An 'A' is not very aerodynamic. At least as far as cooling is concerned. Two
items that can be very effective, particularly at speed, are quite simple.
#1 Air flow at speed tends to go over the grille, not through it. Carefully,
so as not to break them, or cut yourself on the very sharp edges of an
aftermarket grille, twist the vertical slats to a more 'open' position. If
this is done uniformly, there is no noticeable effect on the 'look' of the
grille.
#2 There is a thick (+- 1") felt pad that was originally installed from the
factory that was glued to the hood(bonnet) directly of the radiator so as to
form a seal between the hood(bonnet) and the radiator, forcing all of the
incoming air either through the radiator or the air hose ducts, and not allow
it to pass over top of the radiator. Todd Clarke, Clarke Spares, sells the
pad
The Texas heat has forced me to experiment quite a bit, as have trips in my
'58 A from Lucas (really!) Texas, to nationals in Indy, Winston Salem and
Niagra Falls. My current mixture of 50/50 antifreeze, opened slats, felt
pads, and water wetter, seem to keep the temperature around 200 at 75mph on a
100 degree day.
You mentioned 'the fan turning the right way'. Even if you flip the fan over,
the fan will obviously spin, and air will flow, in the proper direction. But,
there is a front and back. There is a slight difference in the pitch and
curvature of the blades. The fan is mounted so that the blades themselve are
positioned behind the bracket the are riveted to. This positions the blades
very close to the radiator.
These cosiderations have worked for me down here.
George Merryweather
'58 1500, '61 1600 (Midst of a frame up)
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