cooling possibilities

hytorksc

Registered User
i was just thinking what if or has anyone tried either relocating the radiator in front of the ac condenser or just adding another smaller radiator with a fan to the main one as a front mount? would this add significant cooling power enough to overcome our cooling design flaws?
would this make the ac completely ineffective due to the heat passing thru it from the front mount rad?

i was thinking of making a wide rectangular radiator that is half the height of the stock one, but could possibly be mounted on the lower half behind the front bumper. it would have sturdier fins on it to resist bending from rocks hitting it, but have enough fins to dissipate a good amount of heat. just throwing this out there.

what are your thoughts on this?
 
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Once I read the information in the link below, in regards to a hydraulic fan like I have on my Lincoln LS, I wonderered if it could be used to pull more air through the rad on the SC and cool it down.
(Mind you it may add a bit of parasitic drag).
However:
A hydraulic fan has an air moving capacity 20 to 30 times greater than an electric fan.

Here's the link
http://www.machinedesign.com/ASP/strArticleID/34815/strSite/MDSite/viewSelectedArticle.asp
 
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hytorksc said:
i was just thinking what if or has anyone tried either relocating the radiator in front of the ac condenser or just adding another smaller radiator with a fan to the main one as a front mount? would this add significant cooling power enough to overcome our cooling design flaws?
would this make the ac completely ineffective due to the heat passing thru it from the front mount rad?

i was thinking of making a wide rectangular radiator that is half the height of the stock one, but could possibly be mounted on the lower half behind the front bumper. it would have sturdier fins on it to resist bending from rocks hitting it, but have enough fins to dissipate a good amount of heat. just throwing this out there.

what are your thoughts on this?

I suppose you could pick up some additional cooling capacity by doing a second radiator but if the hot air blowing off of it is going right into the stock radiator, it won't be very effective.

I have at one time or another tried just about everything from water wetter to a thicker re-cored radiator. 160 or 180 t-stat, dual fans running constantly and a larger air dam all helped a little...but the coolant temps still crept on up there...it just took longer. The only thing that really made a big improvement on my SC was going to an aluminum radiator. It went from running on the "R" to staying below the "N".

It would seem that unless your planning on building a do it yourself FMIC which would allow using a wider generic aluminum radiator, then the cheapest quickest solution to the cooling problem is a Griffin or one of Mike's aluminum radiators.

David
 
This is a very frustrating topic, and not just because there is no easy answer, but because I don't think there is an easy way to even compare our problems.

Everyone keeps talking about how their water temp reacts on the stock gauge - everything from the N to the M and back again. Now I know every gauge is different, but I have to tell you guys that I finally went and installed a numeric temp gauge and it shocked the heck out of me!

My temp gauge would always read just above the line to about the the N, and I thought I was in great shape. Not even close. Turns out those great looking results meant I was running the engine at between 210° and 230°, and even higher when the a/c was on.

Now I know that a stock engine usually runs at 220° and generally will not cause a problem, and, as I said, I know every gauge is different, but I wish during these conversations we all talked numbers, not letters, so we were all on the same page here.

Ira
 
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Thanks Dave N.,

i thought Mike had stopped making radiators, leaving the only choice as a Griffin. well, i don't know if i can afford one right now, but i was just thinking that there seems to always be a trade off in cooling the SC, even with the griffin. if it's not the ac condenser heating things up, then it's the fmic gettin in the way. As far as radiator position goes, i was thinking more along the lines of what's more important in maintaining engine longevity in an SC without sacrificing too much hp. Since the SC engine by flawed design has inadequate internal cooling passages, i figured cooling the engine is #1, then AC condenser efficiency #2, then IC configuration at #3. #2 and #3 could be switched around, the results would be very interesting IMO. obviously if you made engine cooling #1, then the radiator would be front mounted and made a little bigger/wider, which would, IMO, maximize cooling power for the engine, receiving more ambient air- but the question is will it be all that more effective than the current setup (it's either that or finding a reliable 3,000+cfm fan for the stock setup). then, the ac condenser at #2 position which may actually be rendered ineffective being right behind the radiator receiving that hot air, and the IC at #3 would be configured as a double IC (or some better IC configuration) at the stock location with enhanced airflow, perhaps with better IC tube routing and some type of water cooled/fan setup- now this wouldn't be all that far off from a FMIC power wise. i think this may work well for a mild powered SC like mine, but for the high hp guys I don't know. i guess i'm willing to try this when and if i get enough money to do this (if it can be done somehow at low cost)-
 
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but I wish during these conversations we all talked numbers, not letters, so we were all on the same page here.

Ira,

I know your right, but the truth of the matter is, I'm afraid to see the real numbers. Especially the oil pressure.

David
 
TBirdDriver said:
Once I read the information in the link below, in regards to a hydraulic fan like I have on my Lincoln LS, I wonderered if it could be used to pull more air through the rad on the SC and cool it down.
(Mind you it may add a bit of parasitic drag).
However:
A hydraulic fan has an air moving capacity 20 to 30 times greater than an electric fan.

Here's the link
http://www.machinedesign.com/ASP/strArticleID/34815/strSite/MDSite/viewSelectedArticle.asp

that link didn't work for some reason. Yeah this would cool the SC better, but wouldn't make alot of noise, and create big drag on the motor? if i am romping on it heavily, the fan may spin all the time because of the increased temps, and i figure it may significantly slow the SC down. we still want to enhance top end power as much as possible.
 
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