1952-59 Ford Flatty Issues- Help?

Here's the story folks-

Flatty was puking antifreeze at the gas station; a guy pointed it out while I was fueling. He yelled to his buddy who is a mechanic and he came over and gave her a look. It was really coming out of the overflow. He unscrewed the cap and the coolant was pretty low. I bought some and topped her off.

When I got to where I was going, about 15 miles away ( I had been driving for 45 minutes), I shut her off and the heat gauge climbed up darn near to the top. When I started it up again, even though it had only been off for a few minutes, it went right back to normal operating temp. Same thing happened on the way home.

The mechanic fella said that my radiator cap was missing the rubber ring around the top. Did the original cap have rubber there? I pulled the rubber off of a buddy's OT car and slid it in around the top of the inside of the cap for the ride home. Like I said, the same thing happened when I got home (another 45 minutes).

Any ideas? I don't want to start fixing something that doesn't need to be fixed, but would like to fix whatever it is.

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

A flathead Ford has a very large coolant capacity. Replace the radiator cap with a modern style meant for a car with a recovery tank, then install a recovery tank. My car has one that cost very little. The system, if its working correctly, will seek its own level. Then dont overfill it.

 

Like ole don said , just buy a new radiator cap ! ANY parts store will have what you need and they don't cost much at all .
That will be one of the cheapest parts you will ever buy for your flatty !

Jim

 

Thanks fellas. I'm off to the parts store this afternoon. I wasn't sure if it was simply the cap, or if something more serious was going on.

Don, what did you use for a recovery tank? Is that what everyone calls a "puke can"? How did you fasten it to the vehicle?

Again, thank you fellas

 

Mounting depends upon the shape and location of the can. I've seen plastic one's ziptied (not my first choice, but its functional). Most from the aftermarket have mounting holes and hardware included.

 

Just a drop in here...mine was doing the same thing and it didn't fix it when I bought a new cap, so I'm on the hunt for a recovery tank now.

 

How about this one? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3-X1...ccessories&hash=item4cf6b9e227#ht_3099wt_1165 EZ to mount and won't get ugly like those cheapy plastic ones

 

oooo! I like that one! very sharp!

 

Got a new cap yesterday and on the way to the WI premiere of "Deuce of Spades" I had antifreeze flying all over the p***enger side of my windshield and hood. There is a mess under the hood. Now I know why someone mentioned not overfilling it.

I guess it needs to find it's "happy level"...

 

Ummmmm, 'nuther thing someone should mention is lubrication of the fan shaft. Some flatties have a rather big hub. If you turn the fan, a screw appears. Remove the screw and fill the hole with engine oil. Replace the screw. Now your fan shaft will be well lubrictaed, along with the front of your engine. Clean it up a few times, then its time to start the exercise over.