I know I likely still have a tadd bit of air flow problems. But on my trip to Montana recently we ran 210 all the way up with the AC on, temps from 80-90. Then up there the mech gauge stopped working and  so I drove all the way home with just the stock 65 gauge with no numbers. it sat at just under 1/2 everywhere and when we got stuck in a 2 mile not moving traffic cluster it sat straight up and down the whole time. This seams to be 210. i have a 2 core 1" tube aluminum radiator with a shroud and a cheap Dereli fan they say move 2500 CFMs. in town i go from 195-200 w/o the AC but i dont seem to be going over the 210 mark anymore. in the road 195 w/o the AC

Last edited by Cab4word67 (7/16/2020 6:12 PM)

If you still have the Contour fans go back to them.  The issues you were having were almost certainly from not having a controller.  They are an efficient setup, but they were designed to be used in a vehicle where they were controlled by a computer.  Lacking a computer the next best solution is a controller. 

Adding an A/C condenser in front of the rad will put more strain on the cooling system, you already know that though.
How sure are you that the rad and block are 100% clean?
Just for comparison my engine, cooling system  is almost exactly what you have,with a couple of exceptions,
331 engine, Edel performer aluminum heads, Holley 670 carb, tri-y ceramic coated headers. The block was boiled out prior to machine work.
New 24 inch Champion three tube rad that is sealed with foam to the rad support
Custom shroud with no blow out vents, a 17 inch, 5 blade Ford  flex fan cut to 15 1/2 inches. No fan clutch, direct drive.
CAA a/c system with a condenser that covers 95% of the front of the rad,
Standard flow water pump,
180 thermostat .
The other day we were out with the car stuck in traffic waiting for a lift bridge for over 20 minutes stop and go  with the air on top down. The temperatures stayed below 200 at all times and It was 90 plus degrees out
.
My suggestion is that you should try and do a citrus enema to your cooling system before messing with the fans.
That’s all I got!

Last edited by Rudi (7/18/2020 7:14 AM)

Well........IF the Contour fans kept it cool..........and now the fan you have doesn't..........means 'you-ain't-got-enough-"fan-age" (is that a word? fanage!)

Anywho.......I'd drain the radiator.....pour 1/2 white vinegar 1/2 water and run that for about a week.
Rinse-fill with DISTILLED water and anti freeze. See if that helps.

Then think about "more fanage" or come back 'over-to-the-dark-side' and put the electrics on. We can walk you through how to hook up the controller/relay business......
6sally6

So, with a slight increase in idle speed, the engine cools down, right?? How about making some pulley changes that will allow the water pump / fan clutch spin faster??

kardad wrote:

A drain and flush is easy, and wont hurt a thing, so I may do that this weekend just to give me reason to be under the hood. If it comes out all clear, I'll move on, but if it does seem dirty, Ill entertain the radiator now.

Just a point, regarding my previous post, when the radiator on my daily driver was like 30% clogged, I had flushed it and it did not indicate any negative results, no crud, mud, etc.  It was only when I took it to be boiled out that the blockage was discovered.  Also, I'm not sure the previous owner had ever periodically changed the anti-freeze.