A couple of other tips that help if your cooling is marginal. #1 Block off all escape routes for air to bypass your radiator. #2 If using a mechanical fan, check that the blades are 1/2 way into the shroud, but no closer than 1" to the radiator. #3 Water disperses heat better than glycol. So you can use water with a corrosion inhibitor rather than a glycol coolant. Just beware that you loose anti-freeze and anti boil properties. #4 Check your ignition timing. Late timing adds heat to the coolant via the exhaust ports. (late burning) #5 High flow thermostats can help by increasing water circulation/velocity. (Please research #5 before posting an opposing opinion)
Very informative video, and I also always used distilled/demineralized water in my cars cooling systems, but now I'll consider using tap water with 30% additive (as required by the manufacturer). Thank you!
Every time I've used tap water in my 90 chevy c1500 it turned muddy rusty color no matter how many times I flushed the system. It wasn't until I started using distilled water that it actually stayed the green antifreeze color. I could not figure out why the antifreeze soulation was so rusty until someone told me about distilled. Now it's been green for almost two years now.
What temperature should upper radiator hose be? Same temp as gauge inside the vehicle? My 1967 Ltd , 390. Gauge says 180, however taking a measurement at radiator hose it’s 230. Car has updated direct drive fan 6 blade fan, new water pump.
Realistically, I would want a reading from the thermostat housing, which is where your engine temp reading will come from. Do this with an infrared laser thermometer. Then, take a reading from the bottom of the radiator at the lower hose. You should see roughly a 20 percent drop in temp between the two. Lots of things can contribute to higher temps in an engine. Clogged radiator, an inefficient fan, no shroud, too much timing, wrong sized shroud can all or individually effect temps.
Been trying to keep my dd cooler. Under hood and inside. Been searching through your many videos for window tint video. No having too big of radiator can be issue. Here is why some manufactures use too small of tubing in 3 core radiators. See this on AMC jeeps people buying cheap ebay radiators. Buyer beware. It has been recommended to use 2 core radiators of a bigger core width. They usually will have the bigger tubes inside. Not all radiators are made the same. So if you change radiator to bigger radiator and it starts getting hot after change it may be the flow rate of radiator. Too fast and may not cool and too slow and may not cool. Its better to buy from respectable radiator manufacture that will have made radiator for proper flow rate.
I'm not a big fan of tint. At night it can make backing up and seeing around you problematic. Now if someone could come up with car glass that has the auto dimming feature....
Checking the vacuum advance canister is also a good idea if you are running warm. The brand new small block in my '71 Corvette was running hot because the canister on the 15 year old MSD distributor wasn't holding vacuum. A new canister fixed the problem.
What do you know about Evans coolant? No corrosion, higher boiling point, etc. Seems great, would like your opinion. Enjoyed your video, great content. Thanks
Keep in mind that often, cleaning will cause issues. The cleaners will exploit any weak spots. But I have heard Simple Green Diluted in water is a good way to go inside the radiator. It will need to be flushed out and fresh coolant added.
I thought tubesize was most significant factor in cooling. Take griffin radiators for example. 1.5” tubes to start vs a typically .75” tune. That’s so much more cooling!
Down flow radiators don't have problems with the tubes silting up & becoming blocked. Cross flow radiators need to be removed & stood on their sides & flushed with a garden hose as routine maintenance. In Australia there is a brand of radiator called 'Desert Cooler' . It's a down flow radiator that has blocking fins to redirect water to flow in a snake like fashion through the radiator.
I really enjoy your videos, I find them highly informative and entertaining especially to a newbie like myself to Auto restoration. How about an update on the 67 fastback, the Night mistress, I believe it is called.
Brandon Loveday Brandon, Thanks so much for the kind words. We are waiting on alignment specs from the front suspension company. As soon as we get those, we will be posting a closeout of the Nightmistress. Very shortly after that she goes up for sale--we need money to grow the business...
Is it possible that the block mounted exposed portion of the switch also gets heat from the block and headers which might cause an earlier reading for the fans? The actual coolant temp is the same at the intake manifold,but the manifold itself should be cooler than the block itself.
Yep,softened water the best choice for Phoenix AZ anyway. Glad I watched this befor making a second cooling mistake.BTW I have a smaller air intake area (vertically) and the radiator is taller, so mabe I should fabricate a scoop to direct air up towards the top portion ?
