over heating

[Dennis]

My 56 has had a problem with over heating.
New radiator, water pump, thermostat, block cleaned. Could it be the distributer,is there a electronic distributer made. I'm not sure what to do next.

[nomadbird]

Dennis,

When you say it is over heating, do you mean it's boiling? Little Birds enjoy life in the 1500 to 2500 RPM range. When you take them out side that range, you stand a good chance of seeing it on the temp gauge. Never mind changing to an electronic ignition. You have already thrown enough money at the problem. The best place to start, is to get everything adjusted to where it is supposed to be. That means make sure your fuel mixture is not too lean, your ignition timing is right on, and distributor vacuum advance is within specs. Use a 160 degree thermostat and make sure your coolant mixture is less than 50% anti-freeze. Other items that get goofed up include improper fore/aft positioning of the fan in the shroud, and air leaks between the top of the fan shroud and the upper radiator tank. This is probably another case of a problem showing up because everything is not stock. Admittedly, the cooling system is marginal, but if everything is "as built", you should be able to use the car in 100 degree temperatures. If you have deviated from stock, all bets are off.

Tom

[Kahn Man]

Hey, I am new here but this looks interesting so I thought I might jump in. I have a '57 that used to run very hot. It never boiled over, but it was running too hot for my comfort. One thing I have noticed is that if I am cruising at highway speeds, then slow down to city speeds, she doesn't like that.

Anyway, I upgraded to a 4 core radiator, put on a 6 blade fan, got a new water pump and added that baffle. I bought a bottle of Water-Wetter but never had to add it. The car has run great since. The needle never goes past halfway.

[Brian]

Kahn Man:

Who offers this radiator? Something you just asked the radiator rebuilder for?

And the 6 blade fan?

Are either of you guys running with automatic transmissions?

[nomadbird]

Brian,

Yes, my '57s are all automatics. Authenticity is very important on my cars. They even have producton water pumps with the Cleveland foundry markings on them. The cars are driven 12 months/yr including many hours (seems like too many hours) in temperatures over 100 degrees. The temp gauge will read high if the engine is restarted after a fuel stop, but it recovers quickly. As stated before, they don't like running under 1500 RPM either. In any case, these cars don't lose coolant. I'd probably go into coronary arrest if it ever burped coolant on the lower control arm.

I guess the final analysis is something like this: "If everything is the way it's supposed to be, there should be no problem". The hottest temperature I've ever driven a Bird in was 118 degrees. But that was a "C" Bird with a 292 and standard transmission. No problem with that one either.

Tom
P.S. Anti-Freeze mix is 30%-50%. If more than 50% is used, the temp gauge will show it.

[ 03-21-2002: Message edited by: nomadbird ]

[Kahn Man]

Yeah, it's an automatic. I got the 4 core radiator from Auto City Classic (800) 828-2212. I believe he called it a "Desert Cooler" or something like that. The 6 blade fan is available through all T-Bird part houses.

The 312s installed in full size Fords did not use the water pump spacer that T-Birds did, so water pump could not effectively moved the coolant. The idea of the baffle is that is creates a wall closer to the water pump impeller that improves flow. I was told it was BS, but it helped me and it theoretically makes sense.

[ 03-21-2002: Message edited by: Kahn Man ]

[ 03-21-2002: Message edited by: Kahn Man ]

[Brian]

My '57 is a 3spd overdrive. I never had overheating problems, and I wondered if not running trans fluid through the radiator helps.

I want to stay authentic in the rebuild, but I am investigating the "internal" options for improvement; I want to drive it frequently, and it may be the "little things" that give it a little extra longevity.

For example, I wouldn't object to a heavy duty sway bar on the front end, but not because it is a bargain at Tbird Mart, but rather because it really would make a difference in the handling.

BTW, my frame is down to the minimum, and now I've got to strip the last items off the body and doors, to prep it for the spring body work. I was down for a month with a bad back, but I'm pushing for body work now.

[stephen]

After doing some research on a couple of vehicles, I've come up with a few things:
1. The gauges stink, and read hot when they really aren't. Invest in either one of the stickers for the radiator, or hide a real temp gauge. (Courtesy of Walt Knuckels)
2. The 6 blade fan works great, BUT has to be positioned properly...the blades should not be completely inside of the fan shroud. Most folks have it too far forward. (Thanks again, Walt)
3. The lower shroud and 4 row radiator help a lot.

Mine is an automatic, spending time in TX, GA, and FL, and doesn't overheat. The gauge said it did, which scared the heck out of me. Then again, it doesn't leak, either.