It's been a while since I posted so I thought I'd share some lessons learned the hard way.
BACKGROUND
I've completely renovated my 1972 RevCon "Flatnose Frank" with the exception of an engine rebuild. The Olds 455 is amazingly strong and healthy, and I'm doing all I can to keep it that way. But the cooling system was inadequate. It overheated twice - once in traffic and once over a major grade. I learned that this was not uncommon for these old rigs and Olds motors. Overheating kills engines - quickly or slowly - so I had to solve this problem.
As a former professional mechanic and lifelong car hobbyist, I went with what I know works for hotrods and what has been adopted by all auto manufacturers.
- Aluminum Radiators
- Electric fan systems
- high(er) flow water pumps
I researched ad nauseam and chose a company that will remain unnamed.
They advertised they were the best and that high quality was their claim to fame over all others. They also sell direct as well as through most automotive distribution channels. American flags and Christian fundamentals feature highly in their advertising. I am a strong proponent of both.
So I bought everything they sold:
- Aluminum 3 core radiator
- Aluminum trans cooler
- Aluminum overflow tank
- Dual 16" electric "puller" fans
- Custom fan shroud to fit radiator
To assure the best coolant flow, I also upgraded the water pump with a proven FlowKooler high flow pump. It's top notch and works perfectly.
For fan control, I wired up a new Dakota Digital controller. It works perfectly and allows fine-grained fan on/off configuration via a bluetooth app.
The system was not cheap as a DIYer with a budget - easily $2k. And equally or more valuable, since I have a full time job, it took a least 16 hours for the initial removal, retrofit and installation of all the components. (But, I do love doing it...once, and right the first time.)
RESULTS
1. The radiator was defective and leaked the instant I poured coolant in! It was packaged perfectly, but somewhere between being built - in China, as I learned - and being packaged, there were 3 tiny pinholes punched in the core. Lesson: I didn't inspect carefully enough because I "trusted". I spent at least 3 hours to r&r (including draining, a job I detest) and 4 days delay waiting for a replacement.
2. Once a new (pressure tested) replacement unit arrived and was installed, everything worked as expected. Except....
3. The system overheated and boiled over under less load than ever before! It hit 230F and overheated in no time - a temp I'd never seen it rise to before. (Yes, it was properly bled, flowing and free of air pockets). This was only under a load - a sustained, steep uphill grade. All other performance under normal driving was fine. This pointed to..the cooling system was not keeping up.
I called the system supplier, who tried to blame the hi-flow water pump, which they had not supplied, and the hardest part to replace of this whole system. This made no sense, and I told them that I was not buying it.
I suggested that the fans might be the issue, and they agreed. The fans they provided were puller fans that moved 2000 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) of air through the radiator. They had, as it turns out, inadequate 12v motors and were made in a far away country. The supplier agreed there were better quality fans out there. (Remember, this is a company that touts only the highest quality.)
I researched the best fans out there and chose Flex-A-Lite. This is a good old brand that claims the first patent on auto fans. The reason I chose the puller fans I did was simple. They had the highest CFM i could find - 3000CMF ea - and they had strong, 18A fans that I knew would also be able to maintain the CFM, vs falling off over time. I was able to get the fans and shroud out without draining and removing the radiator, but swapping the fans was still a tight job that took at least 2 hours.
PROBLEM SOLVED
High temp on high load dropped to 200˚F! - thats a huge 30˚F drop. Lesson: CFM - sustainable CFM - MATTERS. For big engines with big loads, go with overkill.
LESSON (RE)LEARNED
Verify that "quality" is more than a tag line. The individual I dealt with was great at the supplier of the questionable stuff, and in the end the radiator and other parts are fine. But not "right the first time". Clearly this company is not as focused on quality and performance as they loudly claim. Using values that many in the US hold dear as part of your brand promise to quality, and then allowing sub-par products to get out of you doors, is unacceptable in my book.
I do respect the integrity of the person I worked with through this process - a manager, not an owner - so I won't share the company name.
Just a reminder to trust...but verify.