It's the last one of the season and it looks like it's going to rain. But I finally got anchors in position so I can install a lap belt. Three point belts will be installed ultimately.

I'm not expecting anything blistering. It's not quite tuned and it's been running very cold. It doesn't seem to get much above 140, while moving, with things cooling down. It gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I don't quite get that. Hopefully I'll be able to idle long enough to get it up to temperature before making a pass. If not I'll just have to limit my fun.


Lawrenceville, GA

Charlie - dunno what's going on with this site but it "clocked me out" the last two times I tried to answer - so here goes again:

Is the 140° on your cab gauge or a test instrument at the thermostat housing? I would suggest using an infared tester and shooting for 180° at the housing. 

The "cowboy way' of adjusting this (on my F-150 with heavy duty cooling - in Wyoming) was to run a cool summer thermostat - and a piece of cardboard to otherwise adjust airflow to the weather. When the trailer was on - the baffle went behind the seat - and when it was -30°F I damn near covered the whole radiator.

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

It is 140 on my in cab mechanical gauge, with the sender installed in the stock location of the driver side head. I have a buddy with an infrared thermometer. I'll check it out. The thermostat is a 180 Robert Shaw style. In the summer it will get up to about 160 when moving.



My old engine didn't run this cold. I would have expected this new one to run hotter. The gauge was the same, too. The summer time characteristic is about the same between the two. It's almost like the radiator is too big. Idling it will get hot but I don't have a shroud.


Lawrenceville, GA

I'm guessing, but probably the old engine didn't have as wide open a thermostat - and maybe didn't have the same sort of idle spark advance? Are you using the manifold vacuum spark advance source or the ported? Are you running one of Frank's water pumps?

On my outfit, the opening point of the thermostat (160° Stewart/Robertshaw style) can be seen pretty clearly with the infared gun even with the three extra "pressure equalization holes". It seems to take a bit longer than it used to with the small poppet thermostat and no holes. So far....my extended "burn down" idle tests keep showing the engine to want to idle at 100° over ambient - it just hasn't gotten below 60° to check the obvious limit......but maybe another month will get me some testing weather.

This is a rehtorical question - but does the stocker Y waterpump flow more water than the T-birds do with the 1" front cover spacer? If your truck has a bit more circulation flow pressure - and the three equalization holes in the thermostat are letting enough water circulate - and the ambient is low - and the spark advance at idle is up there a bit......?

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

Good Guess.

The old engine had the usual cheap thermostat. Idle advance is currently at 10 on the new and was 12 on the old. The advance curve is the same - same distributor. I'm using manifold vacuum. I'm running one of Frank's pumps and timing cover. My thermostat came with no bypass holes and I haven't drilled it.



Oh, I should see if the radiator is hot when I get home and feel the hose. If it is, then the thermostat must have opened. I don't know if any kind of convection currents could occur in the system but surely it would not be effective enough to keep it that cool. No it can't be.


Lawrenceville, GA

Idle advance 10° - is that with the vacuum pot disconnected? Must be. When you hook up the manifold vacuum line, any idea how high it goes? (still at idle)

Using live manifold vacuum advance at idle cools things off a good bit. If I swap mine over to "ported vacuum" the temp goes up immediately. 

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

That's 10 without vacuum. With vacuum it's about 11 - I haven't adjusted it properly yet. At idle, sitting still, like in traffic, it will get hot. It cools down when it's moving.


Lawrenceville, GA

Seems to me that idle advance with the vacuum connected ought ot be well over 20° - if you've got any sort of manifold vacuum - despite the cam...

The higher efficiency pump and larger thermostat opening may just be the whole difference - regardless of gauge accuracy.

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

I have the vacuum pot adjusted so that it is just barely advancing at idle. I just haven't played with it much yet.



Those are the only significant changes made to the cooling system so they could be the reason. I'll get a hold of my friends thermometer. If it's around 180 near the thermostat then it probably isn't anything to be concerned with.


Lawrenceville, GA

Charlie, your cool engine temperature seems identical to my experience the past two years.  The radiator was a big stock 4 row.  Thermostat a 180 Robert Shaw.  Motor would not get above 165 in the hotest weather, unless the truck was moving less than 10 mph or idling.  In the cool fall it did not get above 150 when underway.  In the winter top temp was 150 even after long idle periods, with the electric fan OFF.

Gauge is an Autometer, and the temp was verified by thermometer at the radiator, and pyrometer at thermostat housing and back of head.

Hopefully this will all be fixed when the new motor goes in place, which has a much improved CR that should generate more heat.  Also ready to install is a smaller 2 row aluminum radiator.

Mike, located in the Siskiyou mountains, Southern, OR 292 powered 1946 Ford 1/2 ton, '62 Mercury Meteor, '55 Country Squire (parting out), '64 Falcon, '54 Ford 600 tractor.