Will I ever learn?

So I got bored and said I would like to buy an aluminum radiator. Did I need it ,no. So yes ColdCase gave me a great deal and at my door in 2 days. So I wanted to install a fan shroud since I dont have one and S Carolina gets hot and humid. Yep bought a fan shroud from a member-great deal- and was told to get that specific shroud. Yep wont work so another member had the same radiator and told me the correct one to buy. Ordered from Summit and new fan do to bad clutch on stock fan. Well I installed radiator and only have 3 inches from radiator to water pump pulley. Summit says fan wont ship till 10/20 and no one else has it in stock. Im hoping the 1 inch spacer will give me 1 inch off of radiator,and hoping the fan doesnt hit the ps unit. So this is what Ive learned-if its not broken dont fix it.

Yes sir and your part probably won’t ship on time either.
I’ve been having the same trouble with summit

Jeggs and ebay and auto zone said the same on my fan

We are old car guys, if its not broke we are going to F with it till we are going to mess with it till it is!

Stock.. stock... stock! Not sure why it's so hard for these aftermarket guys to make **** fit...

I've been a day 2 guy, since day 1

I can't leave anything alone...
I'm bored easily with stock **** too...
Always messing with something,
maybe just the inner frustrated engineer in me...

I've never had any real issues with Summit Racing
(maybe the Chinese Wuhan Flu BS is messing with them & shipping)
& if they have it in stock in Reno Nevada shipping hub
I have it in at my door, in 2 days or less, shipped free if over $99

Stock was boring when it was new and even more so now... I remember these cars when they were new or very new and pretty much everyone drove from the dealer to the nearest speed shop, that is what made the muscle car era so great! The cars came full of potential, all you had to do was unlock it a little. I personally love making things better than they were/are and yes that comes with problems and set backs from time to time but it is still worth it. If I go to a car show, I walk right past all of the stock crap and straight to the modified, I love to see how people solved issues, their workmanship, etc. Go to SEMA, won't see too many "stock" cars there (yes there are a few), but it is the modified (from light to very heavy) that steal that show..

Remember... he's talking about a radiator and accessories here!

Yeah, you are right, I probably overreacted there... my bad...

Sorry to hear this Dave, did the brackets fit ok?
Pictures?

I’ve got the same disease.If It’s not broke - screw with it until you have to fix it then screw that up...

dadsbee said:

Stock.. stock... stock! Not sure why it's so hard for these aftermarket guys to make **** fit...

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Cracks me up when they fit so bad.....if you are going to make something, then make the thing fit! There isnt that many different combinations of where a radiator fits in a B Body and a big block or small block. I mean a half inch or so here and there is one thing, but some of this **** isn't even close to being correctly positioned and how it functions. I agree, and love my glen ray radiator and stock fan. Yea I give up a few ponies, but realistically driving to dinner and cruises WTF more do I need out of a 500" stroker that'll run 190 degrees or so tops in traffic all day long. And by the time you buy two radiators and 3 different fans and get it all to fit, you can go buy a Glen Ray factory fitting radiator that looks ten times better and run a 7 blade clutch fan and never overheat again. Not being a dick at all, but I see sooooo many different my car is overheating posts and soooo many people trying to shoehorn a half assed radiator and fans in just to save 10-15hp and go to dairy queen for ice cream and do a burnout haha! All in good fun guys like I said, just makes me giggle here and there.

I wonder if a lot of these overheating issues are due to blocked coolant passages or dodgy water pumps / thermostats. The reason I say that is I have a 22" radiator (re-cored), a fixed 4 blade factory fan, no shroud, and live in a climate very similar to Florida, and never have an issue. Admittedly my car is only a 318 (worked) but gets driven hard and the temperature doesn't budge from 180, ever, even in 110° heat. The whole system is as per factory, but all in as-new condition, after a full rebuild.

you could always take all the aftermarket **** out and reinstall your good fitting original stuff....just a thought

davek said:

So I got bored and said I would like to buy an aluminum radiator. Did I need it ,no. So yes ColdCase gave me a great deal and at my door in 2 days. So I wanted to install a fan shroud since I dont have one and S Carolina gets hot and humid. Yep bought a fan shroud from a member-great deal- and was told to get that specific shroud. Yep wont work so another member had the same radiator and told me the correct one to buy. Ordered from Summit and new fan do to bad clutch on stock fan. Well I installed radiator and only have 3 inches from radiator to water pump pulley. Summit says fan wont ship till 10/20 and no one else has it in stock. Im hoping the 1 inch spacer will give me 1 inch off of radiator,and hoping the fan doesnt hit the ps unit. So this is what Ive learned-if its not broken dont fix it.

