Well your gonna obviously reduce the cooling effectiveness by removing it. Just depends on how much of a gamble you want to take. I'd leave it but if you really want to clean it up, do an electrical fan swap.

 

I think it is there more for safety than functionality. You may want to watch your fingers.

 

Could try it and see how it works out , See how much temp difference change you notice , its easy enough to put it back if it doesnt work out, +1 i'd also look into a electric fans also, but they are kinda spendy...

 

I would never take it off. Ever. i even went to a junkyard to get another shroud because mine dipped down in the middle and was not on the top of the radiator.

Older trucks do not run as hot as ours since they are mainly carbureated.

take it off at your own risk. Remember that 3 things can kill an engine:
1. Dirt (air and oil)
2. Heat
3. late oil changes

Heat is the biggest killer.

 

Water is pretty harsh on them too.

 

I tried it after dropping an engine in. Temps do go up quite a bit when idling and this was in maybe 20c weather. Without the shroud it just blows air around the engine bay instead of sucking enough through the rad

 

Yeup, its there for a purpose, leave it. If you do not want a shroud, get an e-fan.

 

E-fan Spendy? Maybe for one of the dual setups and shrouds but I have a single 16 summit brand fan and an adjustable controller (about $130 total) and I have no overheating problems. The truck stays cooler than stock even in 75 degree heat in traffic. Eventually I will upgrade to dual summit fans and an aluminum shroud off ebay.

Shroud http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodge...Q5fAccessories