[charlie264]

I recently put the A.C. components back under my hood and am concerned about airflow across the radiator and overheating issues. I currently have just the standard 24" radiator and fan than came stock on the non A.C. 302 cougars less the fan shroud. The shroud that is supposed to cover the fan didn't come with the car and I suspect left long ago.
I guess the main questin here is should I replace the shroud and see what happens?
Should I upgrade radiator and add shroud and see if that is enough?
Should I ditch the current fan driven off the water pump and go for a single large electric fan or duel electric fans? Would this be enough with the 24" radiator, or does it have to go?
I know there must be a bunch of you guys out there that have wrestled with this problem and would love to hear what you did and how succesful it went for you. Should I go with the electric fan(s), I have heard there are a couple of ways to hook them up. Through a toggle switch in the car and through a temperature sensor off the intake manifold. Again, I am a little green on this stuff so any and all help is very much appreciated!! The shop that did te fill of the system seemed to think that the new 134a coolant needs a lot of air across the condensor and did not feel that in the current configuration there would not be enugh in traffic, just on the highway. They did not like the shroud being missing or the fan off the water pump. These are guys that work on modern cars so sometimes there are differences on the older cars that they don't take into consideration but have me concerned, none the less.
Thanks for all help
Charlie

 

[Uglychevy]

no shroud then you will overheat, its needed 100%. and with your ac id use a fan clutch or have major HP robbed

 

[jcbingcougar]

The standard radiator was a 20". A/C cars got a 24" radiator. If everything is working properly, the stock system is just fine. Buy a reproduction fan shroud and verify the size of the radiator. If you decide you want to put electric fans on the car, there are plenty of threads discussing various installations which you can find using the search function.

 

[Spartikus]

I am going to start a different thread on this but thought I would mention it here. I just got a 25" aluminum rad and was having similar concerns about propper cooling and HP drain on the engine. I am not going to run AC so it's a little diff, but a few of the folks I talked to swear by removing the engine fan and running an electric one off of a lincoln setup. I have heard running electric is better but like everything in the old muscle car game everyones got an opinion.

I wanted to get some feedback on this so I will start a new thread and not hijack this one.

 

[charlie264]

You are right I have the 20" radiator. guess I was thinking that I should have the 24" and somehow it came out wrong. I wonder if putting a shroud on the 20" would work with a new sanden compressor or do I need to go to the 24" If just placing a shroud on the radiator will do the trick, that would be the cheapest and easiest way out... Any thoughts??

 

[jcbingcougar]

I would get the 24" radiator and the appropriate fan shroud.

 

[ahunt191]

What do you need to swap out a 20" radiator for a 24"?

Upper mount
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=SD89+01
Upper mount insulators
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=SD88+01
Lower mount
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=8A193A+01
Lower mount insulators
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=78125+01

Anything else?

 

[leonbray]

I ran a 20" radiator with a/c for a few years without any problems. I used a shroud and replaced the clutch fan with a spacer so it was dragging air across the radiator all the time ( you won't notice the HP loss if you are just cruising).

If you want additional comfort when the a/c is on then you can add a 10" pusher fan that comes on when the a/c clutch is engaged

As Jeff mentioned and upgrade to 24" and shroud is a good idea

You do need a shroud which ever way you go

 

[leonbray]

What do you need to swap out a 20" radiator for a 24"?

Upper mount
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=SD89+01
Upper mount insulators
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=SD88+01
Lower mount
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=8A193A+01
Lower mount insulators
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=78125+01

Anything else?

Bolts for upper mount

24" shroud

Shroud bolt kit

 

[charlie264]

Thanks Leon for your encouraging words. I was hoping it might be possible to make it work with the 20" radiator, may not be the ultimate solution but sounds like you were able to make it work. I have a fixed mounted fan, no clutch, it is only a 4 blade so should probably go with something a little bit more aggresive along with the addition of a shroud. Hopefully I can find one that will fit with the compressor. All the A.C. components under the hood are new, quite a bit more efficient than the old stuff and run on the newer 134a coolant.
I am not sure what a pusher fan is that you refer to. There is not a lot of room in front of the condensor, that is where the hood latch and grill work all come together, pretty much right up to the condensor. Hopefully with the right fan and the shroud in place it will be enough to keep everything happy. It has been fine without the shroud before the A.C. so I guess we will find out. If it fails, then I guess it is on to the 24" and possibly electric fan(s). I don't plan on riding in any parades and pretty much stay to the less travelled roads so don't plan on spending much time sitting in traffic so it might work out.
If anyone thinks that I am cmpletely bonkers for trying this, please feel free to let me know. Will most likely be a week before all parts are here and installed so still time to change plans.
Thanks all for comments.
Charlie

 

[xr7g428]

Charlie, do not run a fan blade designed for use with a clutch on a fixed mount. The fan blade is designed to move the maximum amount of air at less than 2000 rpm. Spinning it faster results in cavitation, and less air flow. Plus the blade is not mechanically designed to spin at the higher RPM's and there is a small danger that the fan blade could come apart.

 

[charlie264]

Thanks for the heads-up Bill. I had toyed with the idea of putting a clutch type fan in the car but in the end decided to keep it solid mounted. I bought a shroud, something it should have had all along. I am surprised that the mechanic that has done a lot of work on my car for me did not notice the missing shroud, he actually mentioned that he thought it was running a little hot but did not know why. Guess maybe time to find another mechanic... I bought a 6 blade flex-light fan that is supposed to move more air (than the 4 blade original) at low rpm's and at higher rpms folds its blades back to a more "flat" position. supposed to improve performance and mpg, that remains to be seen. It has a 10,000 rpm ceiling for safe use. so I think I should be safe there. Again thanks for your heads-up, I will let you know if this helps get her running cooler. Waiting on a new expansion valve, turns out the one I got in the kit was defective and was lockiing up once the system was charged. Hopefully will have air running within the week.
Charlie