C-1 Fan Shroud

[Bwmurph]

How close is the upper Fan Srroud supposed to be to the radiator on a '59 ? Mine seems to be about 1/4" away on the right side and about 7?8" away on the left side. I'm sure this can't be right. Also, is the lip on the shroud supposed to fit into the lip on the radiator ? I don't see how it can with the outlets for the hose and the filler neck in the way, but it would seem to me that this would be an ideal way to seal the shroud to the radiator and reduce air leakage around the shroud (if a dummy like me can see that, why didn't the General's eng's ?)

Also, just where and how does the long rubber seal go on the hood to seal the area at the radiator ?

I'm getting really tired of this car overheating and then "burping" coolant at the slightest traffic jam or even a long redlight. It's not even that hot here today (upper 70's - low 80's), but cruised down Main St where their holding a bike rally and got caught in traffic and within minutes it's overheating; drives me crazy.

Will a later model C-1 radiator and expansion tank fit in a '59 ?

Any suggestions are appreciated,

Thanks,

Bernie O.

 

[firstgear]

did you think about a DeWitt radiator? I am not sure if that would help you or not, perhasp send them and email and ask if you can get any thing that would have better cooling capability.....

 

[Bwmurph]

Firstgear,

Thanks for the reply. I'm definitely considering the DeWitts radiator, but I don't think it will have an expansion tank either and that's one of the things I don't like about the early C-1's - "burping" coolant all over the ground just about every time you shut it off after a long drive.

Guess I'll e-mail them and see what they have to say,

Thanks,

Bernie O.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Did you consider installing a coolant recovery tank? It will catch the overflow and then draw it back in as the system cools. Summit and Jegs, among others, have systems with various sizes of tanks so there should be something you could mount easily. Also is your radiator clean inside?

BTW I'm not talking about a drag race puke tank. I'm talking about an actual recovery system like your modern car uses.

 

[JohnZ]

A Dewitts #A55M direct-fit aluminum radiator will bolt right in with no changes, and will resolve any issues about inadequate radiator cooling capacity (it has about 40% more heat rejection capability than the original). Also remember that a conventional radiator (with no separate expansion tank) needs space to allow for normal coolant expansion, especially during heat-soak after shutdown, when the hot engine is still putting heat in the coolant but the water pump isn't running to circulate it through the radiator. If you continue to "top off" the radiator after it "pukes", it will just keep "puking", as there's no space for the expanding coolant. That's why there's a "cold fill" mark on the tank. If you leave it alone after it "pukes", chances are it won't "puke" again.

If you still have the original radiator, chances are it only has about 60% of its original cooling capacity due to normal buildup of corrosion and scale.

Tom also has a version of the A55M with an integrated Spal fan and shroud that's extremely effective, with lots of airflow for traffic driving.

www.dewitts.com

 

[Bwmurph]

Tom,

Thanks for the reply. Coolant recovery tank sounds like a good idea until I can do a permanent fix on this thing; I'll check them out.

The radiator should be fairly clean; it's 10 years old, but only about 15000 miles on it and was drained and flushed two years ago.

thanks again,

Bernie O.

 

[Bwmurph]

John,

Thanks for the reply. I'm definitely going to go the DeWitts route at some point, just don't have the budget for it right now, maybe over the winter.

As for "puking' the coolant: I realize that overfilling the ratiator will make this situation worse, but I've been pretty diligent about not letting that happen. I've even gone so far as to completely drain (including opening up the block plugs) and flush the system and put the correct amount of coolant/water back in the system so as not to overfill. I then let it "puke" a couple of times hoping it will "find' it's correct level. Then, it overheats almost immediately (like sitting at a red light) because it's "puked" so much that it's low on coolant. I have to guess how much more to add to the system and the whole scenario starts all over again. Frustrating.

As I mentioned to Tom in his reply - THis radiator is 10 years old, but only has about 15K miles on it and was drained and flushed 2 years ago. I don't think it should have enough scale and rust in it to affect it that much. That's why my questions about the fan shroud and the V-shaped rubber seal; I think I'm losing cooling ability / airflow through the radiator due to lousy sealing in those areas. I'd like your comments on that if you would.

Thanks,

Bernie O.