. Who? I just wish other rodders would discover the new world of crate motors. Alot on this site seems to go the "cheap" route on everything. The cheapest route on motors is the crate. Try telling that to the guy getting ready to put the build to a boneyard block for the first time. I just bought the 330HP sbc crate for the 36 Chevy streetrod I`m building for my brother. It came complete from the pan to the aircleaner and from the flexplate to the waterpump. Under 3 grand for 330 hp. It helps that my wife works for the local GM Goodwrench dealer for some discount. But it is very affordable if people would just do the math.

Here's what I found while going through Yahoo auctions. Maybe I should dump the Caddy engine and put this one in my '41 Poncho?? Here's the web address

http://page.auctions.shopping.yahoo.com/auction/56138394

phil
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One man's treasure is another man's trash.

Man, three hundred and fifey thou. That guy needs a job. I noticed the hundreds who have bid on it.

Hey Steve, what ever happened to the motivated buyer of your 57 a few months back? I thought you would have been 57less buy the way the motivated buyer talked.
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Lynn Stallbaumer

LYNN......yep you would have thought so. But, my 57 is my driver and is sooooooooo comfortable and I have plenty to keep me busy over the winter and wanted to make sure that I had a driver for spring.

I am seriously considering the 383 (I want those "V" style flag badges on the sides that say "383"....I have seen them but can't find them again....anyone?) and a 700R4, and new wheels and tires to give it a differing look. Just fooling around.

Anyway....that's my story and I'm stickin to it!
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Steve Jack
Engineering & Marketing Technologies
ConceptOne Brackets and Pulleys

I am no book guy for sure.But I also go with ED's thinking.One of the first things i do building a rod is to install a set of pulleys and a good steel NON flex fan on the motor . Now we go to installation. The motor gets put were it needs to be with 1-2 inches of radiator clearance.Now if steering and firewall problems exsist it gets fixed now!!(It also gets a griffin radiator cause some take a long time to get) Also did most of you know that changing some firewalls or channeling (make the toe boards lower for more leg room,or pulling the angle out of them)will effect the airflow under the hood? It does.Luvers are great if you look at some old cars they did that way back(38chevy comes to mind,not enoegh but its a start) If the air gets in its gotta get out.HOTRODJOE i am always happy LOL You have your way. I have mine. I never run a trans cooler in front of a radiator or is it EVER connected to the radiator. Run the trans cooler under the rod has never given me a problem.I also like the spin on oil filter that they make for the automatic 's now(nice time to do it when building,adds alittle more cooling plus fluid)they have a nice little spot for a temp gauge for the tranny. I also think the aluim trans pan with fins helps alittle but only cause it get rid of heat better than the steel pan. The steel trans pan with steel tubes welded in it is a joke not worth the ground clearance lose. If your building try and use a remote A/c condenser they really do work plus its one less thing to stop air flow. Spal electrics are one the best(dont use many but if the guy has the a/c cond in front allready)HOTRODJOE you talk of atlanta as being hot all the time ,i think we got killed up here this year with hotter weather more than you guys all summer.LOL Some days we were in the 102 to 104 bracket.NOW THATS HOT for us.LOL No colling problems today!!!! 24 degrees and snow tires. LO
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Drive like you stole it !!

Steve, Everything you mentioned is valid every where especially here in Texas in the months of July and August!!
Fred will attest to that!! When building a rod here, prior planning is a MUST for any type of car. I (holding up my right hand......the other right...jeez!) will never build another rod that even resembles a track type car with that little bitty opening. At least with a roadster, a/c is not considered except in the mind on a 105º day. Some have learned as I have that in a roadster on a hot day, a/c is a white hat.......oh yeah, got pulled over the other day for the first time in years and the Hiway guys gave me a warning about changing lanes without using my turn signal. I usually do but we all forget that one especially here in
H---, 'scuze, Texas. After the warning, they spent about 15-20 minutes going over the car as if it were a show! And questions???? I bet, since they were both young, they just wanted an excuse to see the car and ask questions....One of them did make one valid point and that was since it sits so low and is in black suede that it has a tendency to kinda blend in with the blacktop road we were on so I mentioned that next summer it will be most likely a Pumpkin or orange chromate colour <-----learned that from some english guys lol. Their point was well taken and I then used my running lights. The car is 44 inches at the top of the windshield...
Any how, If you ever want to test a cooling idea, come on down to the state that invented heat problems for rods!!
Fred P

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Fred P.

When I had overheat problems, it ended up being my timing, but before I found the problem, I did what everybody's probably tried at one time or another:
Put a fan shroud on my 16" fan
Moved the fan as far up on the radiator as I could
Installed a high flow pump
Installed a high flow thermostat
Checked the belt to make sure it was'nt slipping
Ran without a bug screen as a test (dropped 5 deg.)
Put straight water in as a test (dropped 10-15 deg.)
Tried "waterwetter" (I think it's snake oil)
Checked carb. if I was too lean
Checked my refrigerant charge for overcharge (134a runs a higher head press./temp. than R12
Backed off on the A/C thermostat a little to allow the compressor to cycle off so the eng. temp. could drop.
I also blocked the 'open' areas off that I had between the left and right sides of the radiator and the shell. That seemed to work too.
Finally, I told my wife to roll the window down, hang her arm out on the door and be a 'REAL RODDER'! Air Conditioning? We don't need no stinkin' Air Conditioning!
I highly recommend to all.....don't do that....find a way, anyway you can to keep her cool, but don't ever say that. Ever heard of "dry spells"?


I've heard of some guys running their A/C condenser under the car near the rear mounted at a slight angle with fan assist. Personally, I think it would work only if you oversize the condenser to compensate for the fact you won't have near the airflow you would right up front. Also, you don't want the condenser to be an oil trap so I'd make sure it's mounted with the tubes horizontal outlet at the bottom of that slight angle. With longer A/C lines and a larger condenser you'd have to make sure the accumulator was larger to acommodate more refrigerant protecting the compressor from liquid 'slugging'. Have I done it? No. Would I do it? Not until I saw one on a car that worked. Costs to damn much to experiment.

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Lance B.