Van running hot?

[duffman]

I removed my thermostat in my 68 250 to help it run cooler. Do you think it will run cooler with the thermostat installed?
As long as I am moving 20 mph or so, my temp is fine. But sitting in traffic in Fort Worth TX in 100° heat is when she starts toward that 210 mark.
Tell me what you think.. thanks Mitch

im no expert, but I would be afraid that without the thermostat to cause some flow restriction, the flow rate through the radiator may be too high and not allow enough thermal transfer between the coolant and the air moving across the radiator. Also, make sure your water pump and fan clutch are in good operable condition. Are you certain that the radiator is functioning properly... no restriction, good fins, etc. Lots of stuff to check when it comes to cooling the engine especially when it’s tucked up underneath like it is on these vans. Good luck!

[AzDon]

Lose the thermostat and it will run cooler.... It just will..... Anybody that says otherwise has simply never tried it and will repeat the same BS that somebody told them........
Here's the deal!... Thermostat temp is a minimum temperature. Your vehicle will run 180 coolant temp MINIMUM with a 180 thermostat. If it runs over 200, your cooling system is undersized or needs maintenance or improvements.... Gut the thermostat and you will lose 50 degrees and overheating will never be a concern again!

[garagedoordennis]

So i took your advice and pulled my thermostat out...was a 160...and took things for a ride today. For the most part i have a fairly good cooling set up but always looking for was to improve.i have a 1st gen running a 350/200r with a 2nd gen dog house and floor tunnel. I have a fairly large aluminum radiator for a impala fitted in there with a electric fan/shroud pulling air through it. Only issue i found was a few weeks ago while driving back from Madison and was doing 75-80 and watched yhe temp gauge climb to 200. Was better when i went back to 65...180 degrees. I have a belly pan on so im thinking air flow. So getting back to the drive today..it ran 180..with out a thermostat and it was 90+ today. I did not get to run it up at higher speed today..so more to come..also made a filler to block off air from coming up in front of radiator but all that seemed to do is make the lid warm so im pulling that back off

[Space Truckin]

Fixed...

Try this...easier on the eyes...

[Van Goes]

One thing you have to remember is that you get 4 degrees temperature rise for every pound of pressure on your radiator. A 16# cap will give 64 degrees rise. So 212 F + 64 will bring boiling point to 272 F. Scary, but
I pushed my worn out radiator to 230 F for 45 min. on our van camps outing to 10,000 ft. and my engine survived. Thanks to Floyd, I have the Cougar radiator in Julius now and it is running cool now.

[garagedoordennis]

So today I added a scoop to the bottom of my belly pan...driving on the freeway home I ran it up to 80mph and turned off the electric fan...
stayed at 175 for 10 miles. As I got off and merged on the 2lane it still stayed there ...fan still off it seemed to stay cool as long as I was moving. I pulled over and waited for it to climb . .then switched on the electric fan and it came back down to 175

[Len]

I ran my 66 with a 8 inch deep belly pan. I had a 350 V8 engine. I ran with no pressure on the cooling system. I had a radiator out of a Dodge Dart. That engine never overheated. It was warm as can be inside the vehicle in the winter.

[garagedoordennis]

[AzDon]

The scoop is an excellent idea!..... Are you runnin 180-200 without a thermostat? Are you running a trans cooler and/or oil cooler? Those would help a lot...
Remember that you'll need a thermostat for winter...

[garagedoordennis]

no thermostat ..never goes above 190..really stays 160-175 area mostly. Trans cooler is external mounted to frame.

[garagedoordennis]

This weekend i drove 2 1/2 hours north 75-80mph for over an hour fan off

The scoop really made the difference!

[AzDon]

I ditch thermostats and never look back..... But I live in 110 degree heat 6 months of the year and it never freezes here.......You should keep workin your cooling system for improvements till you get it running sub-150 on hot days because you are going to want a 160 thermostat for the coming Wi winter, as 160 is a good minimum to run in the cold......You can improve cooling with trans coolers, oil coolers, and extra coolant coolers such as extra heater cores or even a small radiator under the van with a fan on it........
That blockoff plate above the radiator should supply fresh air pipes to an enclosed air filter so that your engine isn't breathing hot air.....Also, creating outflow space, ducting, and/or fans around the back of the engine can help vacate hot trapped air, allowing more cool air in....

[AzDon]

Here is a picture of the scoop/underpan setup I built for my 69....



I've done an axle flip and anticipate the front being vey low, so I "terraced" the belly pans to still have them low and scooping without dragging on the ground...