As it has been explained to me, the biggest cause of the Bricklin
overheating is not that it can not get the air in to cool, it is that it can
not get the hot air out of the engine compartment. The coolest running car I
have seen was one that had vents installed in the dogleg of the front
fenders, ala Corvette, and the vent from a turbo Dodge Daytona hood
installed in the hood. Terry has always said that if you pulled your hood
latch while going down the road that the hood would stand about 6 inches up
off the cowl due to the amount of air flowing through the compartment. Just
my 2 cents but it makes sense to me.
George.
George J. Malaska, VIN#768,#1548.
Membership Director, Bricklin International
Elkhart, IN. 219-875-1270
bricklingeorge@msn.com.
----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Cramer <philobandb@earthlink.net>
To: <bricklin@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, August 27, 1999 2:00 PM
Subject: 74 overheating problems
> Here in Southern California we deal with 'stop and no go' traffic and
> high ambiant temps all of the time. This is the reason my 74 became a
> pleasure driver and not a commuter--although I still drive it almost
> daily, it's more for show and pleasure than utility.
>
> Overheating IS a problem with the car in spite of the engine
> configuration. Chasing the heat problem on mine is something I have
> done since the beginning. The first thing was air scoop repair to
> improve the airflow--then thermostat change-165°F if I remember
> correctly--and a water pump change. I was the second owner and although
> the car was well maintained, water pumps can wear, corrode and rust. I
> could see good flow through the radiator but wanted to maximize it.
>
> I am a heat freak, though, and was not satisfied with the results. I
> wrapped the exhaust manifolds with insulation to lower the engine
> compartment temperature--as well as the fuel tank, which was picking up
> heat from the exhaust system. Wrapping the tank was very successful in
> lowering the fuel temperature.
>
> I pulled the cowl and fan and replaced it with twin electrics. I don't
> recommend it. I ended up putting the fan and cowl back on and moving
> the two electric fans--thermostatically controlled to come on at
> 195°F--to the front of the radiator to serve as assists. This was very
> effective as well in slow traffic.
>
> I finally added an engine oil cooler to increase the cooling capacity
> further. These are easy-to-install kits that can be picked up just
> about anywhere and it was the frosting on my little piece of cake.
>
> The result is that the car never runs above 220°F even this last week
> when the temps locally were 100°F+. I have a 4 speed in my '74 so I
> don't have to worry about the heat from that source. Running the AC is
> an absolute must in this area.
>
> So...I guess the answer is, yes, heat in the "74's can be a problem.
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