I had 2 T-Bird radiator cores made by this company in 1976 (Mancum-Manufacturing Co., Atlanta & Houston).  At that time they had to make the dies to stamp the 4 staggered rows for 1/2 inch tubes in headers and fins. All copper and brass with 12 fins per inch.  Installed one of them in my '57 T-Bird.  Engine 30 over, heads cut 30, 5 blade clutch fan and 180 degree thermostat.  My wife and I drove to T-Bird convention in Dallas in June, 1978; air conditioner ran all the way with temps up to 107 degrees. (15 day trip) We experienced no overheating problems.  I credit this to the quality and design of the radiator.  I do not know if this company is still in business, maybe interested members could research it.  Charlie, Central Fl.

I have one of the improved impeller water pumps that Steve mentions above. What Casco did was to use some galvanized sheet metal to make larger impellers & rivet it on. I had previously tried a water pump cavity block off plate & it had the effect of increasing my temps (not what I was looking for). The test data that Steve mentions on the Casco site is a good read & also confirms my finding of the backer plate.

I also have the smaller pulley mentioned.

Brian - 56 T-Bird

Woodinville WA

I think Frank  may be out of the waterpump business these days - unless he sold that work to someone else. I believe his design had an improved impeller - Mummert may be the new proprietor?

The Thunderbird versions of the Y have a one inch spacer under the pump that plays hell with the ability of the pump impeller to be very efficient. Passenger cars don't have the spacer. If you are working on a bird - or have room for the spacer - CASCO sells a pump with additional impeller capacity added - and I believe they also offer the service of fitting stocker pumps with the upsized impeller. Their site has some interesting test data concerning the flow capacity of thermostats and pumps that is worth looking at anyway.

Concours sells a smaller diameter pulley that will speed up the stock pump relative to crank speed ($100) ......and somewhere in the past on here is a thread where I showed how to use a 289/302 single groove on a bird to crank it even faster. The t-birds not only suffer from the pump spacer - but they also have a bit smaller radiator than the passenger cars. 

link http://www.y-blocksforever.com/forums/Topic35079-3-1.aspx?Highlight=pump+bypass

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

What is a Frank's Water Pump and where does one get one?

Frank's Water Pumps:  Are they high efficiency?  Where does one get one?

ONE totally forgotten feature of a thermostat , and there is a wide range in the qualitys , Even a Harrison may be made in China in todays world !!   BUT ,  A thermostat must hold the coolant back in the block long enough to absorb all the heat around the cylinders . O.k. we know this , But if it flows to rapidly , It will leave hot spots and not dissapate thru the radiator fins ... I learned this in trucking ..... ALAN B .

Charlie:

You are probably not touching the tubes with the hot water in them, you are touching the fins which help dissapate the heat.  The hottest part of the radiator would be the area where the top hose goes into it.

John

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

That's interesting. I would have thought the pain threshold is lower than that. It feels much cooler than that, though. In some spots it feels like it may be slightly above ambient. I'll shoot the infrared on the core to see what it says. I haven't gone around touching radiator cores before. I wonder what the car is like.


Lawrenceville, GA

Charlie:

An added note.  The temp sensors on the end of your arms, for most people, 130 degrees is about the limit you can stand to leave your hands on something hot, it's uncomfortable but not painful at that temp.  Above that it starts getting painful.  Just a rule of thumb (pun intended), differs with some folks.

John

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Charlie,

          had a simular problem this spring with my truck. After doing a bunch of different things, it ended up being the constant voltage regulator behind the speedo, replaced it and it was very accurate after that comparing it to a borrowed inferred gun I used.  But in your case I don't think its that if your able to put your hands on it without getting burnt. One thing too Steve we used to do in Wisconsin growing up insted of cardboard, we'd just take the fan off all together, just wouldn't let it idle too long!

                                                         Michael

Michael

Sandy Valley, NV