Fan Shrouds > Breeze Automotive Or Other Manufacturers > Your Thoughts Please
Hey Gang,
1. Are most of you running or not running fan shrouds?
2. I live in the in the Deep South, very near New Orleans, and I feel like it is a cost worthy investment.
3. Installing the radiator is the next task on my list so your thoughts and comments will be appreciated.
4. My question is what percentage of you all are running fan shrouds?
Yes, you want a shroud (even if you weren't in the deep south). Never tried any others but I've used the Breeze unit on a handfull of roadsters in conjunction with the FFR radiator---fits and works well for short $$
x2 on using a radiator shroud. Looks better, works better. I've also only used them from Breeze. Only caution is to get the right one. Mark has two versions. One for the previous AFCO Racing radiator. A different one for the current radiator.
Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020. Build Thread and Video. Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020. Build Thread and Video Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023. Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.
You might as well use the Breeze upper and lower radiator mounts too. Good instructions and quality materials. I have both and the Breeze shroud too.
Doug
Doug
FFR 7995
347 SBF Prestige Mototsports, Moser 8.8 (3.31) 3 Link, TKO 600, Nitto 555s, 17" Halibrands, PS, AC, Heat, Color Redfire Pearl, with Wimbledon White Stripes
I highly suggest using the breeze products , shroud and upper and lower mounts. They have worked very well in my builds. I have used theirs or Replica parts shrouds in the past.
Also don't forget the upper close off panel. http://www.breezeautomotive.com/deta...=165&cat_id=17
This assures that all the air entering the front body opening actually goes through the radiator core. I also really like my manual fan switch. If I let the sender system run the fan, the coolant temp goes up and down as the fan goes off and on. If I flip the switch the temp stays on 180.
FFR MkII, 408W, Tremec TKO 500, 2015 IRS, DA QA1s, Forte front bar, APE hardtop.
FWIW Maybe nothing I have the shroud but have not yet installed it. Have Mike Everson's one piece duct & the Breeze top piece. Have run 2 summers in NC heat & have never seen over 205*F on the temperature gauge, oil runs about 185*F.
Will install it when I get around to it but so far has been a back burner item, that said I would recommend it as its a quality piece.
Kevin
MKIV #8234
Coyote '14/TKO-600/3-Link 3:55 Rear I love the smell of 100 octane in the morning.
NITTO NT01 275X40X17ZR - 315X35ZRX17
Delivered 2/7/14 - Plate "COYOTE NC1965" 3/25/15
FWIW Maybe nothing I have the shroud but have not yet installed it. Have Mike Everson's one piece duct & the Breeze top piece. Have run 2 summers in NC heat & have never seen over 205*F on the temperature gauge, oil runs about 185*F.
Will install it when I get around to it but so far has been a back burner item, that said I would recommend it as its a quality piece.
I got one from summit racing. Nice aluminum shroud that fit the FFR afco radiator. I just had to cut the hole for the fan an bolt it on. I did a search on here and found the part number. It was like $58
stack
FFR MKI Roadster FFR2202K Built in 2000 sold
FFR Hot Rod #39 under construction
How integral is it to add the shroud (and the Radiator Cowl Cover, and the Heavy Duty Hinged Radiator/Shroud Mounting Kit and the Lower radiator Support kit) on a scale from 1-10.
1 being your car won't run properly without it to 10 being I live in a Scrooge McDuck style money bin, so I might as well buy it.
The shroud and cowl cover provide a big measure of improvement for cooling. What's it worth to you to have overheat issues or worse? The shroud is a pretty simple piece. If you have fabrication skills you can make your own. The lower radiator mount I also consider mandatory. Without it, the radiator is hanging in space during the build and then held only by the radiator surround sheet metal in the body once completed. The top radiator mount I personally do put in the nice to have category. With a little bit of care, the stock mount along with the Breeze lower mount gets the job done IMO.
Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020. Build Thread and Video. Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020. Build Thread and Video Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023. Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.
Do yourself a favor, use the shroud, upper and lower mounts and upper cowl piece. Marks stuff is top shelf.
John
FFR #7388 - Mk 4 Complete Kit w/ IRS, Ordered 10/21/10, Delivered 12/8/10. 302 with FiTech and Under Car Exhaust, Heat & A/C, Rod Top. Hard top and shop built side curtains added 2023.
