Most of the heat is generated aroung town under 35mph. I'm running a 14" Summit curved blade electric puller, but I have a SPAL straight blade Puller on order. For a radiator I have a new PRC Aluminum 2 rows of 1" tubes.
I haven't seen anyone say this yet, but what about the valve settings? I had one that the valves were not gapped properly in. I had them a bit to tight. They didn't make the usual slight clickity clack that non hydraulic valves make. It made it run hot. Also if you have a crack between the valves, exhaust gases entering the water jacket can make one run hot. Just another thought to cause more confusion.
Do you have any history on this engine,Did it run good before those alm heads were put on.Did you put them on.maybe something wrong with them,gasket wrong hole proplem.I think it maybe time to pull the heads.They sure look nice but may not be good for 8ba.
If it runs cool on the highway, but hot in town, it is your electric fan, It dosen't move enuff air. Think about it: the motor makes MORE heat when it's working harder at highway speeds than it does idling at a stoplight. If it can run cool when it's making more heat, theres nothing wrong with the radiator or the timing or heads. It is a low speed air flow issue. The opposite is also true: if it runs cool around town but heats up on the highway, the radiator is plugged, or too small but the fan is fine. If it is hot all the time, then everything is suspect.
I just got my new Speedway catolog today and under alumiam heads 32 thur 48 are one set and 49 thur 53 another.If you look the back on 49 53 heads there are larger holes,and not the same on early one.THey have been interchanged but not sure of brand,and head gaskets.Just for fun of it Mine had pinking going up hills so i retared it back a little,result no change in temp,but no more ping stock dist.
Hi John-- I did a combustion gas leakage test tonite and things seem OK. Checked with all 8 cylinders firing, then check without right bank, and then without left bank. No turning "yellow". If it wasn't the exact same blue as in the bottle, it was leaning toward a blue/green (if I were to split hairs) . But not a color change toward yellow.
Well that is good news bad news deal. If you had much of a gas leak it would have gotten yeller fast,even a very small leak gets greenish fairly quick. But you stil have the #$*%%^ heating issue. Run either 3/4 hole restrictors or stats., and confirm the dist is advancing correctly. Any chance it is running very lean?
Plugs look good- tan color. Distributor set at initial 10* with a total of about 28* all in by 2500rpm. Pulled the thermostats and put 5/8" hole restrictors and it seems better but still hotter than I'd like it. Checked my gauge against another gauge and it seems on the money. Radiator is new 2 rows of 1" tubes. (aluminum) I just ordered a new SPAL straight blade fan to replace my Summit curved blade fan
May not mean anything,12v fan are not vary strong,some better then others,but seem too work for me,on nearly all 12v fans,the plastic shoud has a lot of little saftey grates between the main braces that can be removed and help it more more air,also if the shoud stands off from the core anymore then 1/16in. it leaks air it from behind rad in stead of pulling it through it. Manytimes a sealed sheet running from the fan housing out to edges of rad frame help fan pull from all core if both fan anheet are lifted as little as 1/4in gap off core but other wise sealed. Time sound A>O>K at 28*,can be as much 32*total but that would be upper limit
Many of you have made a number of recommendations of tests to do to narrow down this running hot issue. Thanks to all. I've done a number of them and here are some of the results. All tests done with No thermostats. Used 5/8 hole restrictors. Using 7 lbs radiator cap. Cooling system pressure test held at 18 lbs. Block test for combustion gases checked out OK. Used a digital temp reader and comfirmed temp on right side and left sides of heads/water outlets/etc are similar around 190*. On a coolish 55* nite the engine idled for an hour with gauge reading 190* All across both heads temp was 185*-190* ----- Intake manifold reads 220* Top Radiator tank temp was around 185* and the Lower Radiator tank was around 160*. Electric fan kicks on about 185* -- Dash temp gauge stays constant at around 190* Took it out on the road to 40mph at temp gauge instantly climbed to 200* After shutting engine down, the fan within minutes brought gauge down to below 160* Intial timing 10* --- Full 28* advance all in at 2500rpm Plugs are brown Well there you have it. This is on a cool night. I know things will be worse on an 75 to 85 degree day.
Down on lower right you will see Fordbarn,Those guy will give you good advice they know flatheads.Ask about putting early style alm heads on 8ba. Is the past condition unknow for this engine?
Brown plugs are a lean condition too. Lean can add heat, but Brown being better then wet black. To me 190 is not bad. I ***umed you checked the thermo to the cars gauge to match. Any flathead that ran hot for me was fixed with a recored rad or timing.
Yes- The thermos were verified to open at 180. When I had the thermos in things were the same although slight hotter. Plugs have brown electrode and black surounding on shell.
If your new fan does not fix the problem, dump a bottle of Purple Ice into the coolant. Some like it, some dont, but it's not expensive and it sure works for me. You may find a 10-15 degree drop. Also I think your fan should come on a bit earlier than 185. If you have an adjustable temp switch, cut it back to about 175.
Sorry meant the in fared thermometer to the cars gauge. I'd run it without any restrictors to test too.
Infared gauge closely match dash gauge. I tried without restrictors or thermos and it seem to run hotter.
Try static timing at 4 degrees............ do you have a shroud? if so is your fan correctly located...........
I re read all your posts and what I got from what you posted that with or without restriction it reaches a high temp. Only difference is the speed of the rising temp. Timing good. Etc What is left is the rad or fan. Is the radiator to small to efficiently cool then? Maybe a fan shroud is in order? Typed too slow
Fan covers the top 2/3 of the radiator. The electric I'm using has its own 14" dia shroud. I'll try pulling back the timing but won't that make it run hotter with less advance?
That's the exact direction that I'm leaning toward. Will work on the fan issue first. If that doesn't help then I'll have to break out the big bucks and focus on the rad.
That 1" tube thing never sat well with me, do you have an old radiator that you can swap in for a bit? Quite a long shot I know... Bob
If you can borrow a good stock one you could test it to see before buying. Ya like we all have decent radiators laying around, I know.
All radiators are not the same as fin count is as important as number and size of tubes. As I recall 10-12 fins per inch is a good start. You can have too many as well as too few. Too many restricts the air flow and causes heating issues ,too few and you can not get rid of enough heat. I am a fan of Walker radiators ,pricey but they seem to know what they are doing.
Ya, I was kind leary about the aluminum 2 - 1" rows myself. I'll scout around for a stock rad of some year just to try before I spring for a new one.
My 34 sedan runs a Chevy350. It was running 235* on a hot day. I put a Walker Z-line in it and now it stays at 180* on a 95* day
The size of the radiator shouldn't make a lot of difference. I run a Mustang rad, and it's so small I had to put a grill in the Model A radiator shell to hide the gaps. I'm the opposite to you, mine runs cool, proof that the small rad is doing the job. I know other Hambers run Mustang rads, some without fans..... just offering another possibility. I cant remember whether you are running stock pumps or not, but aftermarket ones flow way more than stock ones, reducing cavitation. If you are experiencing cavitation, this will cause hotspots in the block.
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