Christian Nelson One site we looked at said from about 190 to 210 for EFI like the Atomic system this car has and 180-200 for carbureted. We'll probably just leave the fans set to run when the engine starts on this one. The electric fan in the'67 Fastback Mustang we have is set to come on at 180 degrees.
good tap water is better than distilled for the same reason bad tap water caused problems in Flint Michigan - properly treated water will not corrode or weaken the pipes in any way, and the best water (like here in NYC) will form a thin protective coating on the inside surface of pipes
Integra DIY If you are working on a Camaro like the one in the video you will want to... Take out the battery first (This will help get to the radiator bolts later on). Drain the coolant by disconnecting the lower radiator hose. Once it is drained disconnect the upper radiator hose from the radiator side. If you are running a fan unbolt the shroud clip which is in the center top of the shroud, then you can undo the 4 bolts which hold the fan blade and remove the shroud and fan at the same time. If the car has an automatic it might have trans cooler lines that run from the trans to the radiator and now would be the time to undo them. Finally, unbolt the four bolts that hold the radiator in place there are two on each side. Pull the radiator out and your done. Hope this helps a little. - Jonah
Integra DIY Integra, I don;t believe we say in the about section or the headline that the video is about how to remove a Camaro radiator. We're sorry if in any way we gave that impression.
Aluminium radiators are inferior to a brass radiator and distilled water is better than tap water. I collect rain water, then filter it and store it for future use. I personally don’t believe every word this guy says. He is promoting the use of aluminium radiators, most likely for financial gain. You be the judge. Just be careful how you spend you’re hard earned money.😀
Ehhh no no gain for me. I have not sold one aluminum radiator..ever. If brass is so much better...why are the manufacturers using aluminum radiators now? Why is aluminum bad? Do you run a radiator shop? What is your financial interest in brass radiators...see, we can both throw shade. I do like that you collect rain water...that seems fascinating and time consuming.
Andy Perkins Well Andy, we DO work on them when we are doing an episode on that sort of thing. this week was tips and trick for your radiator and general cooling.
Tap water duh. Stop trying to act like you're better than everyone and you won't over think things and fuck up stuff. Why would you think distilled water is best, probably because you don't really know what you're doing or talking about so you research everything, and everything on the intrnet isn't always true. But I wonder if you even know some states have harder water than others?
I bet you are fun at parties. Some states do have harder water with greater deposits in the local water. According to my research at the time, it is like the oil debate...everybody has an opinion about it. And yes, I DID research what I was saying, and several sources (I don't just look for the answer I want and stop, I look at many places to get my answers) tap water is fine. Especially if you are doing your yearly flush. Try being a little less snotty, more people will invite you round I expect.
This is my new Favorite Show !!!!
A couple of other tips that help if your cooling is marginal.
#1 Block off all escape routes for air to bypass your radiator.
#2 If using a mechanical fan, check that the blades are 1/2 way into the shroud, but no closer than 1" to the radiator.
#3 Water disperses heat better than glycol. So you can use water with a corrosion inhibitor rather than a glycol coolant. Just beware that you loose anti-freeze and anti boil properties.
#4 Check your ignition timing. Late timing adds heat to the coolant via the exhaust ports. (late burning)
#5 High flow thermostats can help by increasing water circulation/velocity. (Please research #5 before posting an opposing opinion)
No mention of radiator caps or pressure.
Very informative video, and I also always used distilled/demineralized water in my cars cooling systems, but now I'll consider using tap water with 30% additive (as required by the manufacturer). Thank you!
Every time I've used tap water in my 90 chevy c1500 it turned muddy rusty color no matter how many times I flushed the system. It wasn't until I started using distilled water that it actually stayed the green antifreeze color. I could not figure out why the antifreeze soulation was so rusty until someone told me about distilled. Now it's been green for almost two years now.
What temperature should upper radiator hose be? Same temp as gauge inside the vehicle? My 1967 Ltd , 390. Gauge says 180, however taking a measurement at radiator hose it’s 230. Car has updated direct drive fan 6 blade fan, new water pump.
Realistically, I would want a reading from the thermostat housing, which is where your engine temp reading will come from. Do this with an infrared laser thermometer. Then, take a reading from the bottom of the radiator at the lower hose. You should see roughly a 20 percent drop in temp between the two. Lots of things can contribute to higher temps in an engine. Clogged radiator, an inefficient fan, no shroud, too much timing, wrong sized shroud can all or individually effect temps.