The shroud and cowl cover provide a big measure of improvement for cooling. What's it worth to you to have overheat issues or worse? The shroud is a pretty simple piece. If you have fabrication skills you can make your own. The lower radiator mount I also consider mandatory. Without it, the radiator is hanging in space during the build and then held only by the radiator surround sheet metal in the body once completed. The top radiator mount I personally do put in the nice to have category. With a little bit of care, the stock mount along with the Breeze lower mount gets the job done IMO.
I've got the Shroud and Upper panel on order.
I'll be fabricating the Upper & Lower mounts, assuming that I can make them look neat & tidy.
Thanks-O-Million Sir EdwardB!
How integral is it to add the shroud (and the Radiator Cowl Cover, and the Heavy Duty Hinged Radiator/Shroud Mounting Kit and the Lower radiator Support kit) on a scale from 1-10.
1 being your car won't run properly without it to 10 being I live in a Scrooge McDuck style money bin, so I might as well buy it.
I don't have money to burn, even though I'm a Banker by trade, just trying to build my dream car.
Sounds like I'm in the minority, but I have never had cooling issues even in 100 degree weather. I haven't pushed extreme limits of city traffic in Arizona in the summer, but I've driven plenty of hot days and never had a problem. It stays fairly cool all the time. Heck, in 60 degree weather I can't even get it hot enough to turn the fan on. I must say I like the look of the shroud and might even buy one eventually for that reason, but it is irrelevant to my cooling needs. I am even a little concerned it will keep it too cool.
Just for my own curiosity, how many folks had trouble with cooling BEFORE putting the shroud on?
Breeze products are great, shipped FAST. Excellent customer service.
If you're building a non-donor, Mark can pretty much be your one-stop-shop. As well as supplying me with much of my car, he was a constant source of help when I was at various head scratching phases in deciding what parts I needed that wouldn't leave me with mismatched items. This was a key area for me with IRS and pin-drive width.
High quality parts, great instructions, fast shipping, second to none customer service and his EzePacks are idiot proof.
Back on topic: 351W, carb'd ... with Breeze shroud, upper and lower mounts, and also his thermostatic switch. I also took his advice and didn't bother with any dashboard override. Drove all summer in 90-100 temperatures and no issues.
FFR6243RD, MkIII, 3.55, IRS, pin-drive width, carb'd 351W, T5, 1/2 dropped butt, Fortes hydraulic clutch, deep dish AC-III wheels by Team III. 9 year build; NY registered 7/18/2016 - "Sweet 16" winner at 2016 Taconic State Nationals 5 days later ... in 'rough as hell' gel coat for the foreseeable future! Build Blog - Leave me a comment!
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Back on topic: 351W, carb'd ... with Breeze shroud, upper and lower mounts, and also his thermostatic switch. I also took his advice and didn't bother with any dashboard override. Drove all summer in 90-100 temperatures and no issues.
Thanks For The Response!
I'm still working on the lower mount and not happy witt the results YET.
After all the work stuffing the 383-SBC & ZF-Transmission in this thing one would think this would be a snap.
At least I Breeze is a viable Plan-B if things don't fair well.
I ordered my shroud from FFMetal along with the battery drop box. The shroud is very nice. I just installed it along with the Breeze upper and lower mounts. I like the lower mount but probably wouldn't bother with the upper if I had to do it again. You have to cut the two 4" x 3/4" square tubes off of the main cross tube. Seems like a lot of work for a minimal benefit, Then again, I assume Breeze developed it due to previous problems. I'll probably make my own cowl cover.
-Steve
I have the Breeze shroud and mounts. Quality stuff. Note on the radiator shroud: the angle it sits lends to puddling water/fluids in the bottom. I drilled a couple 3/8" drain holes in the lowest corners of the shroud. Not that I plan to drive in the rain, drive through deep puddles, or have any radiator leaks, but....
Last edited by boat737; 01-22-2017 at 02:26 PM.
