Oh well, whatever. My 4 row with a 50-50 mix with a bottle of water wetter and a 6blade flex fan with a shroud and a bottle to catch the overflow works just fine. I have found the ultimate solution for my 65 289 here in hot Texas. You guys can do what you wish.

 

Let's see - good old 'John Q Public' has read all this about 'specific heat', 'glycol' and 'latent heat' (kinda like that one) and runs out to - what, go to his local auto parts store and buys some 'latent heat' (does have a nice ring to it), at least a gallon (Prestone is a good substute).
You use what's available.
It's called 'anti-freeze'.
It comes in a gallon jug (buy two by the way).
Youpour it into your radiator (after draining out some old stuff).
You ride off into the sunset.
You have minimal worrys.
Jim
Oh, installa radiator shroud if you don't have one.

 

Actually, if one were to want to buy a coolant with more "latent heat", they would get distilled water at 89 cents a gallon from the grocery store.

I was trying to explain how a coolant mix with more water than antifreeze is a more efficient automotive coolant than one with equal parts and why some people recommend it.

However, for my vehicles, I run a 50/50 mix year-round. I think anything else (including Water Wetter) is a band-aid for whatever the real problem is. Like a radiator that is too small, a lack of sufficient airflow across it, or a lack of sufficient coolant flow through the system.

Hotrod351:
My advice in this case: ditch the electric fan, 2300 CFM is obviously not enough for these conditions. I would get a large mechanical fixed-blade fan (not a flex fan) and a new heavy duty thermostatic fan clutch. Buy or fabricate a shroud that encloses the entire core surface of the radiator and extends to the middle of the fan blade depth. The car will sound like a prop-job airplane, but at least you'll know you've taken care of that airflow problem. Maybe you could use your electric fan as a pusher, but it might become a restriction.

 

Just a thought, but how long do you thinkdistilled water will remain in its 'pristine' condition after it's poured into a copper cored radiator that receives itscontinuous supply from a some-what rusty cast iron engine?
In a mobile turbine powered generator system for a military project I worked on, the original specifications called out for distilled water. The customer was informed that the use was impractical, expensive and hard to maintain in a 'distilled' condition, especially in a combat situation. The use of distilled water was the idea ofthestupid civilian contract administrators of thegovernment.
Jim

 

Probably as long as the fresh engine oil stays 'pristine' after an oil change.

Distilled water obviously won't remain pure in the cooling system but it also won't contribute to the formation of mineral deposits like tap water can.

Luckily for me, I don't drive vehicles in a combat zone anymore. I don't have any problems getting distilled water around here.

 

Yeah, I don't use distilled water because it cools any better than tap water. I use distilled water because it doesn't have all the mineral deposits in it to stop up my radiator as does the tap water here in central Texas. I have a fish tank, and of course testing supplies that tells me many things about my water, but one important test it takes is how alkaline (hard) the water is. Mine goes off the scale for hardness. Everybody who is anybody around here has a water softener. So, putting tap water in my radiator would be like pouring rocks in the rad. You guys can laugh all you want about Water Wetter or Royal Purple Ice, but that stuff works in my radiator. I used to get to 3/4 on the old gauge, now I only get to 1/4. I can't argue with success.

 

Ah gee Glen. My water comes from the Hetch-Hetchy reservoir in the Sierras just North of Yosemite. It's real snow melt 'branch water'. Goes in my JD no 7 and car's radiators without a hitch.
Jim

 

replaced my non working vacuum advance yesterday, today my car ran 170-180 in 110 temps with ac blowing cold. guess getting no advance from the vacuum advance combined with the vacuum leak was the problem. ill see how the rest of the week goes.

 

That's good news. I think overheating problems are the most frustrating to have to deal with.

I'm glad you got it (hopefully) worked out.

I'm also glad your electric fan is up to the job, it gives me more confidence in my mechanical setup.

 

i took the electric fan off last night. i was back and forth on the mech and electric. i trust the mech more. if i was really motivated i could run it for a week like this and then switch back to the electrical, but i wont. i ordered a pusher blade for the spal that i have and im going to mount it to the front of my old ****** jeep, it has a 350 sbc, and ive got a 10 inch electric fan mounted to the front of the radiator and, when on, does move some air. figure i have the spal why not use it. $14.00 for the pusher blade. and its bigger and will look cooler than the 10 inch fan.