That was great information on cooling systems. I always used distelled water with antifreeze. Hard water minerals are not friendly to radiator cores
Been trying to keep my dd cooler. Under hood and inside. Been searching through your many videos for window tint video. No having too big of radiator can be issue. Here is why some manufactures use too small of tubing in 3 core radiators. See this on AMC jeeps people buying cheap ebay radiators. Buyer beware. It has been recommended to use 2 core radiators of a bigger core width. They usually will have the bigger tubes inside. Not all radiators are made the same. So if you change radiator to bigger radiator and it starts getting hot after change it may be the flow rate of radiator. Too fast and may not cool and too slow and may not cool. Its better to buy from respectable radiator manufacture that will have made radiator for proper flow rate.
I'm not a big fan of tint. At night it can make backing up and seeing around you problematic. Now if someone could come up with car glass that has the auto dimming feature....
Checking the vacuum advance canister is also a good idea if you are running warm. The brand new small block in my '71 Corvette was running hot because the canister on the 15 year old MSD distributor wasn't holding vacuum. A new canister fixed the problem.
Robert Read Good call Robert! We didn't go into that and should have.
What do you know about Evans coolant? No corrosion, higher boiling point, etc. Seems great, would like your opinion. Enjoyed your video, great content. Thanks
I've got a 73 camaro big block getting ready to install the a.c. system under the dash
We're planning to go through the factory A/C on our resident '70 RS/SS for a future episode.
@@AutoRestoMod that would be awesome can't wait
I am curious as to what the foil is for?
The foil seems to slow the thermal push a bit compared to no foil.
Aluminum is nice. But what if I want to just clean out my original. What do you suggest using? CLR? Vinegar? Baking soda?
Keep in mind that often, cleaning will cause issues. The cleaners will exploit any weak spots. But I have heard Simple Green Diluted in water is a good way to go inside the radiator. It will need to be flushed out and fresh coolant added.
Can you use CLR to clean out a original radiator rather than buying a new one?
Simple Green works well, look it up on the net for best practices...
I thought tubesize was most significant factor in cooling. Take griffin radiators for example. 1.5” tubes to start vs a typically .75” tune. That’s so much more cooling!
I've read that aluminum radiators are not as long lasting as original style brass ones, any thoughts?
I haven't seen this issue. But if the radiator is not well cared for it will deteriorate. Some of this could be the quality of the aluminum too.
i have copper fins with aluminum tubes in my radiator , is that fine?
Yep.
Down flow radiators don't have problems with the tubes silting up & becoming blocked. Cross flow radiators need to be removed & stood on their sides & flushed with a garden hose as routine maintenance. In Australia there is a brand of radiator called 'Desert Cooler' . It's a down flow radiator that has blocking fins to redirect water to flow in a snake like fashion through the radiator.
I really enjoy your videos, I find them highly informative and entertaining especially to a newbie like myself to Auto restoration. How about an update on the 67 fastback, the Night mistress, I believe it is called.
Brandon Loveday Brandon, Thanks so much for the kind words. We are waiting on alignment specs from the front suspension company. As soon as we get those, we will be posting a closeout of the Nightmistress. Very shortly after that she goes up for sale--we need money to grow the business...
Great video! You remind me of: Det. Stan Switek from Miami Vice.
Thanks for the kind words! I can see how you would say that!
The Ford radiator is brass tank, brass tubes, copper fins, so it’s probably thermally superior
True.
I have watched 34 car videos on UA-cam in the last 2 days........I am almost as car savvy and obnoxious as some of the people leaving comments.
Can I get a part number on that clutch fan! Having issues cooling my big block 390
James, what are we working on?
1972 F250 with 390 fe
At idle temp rises in stop and go traffic. I have original 5 blade flex fan.
can doypu a video on how to install the msd on a 350sbc thanks
AnDre G Are you talking about the distributor or the Atomic fuel injection?
the msd 6A box
reading from thermostat isnt as good as from the head which is why the sbc engines have them at cylinder 1
also use distilled water or better yet just buy 50/50 no guess work...information in this video isnt great
Thanks for the input Mike.
Is it possible that the block mounted exposed portion of the switch also gets heat from the block and headers which might cause an earlier reading for the fans? The actual coolant temp is the same at the intake manifold,but the manifold itself should be cooler than the block itself.
