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1961-1962-1963-1964-1965-1966-1967
Ford Econoline Cooling Solution
When I purchased my Enconoline, it came with a high performance 302 V8 squeezed into the doghouse. The engine ran great but quickly fried because of an inadequate cooling system. The average running temperature was 210 degrees when the outside temp was 75 and all it took was a snapped fan belt to immediately send it over the top. So, while rebuilding the engine, I came up with a cooling solution that brought the running temp down to 180 on the hottest days. following is what I came up with and I hope it helps someone out there in Econoline land.

Click each image to view larger.

1

After removing the old radiator(3 row brass Mustang I think), I determined the largest radiator that would fit in the doghouse. Then I set out to find one. Aluminum radiators provide better cooling than brass and even weigh less. So, I hunted around for a universal aluminum radiator that would fit but the smallest width I could find was 22" with side tanks. This was over 2 inches too wide and the tank position put the openings in the wrong spots. Aluminum radiators made for other cars that would fit(ie. 67 Mustang) were costly and for less money I could have a custom one built.


2

There aren't that many places out there that build custom aluminum radiators so I emailed the 3 I could find rough dimensions to get a quote. Howe Racing came in lower priced(app. $388) than Be-Cool or Griffin. The other companies touted greater features but since I'm not cooling a full-race vehicle, they weren't worth the cost difference(Griffin was twice as much!). Here is the final schematic I emailed to Howe Racing that they built my radiator from.


3

It took less than a week for the radiator to be built after they received the schematic. This image shows the great quality of the custom radiator. Everything is heliarced and all of the dimensions are right on.


4

If you look down the fill hole, you can see the 2 1" rows of the core. The overall width of the core is 2 inches. Also note the billet fill neck with a 1/8 NPT threaded hole for a fitting.


5

Here is a back-side shot of the radiator with the shroud I built. I have built shrouds for a few cars now and think it is easiest to rivet together aluminum sheet. Stainless steel is a better choice but is far more difficult to work with. To get the position of the fan hole, I bolted in the radiator and shroud without the fan hole cut out yet and marked the centerline of the water pumps shaft. The hole should allow 1" clearance all the way around to allow for engine movement. I'm running a 12" Flex-a-lite fan with a 1/2" spacer.


6

These are the simple brackets I fabricated to support the radiator. They bolt to the 2 lowest original radiator support holes on each side. They are made from 3/16" steel and fit perfectly with the width of the radiator. I welded 2 3" x 20" pieces side by side because I didn't have 6" wide plate sitting around. The extra 3" in width will help in a future tunnel to channel air from the grill.


7

When bolting the radiator to the side brackets, use large and thick fender washers to help distribute load. I use stainless steel bolts everywhere I can except where they are load bearing. Then I use grade 8. I find the ss at a sailboat surplus shop. It costs around $7 a pound and is the best deal in town.


8

This shot shows the shroud and side brackets in place. When I ordered the radiator, I didn't have any holes put in the side plates. This way I could align everything perfectly when in the vehicle. The radiator surface is 1" from the leading edge of the fan.


9

On the front side of the radiator, I added a 16" electric fan. When feeling the wind flow through the radiator with just the manual fan, it is far less than with both fans running at the same time. An adjustable thermofan switch turns the electric fan on around 160 degrees.


10

Here is the main part of the cold air scoop that channels cold air from beneath the vehicle to the air filter assembly. It is made from aluminum sheet and riveted inside the front side of the doghouse. There is approximately 3" that hangs down below floor and helps to scoop air.


11

This is the back-side of another part to the scoop. It has threaded holes for adding the fiberglass "tube adapter" later. One thing I've noticed about engines that are tucked up in a doghouse is that the hot air generated by air going through the radiator is sucked back into the carburetor. This makes your engine think it is driving through Death Valley all of the time. Besides, cool air under pressure builds more horsepower.


12

You can see the cold air duct that runs down to the bottom of the truck and sits in front of the radiator. When driving, a strong flow of cool air comes out of it. The photo also shows the radiator coolant catch tank. It is as level with the top of the radiator that I could get. You can also see how snugly the radiator fits and the make-shift temperature sender cable I have there for testing.


13

Here is a shot of the cold air induction. The first thing you'll notice is the vacuum cleaner looking piece. It was formed out of fiberglass around a clay mold along with the other part that bolts on to the air cleaner(modified 80s Mustang). After the fiberglass cured, it was cut in half and the mold was removed. Then another layer of glass was applied around the wole thing to hold it back together. The rubber tubing was scrounged at a junkyard from a 2 Nissan engines and pieced together in the middle. The upper radiator hose has a filter that I show in the next panel.


14

This little gadget is made from a boat flapper valve and some fine stainless steel screen. It is located in the upper hose with the pointy end aiming towards the radiator. I searched for a radiator filter and found one in Australia that is not sold in the States and another high performance one that is way too pricey and bulky.


15

Here is a shot of the crud that built up in the filter after just a few blocks of driving. The penny is in there for size reference. Most of the chunks look and feel like they are rusty metal and some of them are definitely large enough to block tubes in the brand new radiator. This is after having the heads professionally tanked and taking care to keep stuff from dropping into the water jackets. I recommend putting in a radiator filter and first running with just water.


16

This shot shows the oil cooler that sits behind the grill. Simple brackets were fabricated that hold both the top and bottom secure. No holes needed to be drilled in the body either. The hoses run past the radiator to a simple sandwich mount on the engine. If you look to the low-left of the photo, you can see the aluminum radiator.


17

I mounted the transmission cooler inside the back of the doghouse with about an inch of space behind it. It has a high flow fan(270cfm) mounted on a small aluminum shroud. The bracket attaches to the existing bolts for the lid hinge and secures the top and bottom of the cooler. You need to support aluminum coolers well because otherwise they will break apart after time from vibration and shaking.


18

This shot shows the phenolic spacer(black) added beneath the carburetor. When the engine would get hot, it had the classic problem of boiling fuel in the carb bowls and starve due to vapor-lock. I could actually see bubbles flowing from the carb and filling the clear fuel filter. The spacer acts as a heat barrier from the intake manifold. I also switched to an electric fuel pump to further isolate the fuel from the engine temperature.



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