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I'm sure you remember that your 444 and your 544 (and maybe even your
122) had a roller blind at the bottom front of the radiator, operated by
a small s-link chain that hooks in a buttonhole eye protruding below the
dash. If you don't have or can't use the roller blind, cardboard makes
an admirable substitute. I cover up about 3/4 of the radiator and find
that warmup and temperature stability are much better, leading to smoother
running and better gas mileage. I've found that it doesn't seem to cause
problems till the temp gets up into the mid 80s, and if it does, all you
have to do is open the hood and pull it out. (That is the beauty of the
roller blind - you don't even have to stop!)
Some may say "Well, isn't that all taken care of by the thermostat?"
to which I respond, "Well, not too well. Imagine how you would feel at
160-180° to suddenly be sloshed by a mix of water and antifreeze at
about 0°F? Remember that the thermostat doesn't close till the cool stuff
is ready to exit the engine! What the cardboard does is to reduce the
cooling to more nearly parallel the heating so that the thermostat cycles
in short cycles rather than long ones with BIG temp variations."
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Oklahoma
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