Reason: Added 2nd picture
If Brute Force doesn't work, you're not using enough of it. Basic Stuff: MK4 Complete Kit #8439, Wilwood's, 17" Halibrands. Extra Stuff: Stainless brake and fuel lines, Breeze cooling, Battery mount, SS Roll Bar. Old Fart Stuff: Heater, Seat Heaters, Footbox Fresh Air, Stereo, Keyless ignition, Power Steering, Hyd Clutch. Young & Dumb Stuff: 427w Dart, TKO600, 3 link Moser M9/Ford 9", 3.5:1, Eaton TruTrac Posi. Graduation Thread
I have the Breeze shroud and mounts. Quality stuff. Note on the radiator shroud: the angle it sits lends to puddling water/fluids in the bottom. I drilled a couple 3/8" drain holes in the lowest corners of the shroud. Not that I plan to drive in the rain, drive through deep puddles, or have any radiator leaks, but....
Thanks for including the picture of the shroud.
I think I'll wait for it's arrival before I fabricate the lower mount.
Again, thanks for including this pic.
Hi guys, just chiming in with my experience with the Breeze shroud and top cover. The shroud is really easy to install and makes installing the radiator even easier - especially if you use the Breeze lower and upper mounts (or fab something similar on your own).
As a bonus, the shroud is a great place to mount your fan switch thermostatic adjuster knob if you're so inclined and the top cover can be lightly modified using scrap materials to make it look somewhat like the top mount of an original Cobra radiator.
The small hole in the upper right corner of the shroud in this picture is where the knob mounts to the thermostatic switch for the fan controller. The switch itself is inside the shroud, but was fairly easy to access this past summer when I had to replace it due to a failure.
Later,
Chris
"There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
Mk3.1 #7074
I installed the Breeze shroud to the F5-provided AFCO radiator. It's a quality-made piece, the instructions are great, and I would definitely purchase again.
That said, you may run into a clearance issue. In my case, I mounted the shroud to the radiator using four #10-32 riv-nuts. At that point, it was obvious I had a clearance problem.
Using one of the radiator hose adapter kits, I determined how much to clear. In the process, I discovered that there are two thicknesses of smaller tubing in the adapter kit. By chance, I picked the thicker of the two and there was no way it was going to fit over the radiator fitting as shown in the manual. Once I got the thinner tube, it slipped over the radiator fitting just fine and made the larger tube nice and snug.
After some quality time with the Dremel, I had the clearance I needed.
After prepping the aluminum for paint, I covered the hole with aluminum tape both inside and out. I covered the shroud with black Dupli-color engine paint.
Like I said before, even with this minor fitment issue I would definitely buy the shroud again.
John
Last edited by phileas_fogg; 08-06-2017 at 07:35 PM.
I installed the Breeze shroud to the F5-provided AFCO radiator. It's a quality-made piece, the instructions are great, and I would definitely purchase again.
That said, you may run into a clearance issue. In my case, I mounted the shroud to the radiator using four #10-32 riv-nuts. At that point, it was obvious I had a clearance problem.
Using one of the radiator hose adapter kits, I determined how much to clear. In the process, I discovered that there are two thicknesses of smaller tubing in the adapter kit. By chance, I picked the thicker of the two and there was no way it was going to fit over the radiator fitting as shown in the manual. Once I got the thinner tube, it slipped over the radiator fitting just fine and made the larger tube nice and snug.
After some quality time with the Dremel, I had the clearance I needed.
As you can see, I took quite a bit out of the upper corner.
After prepping the aluminum for paint, I covered the hole with aluminum tape both inside and out. I covered the shroud with black Dupli-color engine paint.
Like I said before, even with this minor fitment issue I would definitely buy the shroud again.
John
I also had to do a little adjustment, although not near as substantial. I mounted the shroud as far to the DS of the radiatior as possible. (See my pics in my post #24 above. I opened up the mounting holes to slide the shroud over to the DS.) The corner of the shroud was still close to the rubber hose coupler, but only by an 1/8" or less. I just filed down the top of the weld on the shroud corner a bit. That was enough.
Last edited by boat737; 01-22-2017 at 03:45 PM.
If Brute Force doesn't work, you're not using enough of it. Basic Stuff: MK4 Complete Kit #8439, Wilwood's, 17" Halibrands. Extra Stuff: Stainless brake and fuel lines, Breeze cooling, Battery mount, SS Roll Bar. Old Fart Stuff: Heater, Seat Heaters, Footbox Fresh Air, Stereo, Keyless ignition, Power Steering, Hyd Clutch. Young & Dumb Stuff: 427w Dart, TKO600, 3 link Moser M9/Ford 9", 3.5:1, Eaton TruTrac Posi. Graduation Thread