54 High Hood build with SBC cooling question.

Hi guys, newbie here so coming right out without any introduction might not be par on the site, but I have a question about a jeep my dad and I are building for him and Im kida stumped. Plus, when this thing finally gets done, I hope I can provide any help or knowledge Ive gained after completing this build and share with you guys (and gals). Also, I'll keep up posting progress of our jeep as it nears completion. First off, we started off by finding a pretty much stock and rust free 54 CJ3b. Then, scrapped the frame and got a postal jeep frame. After custom bumpers, rubicon express springs, shackle reverse, custom locked up with disc brake f&r 44's and LOTS of other goodies, we planted in a sweet 350 hp SBC 327. So here comes the question. We used an Art Morrison SBC universal engine mount bracket and stuffed the motor as far back as we could without damaging the firewall. We will be using an MSD ignition specifically designed for tight spaces. This still leaves very little room up front for cooling. What have you guys done in your flatties for a radiator? We've seen guys strap fans on front of the grills, but that isn't gonna cut it for this jeep ( I hate that look) Any suggestions or if any of you gearheads have a good solution, please let me know! I'll throw on a couple old pics I have ( I have more at work and this is an old one) so you guys can see what we've been doing.
EH

 

hey i'll go get some pics for you of my 3b w/ 283.
mabey through a tape on some stuff too.
curious... you in washington?

 

okay dude, here ya go.
what i got is a 283 to the t-90 and on back. my gramps put it in almost were the stock engine was, alittle more to the pass side. its got a short pump and a metal fan. the fire wall has been releaved slightly for the dizzy.
its old points style so its a smaller cap than the hei. heres a few pics.




its a mopar rad. out of what i dont know. its 3.5 by 21. not cut into the headlight buckets no outside fans. the measurements off the grill is about 3". theres about 1" inbetween the fan and the rad.


hope that helps. if theres anything else i can help ya out with tell me.
also it doesnt have heating problems runs about 195-210 in hot summer on the trail and normaly 185-190. later dude.

 

Sweet! Thanks for taking the time and putting up the pics. Yeah, I live in Washington on Fox Island (near Gig Harbor) My trail rig is was a 72, but I scratched the tub and picked up a pretty clean 79, but that another project (almost done though!) So you say that rad is mopar huh? Looks like you have everything fitting real nice. I wonder if I took your rad dimensions and went to Northwest Radiator and told them what I was looking for if they could do some sort of cross refrence? I figured we'd need a short water pump. Do your rad supports run down and tie to the frame? I noticed you added grill supports that run to the tub. Sweet rig, you ever hit Elbe? (assuming you live in WA) Here's a youtube vid of the last time I ran the busy wild before completely transforming my round nose. Mine is the green cj.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTWurvBOOag
Thanks again, Im sure you'll here more from me.

 

i'm just guessin here,but just cut your grill back a bit.i had a 68,.w/327,m21 and thats what the po did.

 

Heres what I got to work with.... I measured from the backside of the grill slats to the block and have about 11". Can anyone tell from the pic whether that is a short water pump or not? Like I said, I know very little about part #'s and different applications! LOL! I'll take a few more pics later when I have more time so maybe I can get some more input on what might work.

 

Good looking project you have there. What size Tires are you running? Anyway a couple of answers to your questions. Have a look for a 65 Mustang aluminum radiator from summit or speedway motors. They are fairly cheap and fit well. The thick core ones can cool like 500hp. I have a 2A that I fit one into as I was really tight for space as well. I mounted it to the frame and used an electric fan from a ford taurus. I am not 100% sure from the picture but I would say you have the long waterpump and accessories on your engine. They are by far the most common so it is very likely. You can gain some clearance switching to the short pump and Acc. Looks like you are going to be pretty tight. Check out my build, it might help you out some. I had to deal with very little rad clearance as well. http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60125 I have a few pics in the build that might help you out. Good luck.
Greg

 

They are 34 X 9.5 x 15 Swamper TSL's. Kind of a unique look. A guy I went to highschool with built a sweet 2a before he passed away from cancer at only 28 ran them on his and I really liked the look. He actually had Q78's, they have slightly taller knobs. We've gotten a lot of help and ideas within the last few hours from guys! Thanks a lot. We just put on a short pump about twenty minutes ago. Now all we need is a different 2 slot crank pulley and a new pulley for the wp and a upper mount alternator bracket. It actually looks now like things are gonna work out!! LOL Pheww.

 

BTW the jeep build looks great! When I get more time after work tonight, I'll get to read through it more thoroughly.

 

I like the tall skinny Swampers as well. I went with the 34x10.50s but it is a similar look. Glad to hear you found a short pump. That should give you the room you need. Add the Mustang aluminum rad and a fan and you will be good to go.
Greg

 

Sure you want to run that without a front crossmember? It's a long ways between the front bumper and the rear crossmember.

 

The motor mount is an Art Morrison weld-in that ties in between the frame rails all the way across. Then there is a custom cross member that has 6 half inch bolts holding it in between the frame rails that the tranny and t-case sit on. Its also a postal jeep frame, so they are 4 or 6 inches longer than the stock frame did up front. So technically including the factory rear cross member and the f&r bumpers, there are 5 full width "braces" between the rails. So the motor mount kind of acts like a front cross member. Its made from 2" DOM. Pretty strong. Plus when we slap on a Warn 8000 on the front, the winch bracket will help tie things in even more.

 

hey looks like your coming right along.
i have about 13" from the grill to the engine, so i think your pretty close.
my rad mounts are welded to the cross member, and then supported with the grill supports also.
i have never run westside trails, just autanum, rimrock, manashtash and naches trails.
pm me we can hit some trails sometime.
oh and keep asking questions i'll answer any thing i can.

 

Oh. Didn't see that.

 

Hey thanks for the help and tips guys. Put on a short water pump the other day. Ordered new pulley's and a radiator. Went with an aluminum one for a 65 mustang. The dimensions are perfect, both necks are on the passenger side so we'll use a swivel neck on the 327. Claims to keep 650 hp's cool. It also has a tranny cooler built in we'll use to cool the power steering. We'll use an electric fan with a custom shroud also. I'll keep posting pics as progress continues.