Hot running ~ Maybe?

Marcus

Marcus

Well-known member
OK, first: please don’t shoot the off~topic question! I have a 1994 Vortec motor (converted to carburetor) with a 700r4 transmission, all mounted in a 1953 Willys Wagon. The radiator is from a Mercury ~ I think a 2 or 3 row, but not sure. Problem: the temperature gauge reads 230 after a couple of miles, but will idle all day at 195-200. I’m told this is normal, especially since it never boils or discharges coolant. I guessing the radiator (electric puller) is insufficient, as this temp scares me.
What say you, hot rodders?
 
How fast (MPH) are you going at 230F? How many RPM are you turning at this speed (say 35 or 40 MPH)?

Does this car have one of those steam tubes that goes back tot he engine, like the LS motors do? The carb gets you out of a lot of electronics stuff. I would be tempted to do the same? You bought this, or installed this driveline yourself?

Yes, the fan can be 1 direction, and the pump flowing another. Also you want your water entering in a traditional Chevy S/B at the bottom, and exiting at the top (intake). I have a streetrod, and someone put my car together, and I have cleaned up a lot of mistakes.

Chevy small blocks have a thing in the water pump called a bypass pin. If you do not have a bypass hose from the pump to the intake you take the pin out. If you have a bypass hose to the intake from the pump you put the pin in. I.E., you don't want bypass on bypass...
 
Thanks guys: to answer the questions (and I should have addressed them up front - mea culpa!) Puller fan, air flowing front to rear through the radiator; t-stat new (and tested before install); radiator flushed, new coolant; I don’t know about the water pump pin ~ that’s a new one on me! (Did I tell you I’m a Ford guy?). I’ll have to check that out. I also need to check the direction of flow: my IR gun reflects a hotter temp at top, with lower temp, on the bottom.
I was cruising at 55/60 when the temp spiked, about 1500 RPM.
I purchased this Willys Jeep incomplete, but the drive train was already installed ….. so I’m chasing gremlins ~ thank you!! Great info and good places to start!
 
Just more info,

Ambient temperature? Size of (edit) radiator in inches? The kind of electrical puller and mounting.

One thing I’ve seen on street rods is airflow problems thru the radiator at speed. Sometime blocked by the type and mounting of the electric fan, sometimes just the grille design. I know one case on a 40’s chev where an air dam hidden under the front forced enough air up and into the grill to solve a cruise speed problem. The other is a different engine and accessories and no way for the air to get out of the engine compartment. (Been there with the McCulloch blower and Reds headers on a 55 bird)

Couple picture might help.

I think I know what Gene’s referring too, I had that happen. But it was only a warm up issue on mine, not a running problem.
 
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If the puller fan shroud does not seal against the full size of the radiator the air could not be pulling through all of the radiator. check the temp of the air coming off the fan.
 
Does the wagon have the inner fender panels in place? My 36 Chevy with a 351C/FMX/8"/MII would run hot when on the road but do very well in traffic. I had not put the inner panels back in after installing a MII front suspension. Put the panels in and the at speed heat issue went away. Turns out the fenders were pushing air into the engine bay area restricting air flow.
 
Yes when I hit a car show/cruise-in the hood goes up and the "cringing" starts! 8" was a Granada rear, 56" wide and a perfect bolt in. The MII came out of a 76 Mustang, had to send the rotors off to Progressive in OH (1983) to get them plugged and drilled for five lug wheels.

On a side note, the 351C came out of a junk yard in 74, it was a 72 Ranchero motor. Gave it a rattle can overhaul and ran it. I have put 147K miles on it, no idea how many miles it had when pulled. Been a good driver.
 

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Well, as promised (soooo long ago!) ~ here is the final solution to the running hot issue: in fact, the radiator was just too small for the application. It, and all the cooling gear, was installed properly. Just insufficient for the task at hand. It was replaced by a professional radiator / hot rod shop (who also charged the AC and “fixed” the heater). The Willys now sports a custom 3~row aluminum radiator, along with a super capacity electric puller fan. This all custom built to fit the available space, without modifications to the core support. Running it at 70 plus, 90 degree weather, AC wide open and the temp gauge reads 165
(which is the thermostat). By the way, AC reads 40 degrees at the vents ~ had to dial in some heat! Company is US Radiator, Gadsden, AL: they had a shop full of hot rods: tell’m Marcus sent you!
 
Thanks for coming back and posting the solution. I’ve got 2 vehicles with BeCool radiators, carefully fitted fans, and they cool driving or idling at 90* with the AC on. The solutions are out there, sometimes just takes an expert to find them.
 
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