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| Bubba SECO's Tech Corner |
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Be Cool! |
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I'm baaack. I hope
I’ve been missed, if not--OK. I
really should explain my absence. I
was working on a new tech section and my computer bellied up (it quit).
Since I’m not a computer guru, I wasn’t sure what to do.
I installed a hi-performance chip, a low restrictive filter
element along with several other car-nut tricks--it quit more.
I decided to call the “Komputer King.”
He told me my problem was the fan couldn’t handle the power my
hi-performance computer was producing.
The computer overheated and the rest is now history.
After having dealt with this
bothersome, discontenting, aggravating, unpleasant, irritating, irksome
problem that galled my usually pleasant demeanor, Billy Ray pulls into
my driveway in his truck with it spewing unsightly liquids he referred
to as its coolant. Billy
Ray had recently made several hi-performance modifications to the
engine, but did not upgrade any of the cooling system.
Therefore, it was overheating.
Billy Ray said this has been a problem
for quite some time. He said he checked the timing--it was correct, checked the
compression--no blown gaskets, and loosened the heater hoses to be sure
there was not an air lock. But,
as with the computer, these things did not correct the bothersome,
discontenting, etc. problem. He
also claimed to have flushed the cooling system, but it was evident
that……
We set out to cure this problem by
upgrading all of the cooling system.
First, we replaced the radiator with the largest (that is in
surface area) aluminum radiator that could be installed in the truck.
Our radiator is aluminum and will dissipate heat better than the
traditional copper and brass radiators.
Although aluminum actually does not dissipate heat as well, the
copper--brass radiators are soldered together, and the solder is a poor
thermal conductor, which inhibits the fins of the radiator from
functioning as well. We
also chose the thickest that could be found so that it would have wider
tubes. The wider tubes
transfer more coolant and will enable the air passing through it to
dissipate the heat more efficiently.
The performance radiator is a cross flow, instead of the old
upright style, with the cap positioned on the low-pressure side of the
radiator. Billy Ray has an
automatic transmission, so we opted for a built in transmission cooler
in the radiator. To top off this system, we are using a 19-21lb.
pressure Moroso racing radiator cap.
I bought us a new stainless 180-degree
thermostat by Jet Performance to go into the engine.
Billy Ray suggested using a restrictor to slow the coolant down
enough to give the new radiator an opportunity to cool it during
circulation. I told him
“bad idea", that if it stays in the radiator longer that means
that it stays in the engine longer.
If it stays in the engine longer, that could actually raise the
coolant temperature or boil the coolant away in certain areas.
The thermostat will keep the engine at operating temperature.
Also, the restrictor will inhibit the flow of coolant more than the
thermostat.
Now that we have proper links in the
cooling system, radiator, cap, thermostat and hoses, it's time for an
excellent piece to move the coolant—a water pump.
There are several manufacturers of water pumps and they have one
to suit all engines’ needs. We found stock replacements, chrome, aluminum, cast iron
high-flow and powder coated. Since
Billy Ray has a cooling problem and is not concerned with the cosmetic
features, we chose a hi-flow cast iron pump by Stewart Components.
The Stewart pumps are specially designed for hi-performance
applications. These pumps
are designed to deliver maximum flow with minimum horsepower consumed.
The high-flow pumps deliver up to 180 GPM (gallons per minute) of
coolant flow (at 8,000 RPM), yet consume only 2.26 horsepower (at 4,000
RPM).
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The final piece in our upgraded cooling system was to install a
new cooling fan. Before
choosing this important and sometimes overlooked item, we pondered our
choices. We examined our
options that would affect our decision--mechanical or electric fan, we
want HORSEPOWER and to “be cool”. We examined the truck's options that would affect our
decision, no A/C, automatic transmission, want HORSEPOWER and to “be
cool.” We were thinking
about using a mechanical flex fan, without a fan clutch of course, since
I don’t feel that they are reliable.
A mechanical fan typically can pull more air than an electric fan
at a higher engine RPM. And
since Billy Ray has a two speed truck (off and wide-open throttle) this
might be the fan for him. Both Flex-a-Lite and Derale
offer a full line of aluminum, stainless, chrome, anodized and nylon
fans to cover any application, whether it is for show, race, street or
in our case, additional cooling. At
hi-way speeds either fan would be sufficient since the truck's movement
should bring enough air to cool our truck, because it is open in the
front with a almost vertical air entrance to the radiator.
The mechanical fans should be positioned approx. 1” from the
radiator to allow for motor mount movement, body/chassis flex and of
course flexing of the fan. These
fans require a shroud to direct the airflow through the radiator.
The shrouds can improve efficiency of a fan by 20-30%.
Also, the shrouds are available in chrome to dress up under the
hood and are available in two widths.
We quickly found that with the custom work that had been done on
this “restored” truck, we did not have enough clearance to use a
mechanical fan. Since we
had to scratch the idea of a mechanical fan, our other option was an
electric fan. This should
have been our first choice for a fan, we want HORSEPOWER.
The electric fan will free up the horsepower that would have been
lost in turning a flex fan, help to extend the life of our hi-flow pump
and might aid in an increase in fuel mileage.
The electric fans that are available by Flex-a-Lite and Derale
are very efficient for cooling and extremely reliable.
Next, we needed to decide if we were to use a pusher (a fan that
goes in front of the radiator) or a puller (a fan that goes behind the
radiator). This fan is our
primary fan, and there is room to use a puller.
We decided to use it because it is more efficient.
Probably the most single reason that it is more efficient is
because it does not obstruct the incoming air to the radiator. The pusher models block some of the fresh air before it gets
to the radiator. We took a
measurement of the surface area of the radiator.
This is to be sure we get a fan that will cover at least 70% of
the core. This will insure
that the fan we selected will be the most effective.
The fan we chose was the “Black Magic” by Flex-a-Lite. This is the ideal fan for our application.
This is the strongest 15” electric fan available.
Designed for 4WD, off-road, street/strip higher HORSEPOWER
applications. It has a
one-piece lightweight shroud, rigid bracket mounting system, no thru the
core mounting, high torque motor and built in control box with
adjustable thermostat. Although
Billy Ray doesn’t need it, it comes with A/C relay and manual switch.
It flows a whopping 2800 CFM (cubic feet of air per minute).
Now that all of these changes have been made, my only thought is
if Billy Ray could “be cool” like his truck.
SECO decals are FREE anytime! |