Also dummy me was running 70/30% ratio with distilled water....but was running 70% coolant instead of water! So much to learn frm mistakes.
Yep,softened water the best choice for Phoenix AZ anyway. Glad I watched this befor making a second cooling mistake.BTW I have a smaller air intake area (vertically) and the radiator is taller, so mabe I should fabricate a scoop to direct air up towards the top portion ?
GREAT VIDEO... VERY INFORMATIVE...
Thing to keep in mind if it’s a cruiser you don’t want to tight of fins either because they won’t allow air flow at low mileage say 30mph.
That's the dumbest thing I read on the internet all day.
What is a good target for engine coolant temperature on hot day? What temperature should the electric fan be set to turn on?
Christian Nelson One site we looked at said from about 190 to 210 for EFI like the Atomic system this car has and 180-200 for carbureted. We'll probably just leave the fans set to run when the engine starts on this one. The electric fan in the'67 Fastback Mustang we have is set to come on at 180 degrees.
good tap water is better than distilled for the same reason bad tap water caused problems in Flint Michigan - properly treated water will not corrode or weaken the pipes in any way, and the best water (like here in NYC) will form a thin protective coating on the inside surface of pipes
this is interesting.
Sorry, but those welds on that RAD are nasty. Ain't no amount of polishing is going to make us "un see" them. Just saying.
personally I like using non H2O fluid in my vehicle so it doesnt corrode such as Evans, sure its expensive but worth it.
That is an option.
Cam is big! His name should be crank.
He is less big now. But he is still 6'4".
safety is no laughing matter.
should have showed the rad being pulled out wtf
Integra DIY If you are working on a Camaro like the one in the video you will want to... Take out the battery first (This will help get to the radiator bolts later on). Drain the coolant by disconnecting the lower radiator hose. Once it is drained disconnect the upper radiator hose from the radiator side. If you are running a fan unbolt the shroud clip which is in the center top of the shroud, then you can undo the 4 bolts which hold the fan blade and remove the shroud and fan at the same time. If the car has an automatic it might have trans cooler lines that run from the trans to the radiator and now would be the time to undo them. Finally, unbolt the four bolts that hold the radiator in place there are two on each side. Pull the radiator out and your done. Hope this helps a little.
- Jonah
Integra DIY Integra, I don;t believe we say in the about section or the headline that the video is about how to remove a Camaro radiator. We're sorry if in any way we gave that impression.
Meh, flex fan for the win.
Beauty of America bud, you can do what you want!
Aluminium radiators are inferior to a brass radiator and distilled water is better than tap water. I collect rain water, then filter it and store it for future use. I personally don’t believe every word this guy says. He is promoting the use of aluminium radiators, most likely for financial gain. You be the judge. Just be careful how you spend you’re hard earned money.😀
Ehhh no no gain for me. I have not sold one aluminum radiator..ever. If brass is so much better...why are the manufacturers using aluminum radiators now? Why is aluminum bad? Do you run a radiator shop? What is your financial interest in brass radiators...see, we can both throw shade. I do like that you collect rain water...that seems fascinating and time consuming.
Aluminum radiators are soooo much better. Aluminum dumps the heat off way faster! lol
Aluminium is cheaper.
I liked the show better where you actually worked on the car instead of yacking for 18 mins..
Andy Perkins Well Andy, we DO work on them when we are doing an episode on that sort of thing. this week was tips and trick for your radiator and general cooling.
18 minutes and 25 seconds... actually
TO MUCH TALKING, NOT ENOUGH FAN INSTALLING!!!
No need to shout. Have a great day.
Tap water duh. Stop trying to act like you're better than everyone and you won't over think things and fuck up stuff. Why would you think distilled water is best, probably because you don't really know what you're doing or talking about so you research everything, and everything on the intrnet isn't always true. But I wonder if you even know some states have harder water than others?
I bet you are fun at parties. Some states do have harder water with greater deposits in the local water. According to my research at the time, it is like the oil debate...everybody has an opinion about it. And yes, I DID research what I was saying, and several sources (I don't just look for the answer I want and stop, I look at many places to get my answers) tap water is fine. Especially if you are doing your yearly flush. Try being a little less snotty, more people will invite you round I expect.
Mat m go play in your tap water.