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DaveK - I live 5 minutes from the Summit Racing In Arlington, TX. If they have the fan in stock there, I will be happy to buy it for you and turn around and ship it to you however you like. There is a Fedex & UPS stare right down the street from it. I just ask that you pay me for the part and the cost of shipping. I might even be able to get it in the mail today for you. It won't be until next week until you get it but it beats waiting a month.

Yeah I went through the aftermarket radiator thing so I feel for you. My project car didn't have a radiator and had a 440 in it. The stock fan clutch was too long so had to get a special fan clutch. And I couldn't find a lower hose that fit just right but made one work. haven't even tried to find a fan shroud yet.

Encountered incredibly long delays getting items from Jeg's and Summit this past summer. I'll add the new deck boards to resurface my deck. Tons of people are doing home renovation and getting building supplies is difficult and more expensive to the tune of 20-30%. I'm delaying some home build projects for now.
As for car fix-its I have enough chit going wrong to fix so no need to work on anything that doesn't need it. I had cooling hassles with my built-up poly and you'll find a lot of varying views on solving it. As it worked out I applied several of them and couldn't put my finger on whether one did theee trick or not, but the combo of things got me the desired result.

The entire cooling issue is one that comes up every year as the temps rise and people start driving their cars. I've done a bit of research on this subject and I have talked to an engineer about the system. It comes down essentially to 5 things;

1. amount of fluid in the radiator at any one time that can be cooled
2. the speed at which the fluid is moving through the system (flow)
3. the amount air that passes through the radiator
4. the speed of the air passing through the radiator
5. the speed and amount of heat developed by the engine

So with this said:
#1 obviously has to do with the radiator size and tube size
#2 has to do with the water pump, hoses, and thermostat
#3 has to do with the fan/s and any obstructions
#4 has to do with the fan efficiency and shroud
#5 has to do with the water passages, ignition timing, and to a degree engine packaging or how (if) air is able to move in/out of the engine compartment (really only comes into effect while driving)

With these broken down you can take a close look at any system and analyze the relative effectiveness at a more micro level. Stock systems were matched to a degree wherein all of the components were selected and tested to operate symbiotically to operate efficiently within a specific set of conditions. Once changes are made (addition of headers, changing the timing, swapping out the thermostat, etc) the conditions are changed (doesn't mean it won't work). Unfortunately the aftermarket usually on deals with one aspect of the overall system and they make claims about their specific product, however there is little guarantee that it will work with the system.

Far too often car guys adopt the "bigger is better" mentality and unless it is coupled with a matching system, does not deliver the performance we expect. I am of the belief that while bigger radiators do offer some advantages, I believe it must be coupled with better flow. In most cases a new high flow WP will get it done but I am beginning to believe that stock pulleys are not driving these pumps at a speed that is really maximizing their capability. I know an engineer who is working on maximizing flow through using a different pulley to spin the WP faster. Of course this is a cascading effect to a degree, but perhaps the big point is that adding a bigger radiator is not nearly as beneficial as it would seem, it must be coupled with the rest of the system; a fan that can take advantage of the increased size and surface area, a shroud that will support the fan and increase the velocity to a degree commensurate with the fan and radiator, a water pump that can move the water, a water pump pulley that can spin the pump fast enough to move the water, etc.

Sorry for the long post and rambling but this is something I have been discussing lately with several others.

plymouthman72 said:

DaveK - I live 5 minutes from the Summit Racing In Arlington, TX. If they have the fan in stock there, I will be happy to buy it for you and turn around and ship it to you however you like. There is a Fedex & UPS stare right down the street from it. I just ask that you pay me for the part and the cost of shipping. I might even be able to get it in the mail today for you. It won't be until next week until you get it but it beats waiting a month.

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Thank you so much that is very kind of you. I believe if Summit had it there they would sent it to me.

I had no over heating problems I just wanted a shinny new part under the hood. I wished this was my biggest problem in life. I think Im going to put back the old stuff until my new fan comes in. Glen Ray is not in my budget but I wished I looked on Tonys Mopar I would of bought from him.