Overheating bad
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Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 86
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From: Center Point, IA
Overheating bad
Ok i know this may have been covered here before but i'm new and did searches and never really found what i was looking for.
My borther recently purchased an 82 z28 camaro and it runs at about 230* on highway. I thas no shroud or airdam. I just found otu yesterday about the airdam so i figure it will nee done of those as well as fan shroud,bu ti don't see how missing those to things will raise the temp up so high. The engine is not the original neither is the radiator the radiator is a 2 core with a 305 bored .30 over engine. Could the thermostat be to high or will the shroud and air dam ower the temps more then i think or did this guy hook something up wrong. I also read a post about having stuff in front of the radiator but i don't think his as an a/c condensor on it so coul dit still have that debris in front of it?
My borther recently purchased an 82 z28 camaro and it runs at about 230* on highway. I thas no shroud or airdam. I just found otu yesterday about the airdam so i figure it will nee done of those as well as fan shroud,bu ti don't see how missing those to things will raise the temp up so high. The engine is not the original neither is the radiator the radiator is a 2 core with a 305 bored .30 over engine. Could the thermostat be to high or will the shroud and air dam ower the temps more then i think or did this guy hook something up wrong. I also read a post about having stuff in front of the radiator but i don't think his as an a/c condensor on it so coul dit still have that debris in front of it?
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 772
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From: Montgomery, AL...for now
Car: 1987 F150...PAAARTY FOUL!
Engine: 300 I6 stump pullin sumbiscuit
Transmission: 4 speed grind box
Axle/Gears: 3.55 unlimited slip differential
oh yes, it CAN run it that hot! i didn't believe it either, and i went "round 4 round" with my '87 Formula. my car has the original 305 TPI engine and 5-speed. along the line it had a '84(?) Trans Am front clip on it so it would have the "power bulge" and the side louvers on the fender (read my mind, i luv em!) and the jack@$$e$ never put an airdam back on. well, it began overheating at freeway speeds (60, 65....90, 135
) so i began looking for answers (im a mechanic). i put a 180 degree thermo in it, no help. then i performed the "fan mod", not much help. so then i pushed the "cracked block" theory out of my head, i thought of the air dam. as luck would have it, one of my sergeants had an '82 Firebird S/E in his backyard as a parts car. i asked and got the air dam for the low, low price of FREE. i put it on and WOW!!! i can go 140+ and i MIGHT get to 220!!!! the car runs awesome now. it all stands to reason though, these cars have NO ventilation at the front, even the Camaro's tiny @$$ grille ain't enough. without that little piece of plastic grabbin some air and directin some of that air to the motor, well, here's a test so you will know how your car feels. take off running, run for about 2 miles or so (don't know how in shape you are!), and HOLD YOUR NOSE THE WHOLE TIME. you will probably pass out, but if you make it you will be hot as HELL. if you made it we can move forward to the second part of our test, now run back, not with your nose held, much cooler, eh? GET THE AIR DAM, it ain't that dern expensive. also, when i replaced mine, my interior got cooler as well as my car felt better planted to the road (i have WS6 suspension though, so w/o performance suspension you may not feel this!). any way, hope this will help you guys out, good luck! keep us posted
) so i began looking for answers (im a mechanic). i put a 180 degree thermo in it, no help. then i performed the "fan mod", not much help. so then i pushed the "cracked block" theory out of my head, i thought of the air dam. as luck would have it, one of my sergeants had an '82 Firebird S/E in his backyard as a parts car. i asked and got the air dam for the low, low price of FREE. i put it on and WOW!!! i can go 140+ and i MIGHT get to 220!!!! the car runs awesome now. it all stands to reason though, these cars have NO ventilation at the front, even the Camaro's tiny @$$ grille ain't enough. without that little piece of plastic grabbin some air and directin some of that air to the motor, well, here's a test so you will know how your car feels. take off running, run for about 2 miles or so (don't know how in shape you are!), and HOLD YOUR NOSE THE WHOLE TIME. you will probably pass out, but if you make it you will be hot as HELL. if you made it we can move forward to the second part of our test, now run back, not with your nose held, much cooler, eh? GET THE AIR DAM, it ain't that dern expensive. also, when i replaced mine, my interior got cooler as well as my car felt better planted to the road (i have WS6 suspension though, so w/o performance suspension you may not feel this!). any way, hope this will help you guys out, good luck! keep us posted 
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