Ok, perhaps a long shot here but isn't the exhaust system of muffler plugged up in any way? Maybe a dead rodent is hiding in there perhaps? Or how about maybe the balancer-ring has slipped on the rubbergasket in between and is giving false timingreadings now?
I did not see in the original post if the car has a shroud. Does it? A big block Skylark I used to own always ran excessively hot, I swapped the flex fan for a solid 6 blade and installed a shroud. After it ran 20 degrees cooler.
Dumb question - forgive me. Does the serpentine setup make the pump run backwards? Does it need a special pump perhaps? Mart.
My '53 Chrysler block had a ton of shit in it when I took it apart. Have you flushed your block when changing rads? Just a thought.
Surely you have a fan shroud. Set it up so about 1/3 of the fan is outside the shroud. It helps the fan unload faster and moves more air. Cavitation is also a killer. Loop a length of hose on the heater outlets. Both of these are big fixes at low cost.
I'm 95% sure your water pump is turning the wrong way. Jay, does the serpentine setup you're running spin the pump the SAME way as the old V-belts, or the OPPOSITE way? Think about what you said, the hoses are the same temp top and bottom, with a cool radiator between them. Also, cars with temperature issues prefer a 195* thermostat. That allows coolant to stay in the radiator longer and actually GET COOL before re-entering the engine. Heater works better too. My .02.
Thanks again guys..i have a nice little list of things to go over once i cool off and can work on the car again...i just dont want to see it at this point in time...the one question that keeps popping up in my mind is the engine bay is pretty well closed off...the way the fenderwells come way down to the frame rails...and the front surface area where the rad is was pretty small...now the front has been opened up and is really flimsy...which i will have to fix once i get back on the car.... driving the car the air is being forced through the little open area to and through the rad...when the car had the electric fan it would run up to 195 on the highway but stay there until you stopped then it would peg....could the way the sheetmetal is trap the heated air??? i know this doesnt sound right cuz i know the stock motors worked well in this enviroment..but if i punched a bunch of louvers in the hood would i accomplish anything to get the heated air out and cooler air pulled in??
I dont think your sheetmetal will affect much. the engine bay in my '55 Ply is almost identical to your 56 Dodge, and there is pleanty of room for hot air to escape.
You do want to be sure that all the air hitting the front of the car passes through the rad. If the air can get around the rad, it will go that way. If you were going to louver somthing, I'd try the inner fenders towards the back, down low. Would make for more air flowing through the engine compartment. Gene
I bought a 429 CJ powered Mach 1 from a fellow for cheap cause it would run hot after you drove it a little ways. He had done everything and had settled into the idea that the block was cracked. I started playing with it and found that the auto-trans lines were touching the headers. I moved them and problem solved. My bet is on the water pump turning the wrong way on this ride.
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