So tonight, i drove my 53 to a car show about an hour and half away, everything went great...until we got there. my temp guage said the car was pretty cool, not too hot at all, but my radiator was pooring out water/anitfreeze from the overflow and it was whistling like crazy, but it didnt start acting up until i got to the street where the show was and waited in traffic...then it started acting up. so i went to a place, got some distilled water, filled it up blah blah blah. on the way home it was about 15 degrees cooler at night but when i got home it was fine. what would the problem have been??? was this the engine over-heating like my mom wont stop saying, or was it something with the radiator? the way back it seemed fine and iv never had this happen before, (although this is the furthest i have driven it.) any input would help guys thanks! --Luke
Your mom won't stop saying it because she's probably right (mom's usually are...). Our year Fords have "open" cooling systems and loose coolant over time due to evaporation. This is especially true of flathead V8 models because the exhaust runners travel through the water p***ages inside the block. Because the water loss is invisible it's easy to not notice it and allow the radiator to become low on water. With a flathead V8, it doesn't take much coolant loss to produce an overheat situation in warm/hot weather in traffic. As you discovered, bringing the coolant level back to the recommended level usually "fixes" the problem. To prevent this from happening again, check your coolant level frequently...and always carry one or two gallons of water in the trunk, just in case! Adding an overflow "catch can" will prevent embarr***ment on those hot days when the car "belches" coolant, as it will occasionally when the coolant level is correct and the motor heats it to above 212 degrees. This most often happens immediately after the engine is shut off. This is caused by the coolant boiling inside the block, creating steam as the result. The expanding steam displaces the coolant and pushes it out through the overflow tube, onto the ground or into your catch can...if you have one. You can also rig a "coolant recovery system" like modern cars have, but this requires sealing the cooling system and mounting the recovery container high in the engine compartment for it to work properly. Unless your cooling system is in poor condition (rusted or clogged with deposits), most of your problems will be solved by maintaining the coolant level and installing a discrete catch can (which must be manually emptied from time to time, but the coolant in it can be re-used by putting it back into the radiator...kind of a manual coolant recovery system).
Eric so thoroughly described the issue and the solution that I wont try to add to it. But I will say that I agree and have had two flatty powered cars. My 49 Club Coupe acted exactly as Eric described. I installed a manual catch can mainly because I didn't want my dog licking any coolant that ended up on the driveway. Modern cars are so maintenance free that a lot of people don't recall that older cars, even when they were new, required frequent fluid checks and lubrication service. As Eric noted, a flatty loosing some fluid isn't that unusual. I checked mine a couple times a week during the frequent driving season.
humm, intresting reading . i never knew about this problem . but i also have never had a flatty . also a temp gauge only work or reads properly if there is coolant touching it . it dosent read air temp . if it ever dose read air temp your probably to late . so an air poket from low coolant level will cause your temp guage not to read right.
Today 09:03 AM rustyfords "I installed a manual catch can mainly because I didn't want my dog licking any coolant that ended up on the driveway." I am so glad you brought that issue up!!!! I lost one of my best dogs to this very thing and feel very guilty that I had not anticipated the problem and taken steps to prevent it. Anti-freeze is fatal to dogs, even in very small doses. Warm anti-freeze smells like candy to them and they will seek it out and lick it up. A few licks and the damage is done. There are treatments for anit-freeze poisoning, but they must be administered within minutes to be effective. Once the dog begins to exhibit symptoms (drunken behavior and loss of coordination) there is no reversing the damage done. Death is inevitable. Spilled coolant is very common at car shows and cruise nights, where seldom-driven cars have had their radiators topped off just before leaving for the show, and belch excess coolant when they are shut down at the show. Felty's car show has a "no dogs" rule. This is not just because the dogs sometimes show anti-social behavior in strange environments, but also because at least one of the show organizers knows about this problem and cares about the dogs' welfare! So be aware, not just at car shows but also around your own shop. It only takes a moment's inattention to loose your very best friend! RIP: Missy.
oh. what a sweet doggie.... poor girl. . . it's not just flatties fellas. my inline 6 223 has the same issue in my 54 Ford. I saw the temp rising in the drive through at a burger joint and freaked a bit. got it home, it was just low on coolant, topped it off... good to go!. . . i do need to add a puke tank... i'm wanting to get one off of a 390 motor, the br*** ones.. you know.. you're Ford guys.... always liked them for some weird reason as a little girl. anybody got one they wanna part with? xoxo denise
thanks missysdad. Yeah but before i left my house i checked it and it seemed full. where could i find an overflow catch can? prob not a bad idea. Also, i have an after market trany cooler infront of my radiator. It was there when i got the car, that is also (like my buddy said) is cutting off a lot of air flow to the radiator, not cooling it as well.. but to answer many questions, my car doesnt have a flathead in it saddly. But it has the original radiator, which somebody in the far past, covered up 1 of the enterance and one of the exit ports on it, making it "usable" for the engine in it now. We talked about putting an electric fan either between the two or behind it just for safe messures. Had anybody else done this??
