Re: Electric cooling fan

Posted by su8overdrive On 2013/8/22 15:30:17

Fred -- First, doublecheck, make certain the radiator shop
didn't "fix" things by merely pinching off the offending tube(s), leaving you with less cooling capacity.

Since you're in California, if you're using antifreeze, get rid of it now and run straight soft water---never distilled, which is ion-hungry and leaches minerals, like solder from radiators--- and a quality rust and corrosion inhibitor like www.no-rosion.com and nothing else. Your car'll run cooler over the road and at idle without antifreeze. You'll see the difference on your temp gauge.

As antifreeze degrades, it leaves a heat transfer-inhibiting film on cooling passages, as does soluble oil,
the latter outmoded and to be avoided even for those who
must use antifreeze because their cars exposed to a hard freeze (30 degrees and wind chill two consecutive nights),
or even if they live in Phoenix but have air conditioning
to prevent the heater core from freezing w/ AC on, in which
case they need perhaps 15% antifreeze.

You might stick a garden hose in your radiator and remove
just the back block drain plug and run water through the block while you poke a piece of welding rod, coat hanger, etc. in and out 'til just clean water emerges. Then reinstall the plug (i added a stand off on mine because one of Packard's lesser ideas was to have the dipstick nearby), and open the radiator petcock.

If you need further cleaning, try two quarts of kerosene and two or three pounds Arm & Hammer washing soda (NOT baking soda) in your cooling system. Drive 20 miles or so, then do the above with the hose.

My engine block was hot-tanked when it was remachined,
but i still did the above after a few years to play safe.

Tho' my temperature's according to Hoyle, or East Grand
Avenue, because our cars were built when US and global
population 40% of today's hell, in case i ever got caught
in some horrendous freeway backup in a heat wave, i added
a 6-volt Scott's Cooling Fan, 1 (800) 272-FANS, www.scottscoolingfans.com. They're in Rhode Island, provide 6-, 12-, and 24-volt fans for collector cars as well
as industrial applications. It's matte black so invisible.
I did this strictly as belt and suspenders, have never
had to use it.

It does take a lotta amps, but i have a 6-volt, positive-ground, 55-amp alternator which you might want to
consider. See my post on that a dozen entries down on the General Forum here at PI, from August 16th.

But i'm assuming you want a cooling fan strictly for
emergency service, so you'll get by with your generator.

Note to purists: Neither of the above
involved the least alteration nor butchering of the car.
None. I figure if i was driving my '47 Super in the late
'50s and Packard was still around, a heads up service dept.
would've accomodated me and switched to an alternator. Some
taxis, tow trucks and others had been running 6-volt alternators for years.