This is for everyone, but also to Dennis who was kind enough to give me some suggestions last summer. My '69 383 Stroker continues to run way too hot. Heavy duty Fluidyne racing radiator, electric fans that are wired to run continually, replaced the thermostat with a 180 degree. Last night I was out cruising and in traffic, at several lights, I was running anywhere from 200 to 220. Open road I can run at 185-190. Outside temp. was only about 60. I only bought the car last July and my first venture into a very fast, built engine. Someone said my my timing could be off, causing it to heat?? I have no idea, but now I'm a nervous wreck thinking about driving it in July when it gets very hot here in NC. Heeelllllppppp!!!!!!!

ok... let's see... it gets too hot when you're going slow... and your radiator "should" be adequate, so... you're either making too much heat, or not transfering it out of the cooling system fast enough.

Retarded timing will make too much heat. Your intitial (vacuam can disconnected) should be 10-14 degrees. is it?

Lean mixtures can make too much heat. What do your plugs look like? Pull a couple and peek. the nose insulator should be a light tan, usually darker on one side. Bright white is bad. melted electrodes are really bad.

Last thing on the list is the fan. "dual electrics" ok, but how big are they and how much air do they move? How are they mounted? Many electric fans are small, and are attached directly to the core with tie-wraps. This type of installation is only using a fraction of the radiator to cool. I'm kinda against the grain. I'm not a big "fan" of electric fans. INHO (and actual experience), a big 17, 18, or 19" engine driven clutch fan with a good shroud will do a better job, and won't eat any more HP than an alternator trying to support a pair of 25 amp fans does.

but... if your electrics are capable of moving enough air, but are direct mounted with no shroud, I think your answer will be to get a custom shroud that will cover the entire radiator, and move those fans back a few inches off the core.

Have you calibrated the gauge?

What kind of "racing" radiator are you using from Fluidyne. While some of their products are very good for the street, some of them are NOT! How many rows, size of tubes......and puuuuuuuuuulease tell me that it is NOT a multipass!

But, Jim has hit on a few good points. Are you running vacuum advance? If not why? Advance at idle helps reduce heat production. The fan question is as big as the radiator question. Not all duals are created equal. What is their size and CFM ratings? Also, is your idling mixture on or too lean. Usually overly lean idle mixtures do not produce enough problems to do what you have going on.....it takes a long time of build-up to get there.

Where are you sampling the temperature? Temperature readings from the head locations are often erratic and tainted too high. Do you lose coolant?

Answer these questions and I assure you we can get to the bottom of what's going on.

Guys, all of this info is great. As stated, I'm kind of new at this, so for me to answer some of the questions would be a stretch. I actually talked to a guy from a hot rod shop here in Charlotte last night and he asked me some of those same questions. He told me to swing by this weekend and he would check all things out and invited me to hang around and "get educated". He said he doesn't mind passing on his wisdom to those who are just getting started. I know he's pretty good, because I called a couple of guys I've met at cruises and they spoke very highly of him, so I'm going over tomorrow. Sounds like I do need to move the fans off the core and it does smell like it's running lean, so I would imagine he'll do some tuning. Anyway, thanks for all of the info. This website is the greatest and folks like you are a blessing for those of us who are trying to walk before we run. I'll let you know how I make out. Have a good weekend.

Good deal if he is up on his cooling! Just don't let ANYONE convince you that either taking the thermostat out will help...it's not the problem....or just the opposite....slow the flow thru the radiator...another BIG myth. If either of these are mentioned...run like heck...they don't understand the underlying basics of cooling.

I don't understand the comment of "getting the fans off the core"? These dual fans are usually made to go right on the back of the radiator...in fact the shrouds are designed to interact with the radiator presence with that mounting configuration. I don't think that's the answer either.

I am betting that the fans are small or low amperage/wattage fans. There are only a few good dual fan set up that works well. What kind are they?

And....what kind of smell is "too lean" condition. I don't know of one. Now too rich ...differing story.

Good luck with your adventure.....let us know how things worked out and report back. We all like puzzles!

as far as "getting the fans off the core, first off, as you said, it does depend on the installation and the fans themselves. If you've adapted Tuarus or lincoln fans or a similar aftermarket setup, they all ready have a shroud that pulls the fans a lil off the core and allows the fans to draw air through the entire radiator.

But if it is a direct mount setup with no shroud at all... a standard 21" camaro radiator has 399 square inches of radiator core. The biggest dual fan setup that will fit is 10", which computes to 78.5 square inches times 2 equals 157 square inches. Way less than HALF YOUR RADIATOR IS TRANSFERING HEAT at idle with the fans on.

The biggest single fan setup I've seen is 16", that covers 200 square inches. Again, if that fan is directly mounted to the core, only half your radiator is functioning.

That's pretty much the equivalent of running a Pinto radiator, would you do that?

Steve, I'm sorry, I meant it running rich. I can tell by the smell and my wife complains about my clothes smelling like it when I come in the house. I suspect you might be right about the fans. If it's only something like that, I'll be happy. I know it's very fixable, just doing the diagnostics from suggestions from this group and the guy I'm going to see should work everything out. I'll give an update when I get it out of the shop. Thanks again.