What tempture does your Flatty run at? I have a 49 merc, .60 over duel, carbs etc.. and it runs at 185. 195-200 on really hot days in traffic..Is that normal? What do you do to keep them cool? Anyone run cooling fans??
If you run at 185 normal and 190-200 on really hot days, you should be very happy. Keep doing what you are doing and you should be fine. Most people complain about running near 200 on normal days and boiling over on hot days. As long as you don't boil over and you use a good coolant mixed with water, you should be fine. This is from my experience with others, not gospel, but as long as you are not boiling over you should be fine. Ways to keep cool are getting Skips water pumps, putting the washers in your coolant return pipes instead of thermostats, running water wetter, or installing an electric fan would work too. Mike
Mine runs 180 even in parades. The only time it goes up to about 190 is if I run 80mph for a couple miles. I do have a 4 blade fan, other than that completly stock.
[ QUOTE ] The only time it goes up to about 190 is if I run 80mph for a couple miles. [/ QUOTE ] Maybe thats my problem.. I'm always runnin at 80+mph!! <font color="blue">Anybody use those Skip's water pumps before? </font>
i think thats a little warm for a flat head v-8 i wouldnt want it to get much warmer than 180 , if it goes 190-200 normally when your stuck in traffic with no wind flow on a hod day its gonna get real hot.... next thing you know you got a cracked block, if everything is working correctly the temp shouldnt vary much from the thermostat rating good radiator? pressure cap? how much air is the fan movin? timing correct? thermostats? restrictors?
good radiator? <font color="red"> YES</font> pressure cap? <font color="red">YES 7lb I think </font> how much air is the fan movin? <font color="red"> NO idea, 3 blade no shroud. </font> timing correct? <font color="red"> Hope so, MSD Electronic and a 6A BOX </font> thermostats? <font color="red"> yeah 180 </font> restrictors? <font color="red"> no, but thinkin about it </font>
have you tried water wetter yet? some seem to respond well to runnin a little fat.. try a higher press cap just for shits and grins try taking out the thermostates see what happens ..... the 195 temp is totally acceptaple... im just thinking pomona in july-september stuck in traffic you might see some higher temps... im not real sure where the border line is but i would say i would be getting real nervous around 220-230 might already be too late on some motors.if you had chev i would say dont worry if you cook it and cracks a head big deal replace it ..flattie becomes a differnt deal i have a 8cm bored to 3 5/16 no thermostats and small 32 rad. it runs about 150 which is too cold ...but i like the buffer zone.... i change the oil a lot....
I think you are in good range for a flathead. If you can idle in the heat of the day and stay around 200, I'd say you are ok. If you notice the needle steadily creeping, then you might have a problem. Honestly, if it is steady and just under 200 and that is too hot for your taste, I'd try cleaning the radiator. Sounds like the radiator looses its efficiency for some reason. Any other problem is nomally associated with a hot running car (when idling) regardless of the temperature.
What the hell is wrong with 180 or even 190? That's a normal--even ideal--temperature range for the cooling system of any internal combustion engine. Even 200's fine. Figure out where your "small puddle" is coming from. That would probably help. --Matt
[ QUOTE ] Figure out where your "small puddle" is coming from. That would probably help. [/ QUOTE ] <font color="blue">I have nothing to catch my overflow, it just drains on the ground.. </font>
If it was mine, I'd incorporate a recovery tank and cap, switch to 160 degree t'stats, run a "water wetter" type product swap to a 4 blade fan and triple check my vacuum advance' operation..If I stell reached 200 in traffic, I'd fab up a shroud. Don't remove the thermostats. At RPM the coolant will be forced through the radiator too fast to loose it's heat to the air....You'll overheat on the hiway....been there-done that.
but if it overflows and has nothing to draw it back from ,you can keep getting low on fluid,you might wanna get an overflow tank
I've been wrasslin' cooling problems with my 8BA since I got it - so did the guy I bought it from. He put an electric fan/shroud on it outta desperation. Best I could manage was 200 on a good day. I went thru the basics... timing, head gaskets, radiator rebuild, new cap, several different thermostats, etc... Finally got pissed and cut out every bit of the fan shroud that wasn't needed to hold the electric fan in place. Now it runs at 180 at speed, maybe 190 in traffic. I might go back to a belt-driven fan. I'd go with 160 thermostats and add a puke tank for the overflow... assuming the radiator is solid, flush the system real good and run distilled water with Purple Ice. If that don't do it, look to the fan next.
