Well I have a 383 stroker with all the goodies, plus a proform water pump and an electric fan we had laying around. The problem we have at the track is that the fan doesn't cool the car down when running. It only slows down the process of the car heating up. It never does start to cool down until I turn the car off and let the fan and pump keep going. I need something to get it cooled off quicker during round robin as well. Now I have the stock radiator which is a piece of crap. Is that the reason why I am having these cooling problems? Thanks for any bit of help.

 

 

The stock Radiators really aren't that bad. You may just need a bigger fan. Also check to make sure the timing isn't too far advanced and that you aren't running lean, as they will contribute to running hot.

 

HI, TOPRADMAN HERE. I WOULD CHECK THE SPECS ON THE PROFORM SETUP THAT YOU HAVE. MOST ELECTRIC PUMP SETUPS ONLY MOVE 20-30 GPM OF FLUID. IF YOU CAR IS STREET/STRIP YOU WILL HAVE ON GOING PROBLEMS. I KNOW THERE ARE ALOT OF E PUMPS OUT THERE BUT ALOT OF THEM ALSO HAVE HEAT PROBLEMS TOO WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ALCOHOL VEHICLES THAT TYPICALLY RUN MUCH COOLER THAN THEIR GAS COUTERPARTS. THERE ARE SOME GREATLY IMPROVED RADIATORS AVAILABLE AS WE SELL THEM. THEY ARE 2 ROW INSTEAD OF ONE ROW OF ALUMINUM 1" TUBE. THE MINIMAL HORSEPOWERE SAVINGS FROM THE ELECTRIC PUMP MAY NOT BE WORTH THE TRADE OFF FOR COOLING ISSUES. STEWART WARNER WEBSITE HAS ALOT OF INFO ON BELT DRIVEN WATERPUMPS THAT ARE LESS POWER ROBBING THAN THE STOCK PUMP AND MOVE ALOT MORE FLUID THAN STOCK. YOU CANNOT MOVE YOUR FLUID TOO FAST. MEZIER ALSO MAKES SOME ELECTRIC PUMPS THAT MOVE MORE FLUID IF YOUR STUCK ON ELECTRIC BUT THEY ARE PRICEY AND ARE STILL NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A BELT DRIVEN PUMP THAT CAN MOVE AS MUCH AS 100+GPM OF FLUID. MY BET WOULD BE A BIGGER RADIATOR AND A BELT DRIVEN STEWART PUMP...........

 

"An electric fan we had laying around" sounds to me like it's a fan with no shroud, am I right? You need to get a shroud that will cover most if not all of your radiator.

Also, make sure that there is no gaps above or around the radiator, otherwise your car will 'recycle' the heated air around the radiator instead of pulling fresh air through.

Stock radiator is pretty awful once you start making power, I highly suggest getting a new one. Don't do the cheap route like I did, I got a universal radiator and I ended up having to bash and cut a lot of stuff to get mine to fit. Be Cool makes a great radiator!

The proform electric water pump works, I used that on my old blown 350, but I was always weary of the price. Cheap parts are in fact made with cheap materials. Don't count on that water pump lasting forever, but it will work and work pretty well for a while.

Get a new radiator cap with the new radiator and also replace the thermostat, which you probably already did with the new engine. Make sure there's no air bubbles in the system as well.