What's best means of getting a '57 T Bird 312 with AC to not overheat? Any radiator shroud better than stock? Smaller water pump pulley a good or bad idea? Best radiator? Mine currently has an aluminum radiator.

Depends who you ask, and how you define overheating. Run through the the search function, you'll find them all.

My 55 bird with AC runs a BeCool aluminum radiator, two electric fans (small one on the condenser, big spal on the radiator shroud), and restricter in the bypass hose. The cooling fan starts at 190*, and runs 90-120 seconds, shuts down, and repeats the cycle at 60-90 seconds when stopped on a 90* day.

Greenbird56 has a number of post on this, including the Hayden part number for a fan clutch, and a big cut down OEM fan. Given he's in Tucson, he has plenty of hot weather to experiment.

In general, a good fit and seal on the shroud, proper placement of the fan in the shroud, a small water pump pulley, and a clean cooling system seems to work for most applications.

If I were starting from scatch, I'd use the smaller pulley, the restricter, and the clutch fan unit. But mine was an ongoing project, and it works.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Number one verify your timing.

Back in the day I had a 6 blade fan and it still ran too hot. Once I went to an alternator and removed the 1 inch water pump spacer and after that it ran right at the thermostat. 

  Vic Correnti

A number of Thunderbird owners have removed the 1” spacer from behind the water pump and then appropriately moved the fan pulley back forward the missing 1” to restore the belt back to the original location.  Moving the water pump rearward 1” restores low rpm water flow.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

I concur with the guys above - the silly 1" spacer on the Thunderbird engine package is a real "built-in" problem. At low idle - auto trans in gear, the OEM cooling system really struggles to move water. Removing the pump spacer and then re-spacing the fan forward to fit well in the shroud is a very good improvement for a stock bird. with A.C.

I suspect you must already have the 6 blade fan? Do you have a high flow thermostat?  

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

The Thunderbird parts suppliers (especially CASCO) has a better lower shroud than the stock one (which in reality is not a shroud for air control in my opinion).

Made of fiberglass in black, it looks good on the engine


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