q-ship
Well-Known Member
Though I don't disagree with the point of your post, I have to correct a couple points so others don't get confused.
First of all, the 8 blade is a NON A/C pump. The 6 blade was for A/C cars, and was driven at 30% over-speed.
If you are running a non A/C pump with non A/C pulleys, all is fine, but if you are running a non A/C pump with A/C pulleys, you will get into overheating possibilities at higher (highway) RPM's as the water pump will start to cavitate, and flow less water due to the radiators inability to accept more water.
Conversely, a 6 blade A/C pump, driven by non A/C pulleys, can overheat at low speeds due to a lack of flow regardless of the radiator.
When you introduce the "mix and match" approach that many take, such as C body engines (which most all had A/C and A/C pulleys w/Larger capacity radiators), or the B body equivalent into a non thought out fabrication, people will swear by (or swear at) their combo.
The factories spent money, time, and testing, designing systems that worked. Enthusiasts usually just "guess", and love or hate the results.
That's one of the reasons that all the forums are rife with overheating threads, not just the Mopar ones.
Once you introduce all the factory, and aftermarket pumps, pulleys, radiators, fans, etc; It's quite a tribute to the original stock systems, that any of these cars still function, when combined with non ideal parts.
As you state, many people that use multiple electric fans still overheat in relatively low temperatures. This is due to not understanding the fundamentals of a cooling system, not because a modern electric fan system is not as good as stock.
Quite the opposite, as a well designed electric fan system can be worth over 30+ HP over a mix-matched stock system. In fact I can't think of any area that has as much potential for a HP increase for as little investment.
This does require a switch to a modern high output alternator, and amp Gage modification in old cars, but the cost is very minimal.
Though I agree with the point of your post, I certainly don't agree that a stock system can even come close to a modernized system if done right, plus you pick up a bunch of HP and torque in the process.
I saw a really good article in a mag about MOPAR cooling systems from the 60's but for the life of me I can't find it. So before I start to understand everything that was posted, can we define 'over heating'? My future need will be for my 65 Coronet w/440. My immediate need is for my '02 Dakota R/T w/408. I have a 180degree thermostat and my inclination is to think anything over about 190 is over heating but based on previous posts that appears to be wrong. So 'how hot is too hot' for an aluminum block with aluminum heads? It routinely gets to 200 - 210 during the summer. 