Ha! I knew it! A closet Chevy motor! You've been holding out on us! For shame, for shame! Stand up and be proud, son! You've got the most traditional engine swap there is for the '52-'53 Fords. You'd think the SBF was the only way to go, according to some of the younger guys on this site, but it's a relative late-comer to the hot rod scene. One of the guys I went to high school with had already stuffed a SBC into his shoebox Ford in 1956, and was wiping up the road with everything else...including Y-blocks! It was a holy terror! Your stock radiator, as modified, should be adequate to kool the SBC (which runs cool by nature) and should not require an electric booster fan if set up properly. Here's my suggestions to improve your o'heating on hot days in traffic: A. Do a basic cooling system maintenance routine. Use a good cooling system cleaner, twice, to remove rust scale and mineral build-up in the radiator and block. Replace your coolant with low-tox anti-freeze (dispose of your old coolant at an authorized recovery facility. Your parts store can tell you where that is) B. Replace your radiator cap with a new, quality (not a cheepie) 7-lb cap. Replace your thermostat with a new, quality 180/190-degree unit. C. Check and/or replace all hoses with quality replacements with steel coil supports inside to prevent collapse. Remember: If in doubt, change it out! D. Use a full-size factory-style 6 or 7 blade fan (not flex blades or aftermarket. Ask Geno about those!) spaced approx. 2" from the radiator core. I recommend a thermostatic hub as well. Don't worry about a shroud...yet. E. Replace your ****** cooler with one that does not mount in front of the radiator, or space the one you have forward and inch or two away from the radiator fins. This will allow air to flow around it and through the radiator while still providing cooling for the ******. These changes should solve your problem by (1.) increasing the air flow through your radiator at low road speeds and (2.) increasing the efficiency of your cooling system. Typically, a Chevy-powered car will not have a tendency to "burp" or "belch" coolant once the correct coolant level has been established...as long as it is not overheated, that is...so you probably won't need a burp can. If you want one anyway, there are some nice stainless steel units offered on evilBay in various sizes. These can be installed low in your engine compartment and painted black so they don't stand out. They are self-emptying and work just great. I do not recommend electric fans, especially placed in front of the radiator. While these can be a band-aid cure for a poorly cooling car at low speeds, they block the natural flow of air through the radiator at driving speeds and may cause an overheating situation at normal road speeds. Besides, electric fans are not traditional and are **** ugly!!! Hope this helps!
I made up a two piece fan shroud that seals tight against the radiator to make all the air go through the radiator not around it. I used a 6 blade EOM style steel blade set back 11/2 inches from the core. For an idea check out my photo album pictures. This thing works and my temp has never got above 180 degrees since it was installed no matter how long it idles. DO NOT use those damn stainless, plastic, aluminum or trick fan blades... They will cost you a radiator.... I know!!!! If you're cruising, go for air flow not performance....
haha yeah, my grandma put that chevy in it in 64 when her flathead cracked in the winter time. thanks missysdad! i really appreciate your help! Ill get some radiator cleaner when i go to town today. i replaced my radiator cap once already, but im not sure how many lbs it holds. so my fan is about 2 1/2 inches from my radiator, the fan blades are about 4 inchs long i think? its just the stock fan that came with it i believe, where could i find a bigger fan? about the ****** cooler...for my bday this year, my grandma stole my 53 from the garage when i was at school and had a new t350 put in it, it has all knew lines run to it and everything from the old ****** cooler, how could/where else could i mount the ****** cooler and still have good air flow? yeah geno, the store i went to yesterday thought all i would need is a "shroud" to really help it out. ill check out your pictures as soon as im done typing this. and i will be sure to not get one of those fans geno!
I wish you lived closer to me... I'd have a shroud pounded out in nothing flat for you. I made mine in about 11/2 hours.... even painted!
Here's the type of fan I'm talking about. They were available on a number of different GM products including Chevys and Corvettes. A wrecking yard might turn one up, or ebay. Here's the thermal fan clutch I recommend to go with the fan. It's a Hayden product and best purchased new at O'Reilly's or other parts store. I use this setup on my daily driver '64 El Camino and have the exact same setup ready to go on my Vicky. I have the part number if you want to go this way. Use spacers (OEM or auto store item) to space the fan to within 2" or less of the radiator core for best operation. The 2 1/2" you have now is too much and won't permit even a good fan to pull air through the radiator core very well. Before I invested in a new ****** cooler, I'd make some spacers to mount the one you have now away from the radiator core but still in front of it. Temporary spacers would allow you to measure the effect of this change without going to the effort of making really nice ones. Hope this helps.
ahh i see. i have seen those fans before. mine is just the little 4 blade fan. yeah im going to mess with the spacing and see all what i can do. ill wait on the part numbers for now missysdad and ill see what all i can do. Ill try to find a 6 or 7 blade fan. I got some radiator cleaner today and new antifreeze to put in. And ill dispose the old antifreeze/hose water properly! So geno, do you think the shroud really helps out alot?? maybe just a bigger fan and a shroud would do the trick??
