Hot 41 needs to chill out

S

shinton

Junior Member
Here's a pic of my 1941 Super Deluxe convertible on a hot summer's day with stop and go driving. Clearly she doesn't like it. Any suggestions of what to do to keep her cooler? There's a big aluminum radiator and I just had water pumps replaced. Wondering if an electric fan might be the way to go here? I'm an early for newbie so would appreciate any wisdom others have on the subject.
 

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shinton said:
Here's a pic of my 1941 Super Deluxe convertible on a hot summer's day with stop and go driving. Clearly she doesn't like it. Any suggestions of what to do to keep her cooler? There's a big aluminum radiator and I just had water pumps replaced. Wondering if an electric fan might be the way to go here? I'm an early for newbie so would appreciate any wisdom others have on the subject.
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517540
 
Too bad you don’t have the original copper/brass radiator, which would have a better cooling coefficient than aluminum. Also, we’ve heard recently that at least one aluminum manufacturer is palming off 3 core radiators and claiming them better than 4 core copper. If you keep your aluminum radiator, check your pressure cap, and install a recovery tank. Also check your thermostats, should be 180, with bleed holes to pass a small quantity of water even when cold and closed.
 
Thanks for the tips, Alan. I wondered if it might be better to go back to copper. I think the previous owner was probably trying to save some money. I have no idea what the temp is other than "H"... My plan regardless is to get 2 new temp gauges so I can see just how hot each side is getting.
 
did you put high flow water pumps on the engine? are you using "water wetter" 2 bottles along with 50/50 mixture of water/ antifreeze
 
Not too familiar with the '41 but, are you missing the upper shroud piece that fits between the top of the grill and the upper part of the radiator? On my '47, that piece plays a major role in forcing the cool air through the radiator.
(Beautiful car BTW.)
Phil
 

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47topless said:
Not too familiar with the '41 but, are you missing the upper shroud piece that fits between the top of the grill and the upper part of the radiator? On my '47, that piece plays a major role in forcing the cool air through the radiator.
(Beautiful car BTW.)
Phil
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517554
 
I'd find a NOS radiator and put it in there. With a new, clean radiator and properly timed ignition system, no over heat.
 
tubman said:
Got any ideas on where to start the search?
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Now there's an idea: A Locating Service for rare and scarce parts. Suppliers could add a small service charge to compensate the Service Provider.
Know anyone that might interest?
 
Regardless of what the gauge says, is the radiator boiling over ? If not, maybe just the gauge.


How clean is the block inside ? Rusty blocks can hold a lot of heat.
 
X2 on getting an infrared temp gun, my '39 Merc temp gauge showed between mid and hot, when it was actually 180 degrees, just fine.
 
Hi,

Except for dual pipes I have a stock 221 in my 41 convert. On a regular Melbourne (say 24C) day the stock temp gauge will move to 3/4 hot on a regular drive. This is after I had re-cored the radiator, installed new water pumps and 'flushed' the block (albeit with a garden hose).

The car was without thermostats, so I wound up installing 160 deg thermostats and capillary SW oil and temp gauges. I consider the stock units questionable due to age of sender unit.

With 3/4 hot on the stock temp gauge, the SW unit shows 160 and stays there except in heavy bumper to bumper traffic. An IR thermometer backs this up.

Your radiator looks low. Sure it is equivalent to stock? My radiator is 4" thick, 22" wide and 21" high not including top and bottom tanks.

What fan are you running? I have a 6 blade (3 large blades 3 small) fan on the crankshaft, and no cooling shroud.

Just on the aftermarket guages, my stock oil pressure reading was 5 PSI. The aftermarket SW capillary reads 30-40. A tired stock sender unit I expect.
 

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tubman said:
Got any ideas on where to start the search?
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I will admit, finding a NOS radiator seems like a pretty far fetched idea. However, they are out there. I recently aquired a NOS 1937 radiator from Third Gen Automotive.

My search would start there. If Michael does not have one he knows the 3 largest NOS parts collections in the US. He will send you in the right direction. Fred Wilner is also a person to contact. However, Fred has had some health issues and is just getting back to work.

Over the years I have networked with and met in person some very knowledgeable & connected V8 people.

If you find one, it will be worth the cost.

Seth
 
I think the electric fan will solve your problem in stop and go driving but it will probably be masking a problem. The car did not do this when it was new, so something has changed. I hate to see electric fans on restored cars and vintage hot rods but sometimes you don't have better option to keep them cool. If you can find a pusher fan that can be hidden in front of the radiator, hidden behind the grille that would be the way to go. I have a hot rod with a 324 Olds engine that gets hot at long traffic lights. When that electric fan kicks on the temperature drops like a rock. I don't like the fan, but I like it better than overheating.
 
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