Cooling system

[kristopher keeney]

Hey guys, I bought a beautiful 52 belvedere that's all original.  I added a 6 volt electric fan, but I'm thinking about stepping up the size. My question is,  how important is a fan shroud? I've kept the original engine fan, they both draw air in the same direction,  but I'm just not seeing alot of change. I'm in florida,  so it's going to be a fair weather car anyway,  and the Guage being original,  it may not be real accurate.  This car came from a museum though,  so as much as I want to keep it original,  I also want ro protect my investment.  Any help is greatly appreciated. 

[nearchoclatetown]

So service the system and forget the aftermarket band aids. The radiator probably needs flushed, maybe a new water pump, and yes the original shroud is very important. The car didn't overheat when built, it shouldn't now. 

[m-mman]

58 minutes ago, kristopher keeney said:

This car came from a museum though

Museum car by definition means a long parked car with a lot of deferred maintenance.  Many museum cars are mechanically similar to “barn finds”.  

Start by doing the maintenance. Absolutely drain AND FLUSH the cooling system.  Garden hose to start but if you can find a power flusher use that too.  Don’t forget the heater core.  Good chance you will see a lot of rust and crud come out.   
 

Yes temperature gauges are not precision Scientific tools.  You can buy quality thermometers that you stick in the radiator to check the actual temperature.  Personally I like these better than the laser thermometers. 
 

While we are discussing deferred maintenance, pull all four wheels and check out the brakes.  The lining is typically good, but if it has been sitting it needs the hydraulic system replaced. (Master cylinder, wheel cylinders and HOSES!  They might look good on the outside but they can collapse on the inside) 

 

Then go through the fuel system.  
 

Yeah it’s a bit of work, but if you want to drive and enjoy it you will find that it’s better to fix it at home than fix it on the side of the road. 
 

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

The first thing, THE VERY FIRST,  is remove the radiator, take it to a good radiator shop and have it RODDED out. May not need that. Betting it does, though.   OR, you can go through all the other gymnastics, THEN rod it out.

 

  Ben

[plymouthcranbrook]

And if you find a lot of crud in the system and decide to remove the water pump don’t forget to check the water distribution tube as this is important to cool running. Many times the tube will corrode in place making removal a challenge. 

[dodge28]

Shroud is important .

[Rusty_OToole]

Chrysler products of that era typically had the fan very tight to the radiator and no fan shroud. It worked fine in 1951, it will work now. If you have a problem with cooling it won't be because you don't have a shroud.

You could flush the cooling system and blow out the rad from behind with an air hose to remove dust and bugs. But, unless something is wrong, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

If it does show signs of overheating come back with the details and we will try to diagnose it for you.

[EmTee]

Use an IR thermometer to check temperatures across the radiator core.  Blockage will appear as a cool spot.  Temperature should drop gradually between inlet and outlet.  Make sure there's a spring inside the lower (outlet) hose to prevent pump suction from collapsing it.

[yachtflame]

All the above are good suggestions but as a well respected contributor to this forum has told me and several other people here, try EvapoRust. You can purchase a 5 gallon pail through Reiley’s Auto or Home Depot for about $85. Drain and flush your system with water and drain that. Fill the system with EvapoRust and run it for a month. Then drain and keep the solution, flush with fresh water and refill with 50/50 antifreeze. I did this to my 1949 Jaguar and it dropped the temperature by 12 degrees. It would over heat every time I went up a hill. It doesn’t any more. I then used the same EvapoRust in my 1930 LaSalle and it reduced its temperature by 10 degrees. By that time, the solution was pretty spent but I still use it to soak rusty parts in before painting. Once completely spent, it can be poured down the drain as it is environmentally safe other than the rust that it’s collected. It’s not an acid, it doesn’t hurt metals, seal or gaskets. I’m really amazed with this stuff.

 I do not have any affiliation with EvapoRust, it’s imanufacturing company or personal, I just like the stuff.

 If you search this forum, you will find several other members that have used it and been delighted with it. It is the easiest thing to try before you start taking parts off the car. 
 As they told Mikey…Try it, you’ll like it!

[EmTee]

If you run Evaporust, you should consider installing an ankle-high stocking in the upper hose at the tank nipple.  That will catch all of the crap the Evaporust liberates before it can plug the radiator core.  Depending upon how much junk there is in the block, you'll need to periodically remove it and rinse it out.

[c49er]

The original radiator is a honey comb radiator...can't rod it out.

To clean the block out 100% you need to remove at minimun the lower two  soft plugs and also the water distribution tube.

Take the radiator to a rad shop and have a flow test done to see it's condition of blockage then go from there.

Your P23 Belvedere uses no factory shroud...shouldn't need one at all.

Edited October 4, 2023 by c49er
Spelling, add'l info. (see edit history)

[Buick35]

20 hours ago, dodge28 said:

Shroud is important .

I'm in Florida too and have a 74 mgb that had a hot starting problem so I installed a fan shroud(plus other things)and the shroud made a big difference,especially at the super long red lights in our area.

[JACK M]

I have this for sale.

52 Plymouth

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by JACK M (see edit history)