VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 Summer Cooling for Low Speeds and Idling

I recently purchased what I believe is a 1927 Chevy sedan truck conversion. I'm giving it to a friend for the summer for local car shows & parades etc.
My friend is in poor health and I want to make the truck as reliable and trouble free as possible. The 1928 engine runs great and was rebuilt not too long ago.
The previous owner said it could get hot sitting in traffic after a while in 90*+ weather.

I have found 6 volt electric fans I could probably get to work if I removed the factory fan. I would rather not use modern components if I have a choice.
It has a two bladed factory fan now. Is there a four blade fan that will bolt up to the '28 engine? I noticed some '28 cars have fan shrouds, but also have the room to fit them - doesn't look like it on the '27.
When parked after driving, there are usually a few ounces of coolant that overflows. If I wanted to install a temperature gauge under the dash, where on the '28 engine could I mount a sending unit? Anyway, any tips for optimum summer cooling appreciated.

Hi DiamondT,

Welcome to the VCCA's website! That's a really cool pickup!

Since the engine is a '28 and has the short water pump (indicated by its ability to be so close to the radiator), I suspect that the engine's water pump was designed for a one ton truck. They sit right up next to the radiator like in 1927.

If that's the case, the water pump flange to which the fan blade is mounted has four fan bolt holes. That, in turn, means that if you can find a '27 or '28 one ton truck four bladed fan, you could install that fan blade as your first option. It will double the amount of air being pulled through the radiator.

I know that there are a few VCCA members that have one ton parts trucks. I suggest that you start a new thread in the 'Parts Wanted' forum which is way down on the list of forums.

Cheers, Dean

DiamondT I have a '25 sedan that had a stock two blade fan. I purchased a four blade fan and went to a machine shop and had them resize the center hole to fit my water pump. I never have any cooling problems. (note: make sure the bolt pattern on the new fan is the same as your original fan.)

Steve

Thank you Dean and Steve, great information. I'll post to the Parts Wanted forum.

G'Day,
I have no personal experience with this, but I recall previous conversations on this form where it was suggested using a cooler spark plug if one was going to be driving parade speeds or idling for long lengths of time, to help with over heating issues.............Joe............

I installed a new radiator core in my 28 and used various tools including a coat hanger and blow gun to clean the mud and rust from all passages in the cylinder head and block. I also replaced the baffle plate in my water pump because the original had rusted away. I've never had a heating issue in hot weather and I use a 2 blade fan. If the radiator only lost a few ounces, it's possible it was over-filled and is just pushing out the extra water as it expands. Are you filling it right up to the top?

Cheers!

I installed a four bladed fan last week, seems to pull a lot more air at low rpm (thank you Dean! ). The radiator was recently restored and the engine rebuilt some time ago. I've put the truck through the paces in the last week and i'm no longer concerned about overheating. I probably did have too much coolant in the radiator. It seems to be finding it's own proper level now. Thank you for the tips and comments. -Dave

Glad it worked out with a simple fix. Always good to have a cool head amongst us.

;-) Dean