Skip water pumps...in Buenos Aires.!!

[G.M.]

Bruce, I have been a mechanic for 40 plus years, but I haven't seen it all. only a little bit. The only continentals I have come across are the air cooled industrial motors. (seen on welders and bailers etc) I have worked on Clarke fork hoists with the 6 cyl. in line Continentals.
I mentioned the water pump/ oil pump bit because I wasn't sure when Henry Ford, started using thermostats in his flat head. I would guess the earlier ones never had them, but like all of us, he learned along the way.
When I think about it a bit more there were quite a few makes that relied only on thermo siphon for water circulation, but they all had a lot of radiator above the cylinder head. Little steps brought us to where we are.

Stranger thing. I have a 1945 Sawin Midget race car that has a 60 tin side engine, dual carbs and finned aluminum heads. This engine has NO water pumps. It was two 3/4 inch copper water pipes soldered from the bottom of the top radiator tank to the top of the bottom tank. These pipes run straight up from bottom to the top. I took it out to an "old timers" midget race one night at our local track in Punta Gorda, Florda. The driver of this car from 1945 Sam Packard that was one of the original 13 NASCAR founders was there to drive it. TV and news paper people were there and Sam couldn't bend his old boney legs enough to get in. Someone else drove it about 30 laps and it ran cool. I can't get in it either, I can get down in it but my legs are crossed and not enough room to untangle them with the drive shaft in the way. Number 80 is the midget I'm talking about which is a 1946. I posted the wrong picture first and couldn't delete it. The other one which I purchased later was raced on the same track in the same races which I have track roosters listing them both. I didn't know this at the time I bought it. Sam told me the guy lived a few streets away from him when they raced. 80 is all original including tires and upholstery. G.M.

 

[Harylufa]

Hi all!
I was reading all posted and today I changed the radiator cap. I drove my engine and It was at 69 ºC temperature. I filled water till radiator neck.

In #1 post I wrote that my engine had 77ºC...but, with new cap is different now (69ºC). Can be this possible?

No thermostat installed yet...what do you think?

Thank for posting your knowledge, I have faith in keeping a good temperature in my engine.

Thank all

 

[Bluebell]

G.M. That's what I meant about the thermo siphon engines. No waterpumps.

 

[Tom Walker]

I used to run a 1921 Hupmobile R, a very under-rated and well engineered car, which had no water pump, and a large efficient radiator. I ground the cam and shaved the head, and she pulled like train. It never boiled and in the winter I used to block off half of the rad with a piece of card, to get the temperature up!
OK this is in our miserable little island where the sun dont shine much, but all the same....!

Cheers, Tom.

 

[G.M.]

Hary, I have posted a hundred times the problem with MOST pressure caps on the old Fords don't seat and seal down on the bottom brass seat at the bottom of the filler neck. If the bottom of the cap don't seat you don't have the benefit of a pressure cap you just have a cap sealing on the top of the filler neck like an early style older cap. If your new cap is now seating at the bottom you can fill the radiator up to the filler neck and the water will stay there. If the temperature runs below 210 and there is no compression leaks the water will stay filled for months. I'm not sure if the depth of the bottom brass seat is a little low or if the pressure caps are a little short. On some radiators I had to add a rubber spacer to make the cap seal. Also notice in the picture how clean the radiator tubes are. These were polished by years of running Barr's heavy duty stop leak with aluminum granuals in it polishing the surface. G.M.

 

[Harylufa]

HI G.M!
I must check what you say, today went out water from the tube when I stopped the engine. This happened all the time when I fill water in radiator (till neck) ALWAYS, I thought this was NORMAL.
I will check this:
"If the bottom of the cap don't seat you don't have the benefit of a pressure cap"

I will back with news

Thanks

Hary

 

[Old Henry]

Harylufa, If you fill the water as full as you can get it and then put the cap on, the cap will not keep the water from expanding and pushing past the cap. That is normal. If you leave 1-2 inches of space above the water and put the cap on no water should come out of the tube. If it does than you may have a problem.

 

[Harylufa]

Harylufa, If you fill the water as full as you can get it and then put the cap on, the cap will not keep the water from expanding and pushing past the cap. That is normal. If you leave 1-2 inches of space above the water and put the cap on no water should come out of the tube. If it does than you may have a problem.

OLd Henry!

You are right, water is all the time at 2 inch of space above water and seem to be happy. I reviewed it and it is as you say.

Well, I checked the radiator and I attach some pics how it is.

Thanks and keep posting

Hary

 

[Old Henry]

Harylufa, It looks like your water is totally clear and that you do not have any antifreeze or other anticorrosion and pump lubrication in it. If that is so you should add one or the other or both to prevent corrosion and lubricate your pumps. It is not good to run just plain water.

 

[Harylufa]

Harylufa, It looks like your water is totally clear and that you do not have any antifreeze or other anticorrosion and pump lubrication in it. If that is so you should add one or the other or both to prevent corrosion and lubricate your pumps. It is not good to run just plain water.

Old Henry!

Is the water level ok? I put soluble oil (two tea spoon), it is used in grinding machines to cool the tools of the machines and avoid corrosion recomended by radiator maker.

What do you think?

Thanks

Hary

 

[cmbrucew]

Harylufa


There are two kinds of soluble oil. One for machine tool cooling, the other is radiator soluble oil. