Quote:
Originally Posted by okie mopar
1995 Georgia Boy Swinger gonna make a trip to Pigieon Forge Tenn. It is a 454 and the motor and tranny are in good shape. It does get rather warm if it has to pull hard for a while so I was thinking of taking the ac condenser off it so the radiater would get more air. We will be traveling across I-40 from Okla. How are the peaks and climbs going ot affect me? Are any of them going to be really hard to get over ? Thanks Ronnie in South Central Okla.
|
Your 454 will climb all those hills, just maybe not as fast as the other boys. Sometimes you'll just have to take them at 25 mph and that's the best you can do with an older rig.
The big blocks do run hot, so there are a couple things you can do to help with the cooling. The first is to create an air dam so that air coming in the front flows only to the radiator. You can use sheet metal from the home improvement store and a set of snips to create a cover from the top of the radiator to the firewall, and a couple more at the sides and bottom. This will really help.
You should also check the clutch fan which cools the engine; it has a very distinctive airplane-taking-off roar when it kicks in at around 210 degrees, whereupon the temp will drop rapidly. If you're not hearing that roar at high temps, consider replacing it. The fans are not expensive and are relatively easy to replace at home.
Oil and transmission coolers are good additions, if not already installed.
Cleaning the radiator, front and back will make a difference too.