rickrock999

Hi,
I am looking for a fan shroud for my '64 Cutlass. I was having problems with it running hot (aren't we all) and put an aluminum radiator in.
That helped a lot but It still runs on the hot side when I am sitting in traffic (a lot in L.A) on a warm /hot day.
This car does not have a shroud, not sure it even came with one. Can't find one for a '64 but I have found one for a '65 I will post the link.
My car has aftermarket AC and a replacement fan that is 18" across. Does anyone know if this will work???
Thanks in advance for any help.

https://www.opgi.com/cooling-heating...s-c241514.html

joe_padavano

The 1965 shroud won't work.

rickrock999

Thanks,
Do you know if they made one for '64, specifically one that can be us
ed with AC?

lunaboy

the 65 should work if you cut a slot in it for the radiater hose. i have one from both 65 and 64 and will try to locate and compare with photo

Rallye469

Will the AC shroud from a 65 work on a 64?
seeing as it’s just a ring…maybe won’t interfere with the radiator hoses?

jmcghee

A 65 radiator is deeper than a 64 . A 65 shroud will "probably" work . Will DEFINITLY need mods of some kind . The original 65 is metal. That repop is plastic.. I find metal parts easier to mod than plastic

rickrock999

Thanks for the info everyone.

therobski

I may add the 65 is about 3 inches deeper, the 64-65 radiator core supports will not interchange either. There are other solutions on here that you do do a search on.

joe_padavano

The car didn't overheat when new. GM had a desert proving grounds in AZ specifically to test for overheating conditions. Maybe rather than adding bandaids, you should figure out why it's overheating now. Incorrect timing, lean mixture (E10 fuel runs leaner than straight gasoline), or many other non-radiator things can cause overheating.

rickrock999

Not really overheating just running a little hot when sitting in traffic on a hot day, maybe about 210 degrees. I understand that is not too hot for these cars,
But when it heats up the engine doesn't run as well maybe due to timing.
I have a Howell Throttle body injection system, and an HEI distributor. So I do not know where my timing should be. From what I have heard those
will change what the timing should be. If you have an idea of where to set the timing please let me know and I will try that.
Thank You

joe_padavano

What else is not stock? Are you running ported or manifold vacuum for the advance? Do you even know what the mechanical and vacuum advance curves are in this distributor? Proper advance at idle is trial-and-error, but once you find the best initial timing, you then may need to limit mechanical advance to hold total timing to 34-ish degrees. And then you need to play with vacuum advance to maximize part-throttle efficiency while avoiding pinging. This is one of the few advantages of an electronic advance system - you can change the spark map from the driver's seat with a laptop. Do you have an A/F meter or telemetry from the EFI? What is the A/F at idle and low speed? Keep in mind that at 16 psi, your coolant won't boil until over 250 deg F. If the temp levels off at 210 on a hot day, I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep over it. If it keeps slowly creeping up, they worry.

rickrock999

Hey Joe,
Thanks for the follow up. When I bought the car it was running pretty rough. I could not find a mechanic who wanted to deal with the throttle body.
Finally I called Howell in Michigan and the guy there hooked me up with a guy in L.A. who was their west coast parts representative, he is also an engineer. He went over the whole system with a computer that he hooked up to it. He replaced the sensors, and had a new computer chip made for it.
He also suggested the HEI distributor which he installed for me. He got the car running really nice, It still is. Unfortunately I have lost contact with this guy. He was a little crazy, and he blew me off, but he did know his stuff. Some of the question you threw at me are over my head, but maybe I can find someone who can check these things out for me.
As you stated I had to do some trial and error with the vacuum advance to get it not to ping. It would ping when it started to get hot
which it would on a hot day. I got it to stop pinging except for when it got over around 210.
The new aluminum radiator helped that from happening except in extreme traffic circumstances on a hot day. I was advised that the fan is not pushing enough air
through when it is idling and that a shroud would help with that. It's not a huge deal but I just want to what I can to keep it running as cool as possible.

joe_padavano

I assume this is the Howell system that uses the GM 2bbl TBI? Does the computer control the distributor or is it fuel-only? Do you have access to the O2 sensor readings while driving?

rickrock999

Hi, Joe,
Happy New Year. Yes I am pretty sure it is the GM 2bbl TBI, that the Howell system uses. It has 2 spray nozzles where the fuel comes out.
I do not have access to the 02 Sensors readings while driving. The guy that I mentioned in my earlier post who helped me get it
fixed up could, he had a computer that he hooked up and took readings while we drove, He adjusted using that computer and
got it running good. But it ran a little hot, I did a few things to fix that but it wasn't until I got the gauges that I saw it was still running
hot when in traffic.
Like I mentioned the guy freaked out a little and stopped responding to my messages so I am no on my own with it.
Maybe I could buy some kind of computer system myself to test it?