55 T-Bird runs hot at low speed...

[69Firebird4-speed]

Guy's, my friend has a 55 T-Bird with 2?? v-8 and 312 heads. The motor and heads are stock. He likes to drive it in parades but has to pull out early because it gets hot, like our Texas heat! Does anyone have any experience with aluminum radiators, restrictors, or maybe even running a trans cooler? He tried an electric fan in front of radiator pushing, but it restricted more than it helped, because it ran hotter. Any help appreciated.

[97Bird]

He should take the radiator to a good radiator shop and have it flow tested. If it is restricted but the core is in good condition they should be able to "rod out" the core to clean it. This is done by removing the tanks and inserting rods through the core to clean it out. I don't know how much a new radiator costs compared to cleaning the old one but those are two options. Larry's Thunderbirds is one dealer for parts. He should also check the water pump impeller and flush the cooling system. Does he have the correct thermostat installed, idle speed and the timing set right?