Is Heat An Issue For Your Rat Rod?
You've finally made it to the nicer weather and on those hot days, you notice that your Rat Rod is running far warmer than you would like.
The first thing you need to determine is if everything is working properly.
Go with the obvious first.
Is the radiator of your Rat Rod free of any blockages? Is there a build up of calcium inside of the radiator and not allowing it to cool efficiently? Lets check hoses.
Are there any leaks with them, or in fact are there any leaks to the entire system? Squeeze the hoses.
They can collapse after they have become worn and block the flow of cool fluid.
Also, lets check the water pump.
You can tell when its flowing by looking inside the radiator and looking for coolant movement.
If all of these check out, pressure test the entire system.
Make sure that the radiator fluid is not mixing with engine oil.
Lets not forget about the obvious.
Check that thermostat or remove it to ensure that it is not the problem.
You wont need it for the summer anyway.
If all of these issues check out ok, then you need to upgrade your cooling system to make up for your heat issues.
If you are running a clutch fan, check to make sure the clutch is working.
If need be, add a "pusher" fan in front of the radiator to aid in the cooling for your Rat Rod.
Newer radiators are made of aluminum and dissipate the heat much better then a brass/copper style radiator.
Although they come at a price, they generally are much smaller then the originals, and remove the heat faster and more efficiently than the old style.
The design of your Rat Rod can hinder the performance of your cooling system also.
If you are running the standard grille, the flow of air should be no problem.
But if you try to change the flow of air to the radiator by changing the look of the front end by adding shrouds or fancy bodywork, this can cause an overheating condition.
Although you have fans, the natural flow of air, for example at highway speeds, is necessary.
As the RPM's of the engine rise, so does the demand for additional cooling.
Overdrive transmissions do help by reducing the gear and thus lowering the RPM's, but never forget about the airflow to your cooling.
The first thing you need to determine is if everything is working properly.
Go with the obvious first.
Is the radiator of your Rat Rod free of any blockages? Is there a build up of calcium inside of the radiator and not allowing it to cool efficiently? Lets check hoses.
Are there any leaks with them, or in fact are there any leaks to the entire system? Squeeze the hoses.
They can collapse after they have become worn and block the flow of cool fluid.
Also, lets check the water pump.
You can tell when its flowing by looking inside the radiator and looking for coolant movement.
If all of these check out, pressure test the entire system.
Make sure that the radiator fluid is not mixing with engine oil.
Lets not forget about the obvious.
Check that thermostat or remove it to ensure that it is not the problem.
You wont need it for the summer anyway.
If all of these issues check out ok, then you need to upgrade your cooling system to make up for your heat issues.
If you are running a clutch fan, check to make sure the clutch is working.
If need be, add a "pusher" fan in front of the radiator to aid in the cooling for your Rat Rod.
Newer radiators are made of aluminum and dissipate the heat much better then a brass/copper style radiator.
Although they come at a price, they generally are much smaller then the originals, and remove the heat faster and more efficiently than the old style.
The design of your Rat Rod can hinder the performance of your cooling system also.
If you are running the standard grille, the flow of air should be no problem.
But if you try to change the flow of air to the radiator by changing the look of the front end by adding shrouds or fancy bodywork, this can cause an overheating condition.
Although you have fans, the natural flow of air, for example at highway speeds, is necessary.
As the RPM's of the engine rise, so does the demand for additional cooling.
Overdrive transmissions do help by reducing the gear and thus lowering the RPM's, but never forget about the airflow to your cooling.
Source...