I believe in a shroud and good multi blade fan for one reason.... it draws it's air through the radiator only and not from around it and through it. You get the maximum air flow being drawn through the fins. That maximum airflow is the only way to draw away the heat especially in low speed cruising where there is no air flow due to speed. I've built many street rods and made shrouds for each one. Look at all the modern factory cars on the road and you will find shrouds on all of them just for that reason.
I wish you lived closer to me, too, Geno! That's a very nice shroud. Every word of your advice about shrouds is right-on, too. I'm sure you need a side-business like another hole in the head, but you might give it some thought...
You need one too Eric? I need a few key measurements to make one... * fan diameter *distance of fan from radiator for blade placement in shroud, (fan blade half in and half out of shroud) *stock radiator using the p***enger side lower spout? *center point of fan in relation to radiator for the placement of the fan hole. *stock mounting of radiator in core support? It sounds like a pain but it is really easy to build.
you guys said 7 lb cap. my book said 4 lb for my 54. . . . .scratching head. . . . . . why would all of yours be different?
Four pound would be great, but can be difficult to find. A seven pound will be a good subs***ute. A 13/14 pound, like those for more modern cars, is too much pressure for the old systems and could lead to burst hoses or burst radiator seams. Some pressure is good, too much is not good.
Im not sure what my lbs are on my cap, i picked it up at my local parts store. It seems to do the trick, much better than the old one that was in it!
i just got my 4lb one at NAPA really cheap. they even looked it up FOR my car!!! they're really on their game here~~~
ive had the same problem in my 53 and it has a chevy 350 in it. i got tired of it this week and went to the junk yard and found an electric fan out of a ford countour, i had to make some brackets and move the radiator forward about 3 inches but man it drives so much cooler now. at least 25 degrees cooler.
ohh really mr h??? how did you hook it up? is the fan pretty quiet? im now thinking that just a shroud and a more blade fan will help out alot, i never really thought about it but a shroud really would help out alot.
If your car runs cool except for that one time, you don't need all the stuff that the other guys mentioned. But a coolant recovery unit would stop the coolant loss. Get one of those chrome/stainless coolant recovery units that the streeet rodders use. You do not need a closed system to use one of these. Can be mounted in almost any location. My 48 Ford with a 302 always pi**ed out coolant. Always had to check the level. I installed one of the units and never had a water problem since (10 years or more). What happens with these is any coolant that goes out the overflow through expansion is contained in the overflow unit. When the engines is cooling, the coolant automatically goes back into the radiator. Then again, it could also be a thermostat going bad.
ahh i see, almost like a catch can type of deal? and i put a new thermostat in about a year ago, maybe it isnt a bad idea to change it out. yeah im just worried that if it is overheating now that one time when i t was 70 out, whats it going to do when it is in the 90s here?
so after looking around under my hood, i cant get a much bigger fan in there... my stock little 4 blade fan clears my bottom radiator hose by about a 1/2 inch...i messured it but i dont remember the length off hand...im thinking about maybe trying to lower my radiator just a little bit so i could put a slightly bigger fan in, but i dont have much room, also, how much room should i have from the radiator to the fan?? mine is about 3-4 inchs back...i was looking at spacers to get it closer.
You'd be better off with a shroud then trying to monkey with the radiator location. And count yourself lucky. We had a similar experience in a 72 Skylark going to a show, except that the radiator literally burst at the seams. Both top and bottom tanks (I think, or side) were separated from the core. Had to get towed home (that's what AAA is for.) Put a new radiator, fan, and shroud on. Never had a problem again. Changing to a system similar to what the engine had stock ought to be enough to keep you cool. That means, similar sized radiator, fan, shroud and air flow. I wouldn't worry about the ****** cooler either, other then spacing it correctly.
When it comes to keeping your engine healthy and cool you can't always go "traditional".Living here in Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun" I have found that a mechanical fan does not cut it,as well as an electric will, which is probably why most cars since 1990 have quit using mechanical fans.Try running your A/C when its 110 degrees in stop and go traffic! Check out this link: www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2003/02/electricfan/ as stated above the Ford Contour fan is a great alternative so take some measurements and use what works,your wallet will be happy too!
Man Keith that must have been a downer, but thanks for the info. The only thing is...im using an original/rebuilt 53 ford radiator for my 283 chevy engine...lol Im thinking about what you said Jeff, it gets pretty hot here in Sac too. But like you said Keith, many people i talk to, all say to move my fan forward a little bit and put a shroud on. So ill start with those then if i have too, move on into the non-traditional electric fans.
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