Antifreeze?
- Thread starter metalho
- Start date
metalho
Well-known member
Well, I hope it's ok. I just finished my '30 coupe and I mixed prestone/distilled water (50/50) and put it in, and that was just the other day.
Hope someone knowledgeable chimes in on this too....!
Distilled? Can the water just be boiled prior to using it in the radiator?
31Tudor
Well-known member
The reason for distilled water is that it is pure of any other corrosives, minerals etc. It is just a personal choice to use that water vs tap water or well water that may be adding things to your cooling system. Just boiling the water does not accomplish the same thing.
Tacoma Bob
Well-known member
Dude...sometimes you gotsta dance with what brung ya. lol I run a Brassworks and part of the guaranty is to run a 50/50 mix. I use Sierra.
metalho
Well-known member
Ok, lol................. Sounds like a 50/50 mix of water and Prestone would be ok then? Our water in Washington state is pretty good, should be ok.
Farrell In Vancouver
Well-known member
You'll be fine with the 50/50 mix........sposta drop even colder tonight, so get it in quick. My coupe is lounging in a heated garage but I have anti freeze in anyway to keep corrosion down.
Went for a boot about 15 clicks up the road to score some chinese food last night.
My Dad was buying so we went to his favorite spot for it.
The old coupe didn't want to start too easy but ran fine @ minus 4 degrees
Canadian. We waited a half hour for the order and she had cooled down already enough to have to choke. I was beechin about how cold it was with no heater and Dad says: " Its fine I am not cold at all" I said "Sure you have a warm box of take out in your lap,why would you be cold?"
I think I'll be looking for a heater at the spring swap meet. BBBBrrrrrrrr.
Went for a boot about 15 clicks up the road to score some chinese food last night.
My Dad was buying so we went to his favorite spot for it.
The old coupe didn't want to start too easy but ran fine @ minus 4 degrees
Canadian. We waited a half hour for the order and she had cooled down already enough to have to choke. I was beechin about how cold it was with no heater and Dad says: " Its fine I am not cold at all" I said "Sure you have a warm box of take out in your lap,why would you be cold?"
I think I'll be looking for a heater at the spring swap meet. BBBBrrrrrrrr.
gilitos
Senior Member
Around 1978 I was in college commuting in my '30 Tudor (the one in my avatar); too cheap for antifreeze to feed the weeping water pump so I would just drain it at night and fill it with hot water in the morning to pre-warm it. Parked outside at school for a few hours on a real cold day and I came out to (I thought) a dead battery....actually the water froze, locked up the water pump and lifting the top off the cylinder head. Ouch. Saving money on antifreeze cost me a heckuva wad of cash. Learned my lesson, though!
metalho
Well-known member
28RPU
Senior Member
Corporations have spent millions over the years to develop antifreeze. I would not run straight water in anything.Antifreeze has been proven to make engines run cooler than water and avoid freezing in winter.Old Henry might have recommended water for
his engines but things actually evolve into better products over 80 years.I will always use 50/50.
his engines but things actually evolve into better products over 80 years.I will always use 50/50.
Larry Brumfield
BANNED
Those old engines were made to drain. Notice the location of the petcock relative to the engine and radiator.
But .....
I always worried that there might be a little water remaining that might freeze. So use the Prestone/water mix.
But .....
I always worried that there might be a little water remaining that might freeze. So use the Prestone/water mix.
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Paul from Maine
Senior Member
The only time I wouldn't run antifreeze in a Model A would be if I had a marginal cooling system. If you recall the "specific heat" unit back in your high school chemistry class, you'll remember that the same volume of water can absorb alot more heat than the same volume of alcohol or glycol. So if you are persistantly plagued by overheating, running a 50/50 mix and can't afford a new radiator, then I would try straight water. In all other situations, I see no harm in running a 50/50 mix. Plus you get all the rust prevention additives. I think that in modern pressurized systems a 50/50 mix is better than straight water for cooling purposes (but don't quote me). I would be confident running the 50/50 mix in any antique car with an adequate cooling system.
Bill Steiner
Senior Member
i use 50/50 mix , no problems. Bill
metalho
Well-known member
Hey thank you Sirs. Just drained and flushed. Looks like about a two gallon system? Gallon of Prestone full strength and a little over a gallon of water and ran her for a bit. It never gets below high teens in these parts, should be fine. Noticed right away she didn't warm up as fast, lol.........
Larry Brumfield
BANNED
Hey thank you Sirs. Just drained and flushed. Looks like about a two gallon system? Gallon of Prestone full strength and a little over a gallon of water and ran her for a bit. It never gets below high teens in these parts, should be fine. Noticed right away she didn't warm up as fast, lol.........
It's more of a 3 gallon system.
A true 50/50 mix allows freeze protection to -34 F. You can check it with one of those inexpensive testers that you can purchase at your local auto supply.
Karl
Well-known member
Antifreeze for those of you that live in places where water freezes is a must. However if you get the dillution of the antifreeze wrong apparently it can actually acclerate rusting . I'm not sure what is meant by "wrong" but think they mean over diluted . As it doesn't freeze where I live I run Penrite Classic Coolant in both my Model A and 1910 Hupmobile which is not an antifreeze but a rust inhibitor
Jordan
Well-known member
last winter my Town Sedan spent alot of nights under a carport instead of in the garage becuase I needed the room for a different reason. I was constantly draining the water and filling it back up. Over the course of the winter, a lot of rust formed because of the moisture. When it started warming up outside, so did the engine! And before that winter, the radiator was just cleaned out with a fresh engine rebuild. After cleaning out the radiator, it was all fine and back to normal.
bogdonj
Well-known member
Mine sits in a garage in my house but when putting it away for the winter I drained the water out of it and filled it up with pre mixed antifreeze from our local parts store and waiting for a few hours and drained that. Now I feel better that if inside of my garage gets below 0 then my block is protected! We use to just drain the water out and leave it as that but never had any problems.
Glenn C.
Well-known member
I made a mistake just recently and ran just straight tap water in a fresh overhauled engine for about 100 miles during break-in. Never again. I can't believe the amount of flaking rust that I drained and flushed out, after I drained the engine and re-flushed the engine prior to filling the cooling system with 50/50 antifreeze mix.
