Radiator Purchase

Mike, I beleieve that to be true as well. In my previous line of work, it took me some time to realize the concept that 'dwell' time is required for appropriate heat transfer to occur. This small increase in turbulance will also add a small amount of that 'dwell' time in the radiator fins that will allow some more heat to transfer.

I am also in favor of running a shroud at the rear side of the radiator to at least assist in getting air to run thru the entire radiator. I am of the opinion that when there is no shroud the velocity of the air going thru the radiator at the diameter of the fan is not the same speed as at the outer edges of the radiator, where there is less change in pressure so that the entire area of the radiator is not transferring heat at the same rate.

Using pitot tubes with seperate manometers, I have been able to even out that pressure differential by moving the fan closer or further away from the radiator and changing the exit angle of the shroud. (not on a Model A)
 
While I have no interest in putting a shroud on my A's (they're cooling fairly well already), I think an additional benefit would be increasing air flow over the radiator while the car is not moving. I think we can all attest to the fact that these babies are prone to overheat on hot days in traffic or parades when the car isn't pushing the radiator through the air and thus the fan is the only force moving air across the fins.

My dad says his dad used to hang a sort of canvas bag of water on the radiator cap in front of the radiator and it actually increased cooling by evaporating or dripping on to the radiator fins. Seems like it would block air flow to me, but Pops is unwavering.

Finally, if dimpled fins really was Ford's way of making the radiator more efficient at transferring heat to the air, I'm impressed. It seems like such a small detail and, well, something more like you'd expect from some computer-age automotive engineer.
 
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