cooling

[brian-micheal]

street stock camero i am running 1-1 pullings and a single bypass radiator no shroud do you think it need a restrictor or is this not the way to go

[72Dubya]

Do NOT run a restrictor, get a genuine GM 19" high pitch 4 blade fan, and a good fan shroud. Your fan blades should be half in and half out of it. Then run distilled water and ONLY distilled water. You can buy it by the gallon for 79 cents at your local grocery store or Wal Mart. Get ten gallons at a time so you always have enough.

[Driver88]

I run a thermostat. My car gets to operating temp without having to idle for 30mins. I run a GM fan with a shroud and have never had an overheating issue even with 60 over 400. I originally did this with intentions of taking it out and putting a restrictor in when the weather got hot and car started overheated. But it never did overheat. So I never did. And have have ran this in 3 different engines.

[runyou-2]

An engine performs best,and has a better chance lasting longer when running an even temperature,therefor,using a thermostat IS good.BUT,the problem is,if the stat ever malfunctions while you are racing hard,the temp can peg in a blink of an eye.To me it is just another mechanical device that is not NEEDED to make the engine not over heat.

I agree with 72Dubya,and we do exactly what he posted,with one exception,we run Water Wetter with Distilled Water to lube the water pump.Also,when we used to run Vortec heads,we had to restrict the flow with a 5/8 restrictor to cool things down to 200 on a wet track.

The fan,shroud,and distilled water posted is a MUST before you go elsewhere with cooling problems.

[Driver88]

Ive not had any trouble with them malfunctioning.

[72Dubya]

An engine performs best,and has a better chance lasting longer when running an even temperature,therefor,using a thermostat IS good.BUT,the problem is,if the stat ever malfunctions while you are racing hard,the temp can peg in a blink of an eye.To me it is just another mechanical device that is not NEEDED to make the engine not over heat.

I agree with 72Dubya,and we do exactly what he posted,with one exception,we run Water Wetter with Distilled Water to lube the water pump.Also,when we used to run Vortec heads,we had to restrict the flow with a 5/8 restrictor to cool things down to 200 on a wet track.

The fan,shroud,and distilled water posted is a MUST before you go elsewhere with cooling problems.

I run 2 bottles of Water Wetter as well, I forgot to mention it! I have not had a pump fail since using it, I am not too sure about it keeping the motor cooler, but it definitely helps keep everything lubed. A well lubed pump will keeping your cooling system running a lot more efficiently especially since it will keep the impeller in good shape.

I only added the part about only running distilled water as in not to run tap water or antifreeze(which is very unsafe in a racecar because it can seep into groundwater if it leaks onto a track)

[72Dubya]

Running tap water is still better than running an antifreeze mix, I just do not like the rust and scale it causes, especially in a brand new motor. Stewart pumps are what we use, really good pieces. The use of a water additive is purely up to your opinion, but I honestly do not see them keeping things cooler, they are just good lubes for everything.

But I bet everyone can agree that a 19" high pitch GM fan (not an aftermarket knockoff) with a good shroud are the 2 most vital parts in a good cooling system, as well as cleaning your radiator out on a regular basis.

[72Dubya]

Well since you asked..

If you have a good cooling system, you wont need holes in your nose and youll be able to tape up the bottom 6-7 inches of radiator so you wont need to clean out your radiator it will stay clean!!

I have ran distilled and it runs cooler when I had issues long ago.. I don't like the rust either, Ive tried a additive from napa its a water conditioner for seals etc..

beings that I need a stat to get my stuff up to temp a little anti freeze doesn't bother me in the least, Im not worried about the lower boiling point of anti freeze as I never see over 210

My problem with antifreeze is when it leaks onto the track. It is just not safe if it hits groundwater supplies, I don't care about how it performs, it is just not safe at racetracks where at least one person pops a radiator per class per night.

And I do not run holes in my nose either, but that fan is going to be sucking dusty air through the fins and that dust accumulates. and over time can pack a radiator, especially when some particulates make it through the screens placed in front of radiators. I usually need to clean mine out once a month with very low pressure water(barely flowing so the fins to not deform), sometimes more if I am on a muddy track and the big mud clumps take out my screens.

[72Dubya]

Ive never broke a radiator in 21 years of racing and Ive destroyed two cars. One cup of antifreeze mixed into 5 gallons of water to prevent rust and lube the pump seals isn't going to bother any ground water supplies, lol...

Is water wetter ok for drinking water???

We both know I'm talking about the guys who run straight antifreeze lol

[72Dubya]

Who in the heck would run straight anti freeze? Ive never heard of such a thing. Do you park on a tarp in the pits like they require in California??

Believe me, there are guys that just get a few jugs of straight Peak or Prestone and pour it in and then add like one bottle of water lol.

[Driver88]

[QUOTE=stock car driver;1889483]Ive never broke a radiator in 21 years of racing and Ive destroyed two cars. One cup of antifreeze mixed into 5 gallons of water to prevent rust and lube the pump seals isn't going to bother any ground water supplies, lol...

So one cup is enough to keep the rust away? I've often wondered what the bare minimum it would take would be.
Thanks

[save the racers]

Put a good tight shroud on it,with 1to 1 pulleys the 4 blade fan is a must.Some have good luck with a restrictor some don't.Run one if you can.I like about 10 to 20% anti freeze because it also raises your boiling piont.A good high pressure cap (27lbs) raises the boiling piont also.

[DirtRacer9x]

Distilled water and some additive to lubricate pump.

[save the racers]

Anti freeze doesn't conduct heat as good as water but raises the boiling point.A jug of antifreeze will have a graph on the back showing how it effects the freezeing and boiling points.

[Racer96m]

Nothing cools better than straight water. A couple notes on pulleys. 1 to 1 works best with a "V" belt setup because the V belt slips so much. You need it to turn faster to compensate for slippage. If you can grab your fan and turn it, with the belts tight. Its slipping at Rpm. I got tired of wearing out pulleys from the slipping and went to a serpentine setup. Zero slippage with serpentine so now you have to run a reduction pulley setup. I run 20% . It all ends up turning the same speed but now you have no slipping belts that wear the pulleys. The V pulleys just get worse and worse every season. just my .02

Dave