i havern't done either of these 2 things yet but ive been told they work...supposidly a reason a flathead runs hot is that it flows the water through too fast...2 solutions i know are..break every other fin off your water pumps so it flows less water...or...get larger pulleys for the water pumps...so that they turn slower...both instances will give the water more time to cool in the radiator and hopefully cool down the motor just an idea that i have not tested but seem logical zach
They have beat the living shit out of this topic on Fordbarn. If you ask you will get several more guys that will pimp "Skip's waterpumps". All the guys that I know in the Columbia River Region of the Early V8 Club run regular Ford pumps. If you want to switch pumps, I'd say get they new ones with sealed bearings (Speedway). I'm too cheap, so I just run stock ones from NAPA. I run 5/8" restictors instead of thermostats, stock punps, a 4 bladed fan, 50/50 mix, & have no cooling problems. My cooling system is unpressurized (stock) & I built a puke tank to keep from spitting coolant over everyone behind me. Your temp issue really doesn't sound very bad. I'd try some coolant additive like water wetter and see how she does. I also use a hand held thermometer to check my engine temporature at idle in addition to my stock temp guage.
now.. i dont know what i am talking about.... but.. i have heard from other flathead fans that in some cases timing has a bunch to do with flattys overheating.... they should be set to about 2degrees btdc .. that of course is the stock setup.. with your electronic i would not know.. also its .60 over .. which may have something to do with it... I would go with hotwheels reccomendation.. clean out that radiator.. get it nice and clean on the inside.. maybe replace the thermostats.. make sure the new ones are not stuck before you install them.. sometimes they stick from sitting on the shelf a long time. borrow a infrared thermometer and check the temp on th heads after its been running a while..if one side is hotter than the other ... you may have a water pump that may not be pumping right... My 2 cents Mike
On timing, I assume you mean you have the new MSD flathead distributor. If you have the original distributor with electronics added on, you definitely have timing trouble! Since the temp climbs past your thermostat temp, you do have issues. I have no idea what the total timing and curve of the MSD look like. Is there info on this in the instruction material? Does it have a vac can? If the curve is slow or too short or long, you might well have timing problems at cruise rpm no matter what timing is at idle. You need to find out. If you don't have a vacuum advance for part throttle cruise, you at least need to be sure you have full centrifugal advance at your cruise speed and of course the right total--too much or too little advance would be trouble here. I say keep the 180 stats, just make sure they open and close more or less when expected. New stats should always be checked on the stove before installation. Retorque your heads On overflow, any radiator system without a recovery tank will blow out the surplus when hot if it started out full to brim. It should then remain at this level if all is OK, and refilling that extra two inches or whatever is pointless. I would see if a modern recovery type cap is available in your size in the pressure you have. Probably not--get one that fits and pirate the gasket and get the recovery tank from a late model. You will then have a system that remains full and doesn't overflow.
You Do not have a problem .Any engine runs best when up to temp.A little water wetter and a recoverery system wouldnt hurt.
Also, I believe that MSD makes some neat toys for their system that would be nice if you prefer electronic fiddling to mechanical. They make a box that functions as an electronic vac advance, and I belive another that allows you to move timing around from inside the car. Either would be a way of experimenting with your cruise timing. If you prefer mechanical fiddling, there are ways to study what you have and need too.
I had the 59AB out of my coupe for some changes. I had the heads and pumps off. I thought I would see if I could blow any crud out of the block. I took an air gun and had at it. Had stuff all over the floor and out on the driveway! It was unbelievable how much stuff came out. I believe there was stuff there before,but I let the block dry out and all the scale on the cylinders fell off. If I had just reinstalled the engine, all that loose crud would have stopped up the radiator. The car runs a stock 32 radiator and a 6 blade fan from a 40. 180 tops in Texas.
[ QUOTE ] On timing, I assume you mean you have the new MSD flathead distributor. If you have the original distributor with electronics added on, you definitely have timing trouble! Since the temp climbs past your thermostat temp, you do have issues.. [/ QUOTE ] <font color="blue">I'm Pretty sure my timing is dialed in.. The MSD Distributor and 6A box is the best thing I ever put on the car.. I'd never go back to points much less duel points.. There is no debris in the block cause its a fresh rebuild.. I might be just over thinkin this overheatin thing but...When dealin with a car that is more than twice my age its better to ask than to assume... Thanks again.. </font>
That still leaves some basic questions about the engine's timing at cruise speed: "The distributors also offer an easy-to-adjust mechanical advance assembly. Chrome moly weights move smoothly on nylon pads and different advance springs and stop bushings are supplied so you can custom tailor a timing curve to match your engines requirements". I'm not trying to stir the waters to excess, but with modified and adjustable non-stock stuff, you really need to know where the advance goes and when it gets there. Advance (or more specifically retard) is unusually important in a flathead because of the exhaust design--not enough advance=steam engine. Also, that distributor comes with vacuum advance, a MAJOR blessinghere--but where is it hooked up-manifold, ported, or to the original vac line? Your engine really should be able to hold thermostat temp under most conditions. Bruce
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