i was thinking the same. the shroud has two rubber flaps that will open up. i spent so much time making brackets to mount that shroud. i think it was designed to fit over the rad, not against the rear of it. i know how close the fans are to the rad affect how well it pulls, but it pulls fine. i plan on adding an auxiliary trans cooler and a small oil cooler, im pretty sure those will help out. if not, i guess ill be getting more zip ties and mount them directly to the rad. it just sucks having the drain the coolant so many times, but i have seen the damage done by running straight water

 

For the very reason why those flaps are put there, what does that tell you?

 

it still runs cooler than it did before. like a said, it would run 195 with the fans on at highway speed. its cooler with them on, but the point is to only use them at low speed.

 

i read through my chiltons manual, seems as though base timing is supposed to be set at 6* at 500 rpm. now since my car wont idle below 700 and is no where near stock, does 8* sound suitable?

 

You're at 12 now. Step it down a couple degrees at a time and see what, if any, difference it makes on the temperature. You "desensitized" the knock sensor. Does it still function like it should though, to adjust for knock? The k.s. will control/over ride any total advance though, as compared to a non-k.s. controlled ignition. I've actually had more issues with an engine running too hot from the timing being too far retarded, which is why I asked about your k.s. in the first place. I still go back to your radiator shrouding as being a good possibility for your high heat problem.

 

it still functions like it should. i did however get a k.s. for a 305, and know i should get one for a 350. im going to swap that out, drop the base timing to 8*. i also got some purple ice, and did get another air bubble out. i ran her the other day, and was switching between 1 and 2 fans. slower speeds i used them both and it stayed around 175, highway i used one and stayed about 180-185. ambiant temp was about 85. im thinking there may be a bit more air trapped, so i need to find a good hill to get it all out, then put in the purple ice at that time and back some timing off

 

The water pump takes coolant from the lower radiator hose, and pumps it into the block. After the stat opens, the coolant is run through the block again and out the top radiator hose where it gets dumped into the top of the radiator. Where and how exactly do you expect air to be getting "trapped"?

 

the heater hoses are higher than the rad cap. and because of the high flow pump, i cant let it idle with the cap off or else it surges out. and with the angle of my driveway, the right front leans down quite a bit

 

If your level in the radiator is up to the neck, what's the concern? And why do you need to let it idle with the cap off, for topping off?
Any radiator will flow over once the coolant heats up, regardless of the pump style. I'm not quite following the point you're trying to make there.

 

even when its cold, just the amount of flow it surges out. i always bleed the coolant system by keeping the cap off and steadily filling it while running until it stops taking coolant. i think jacking the one side up will help though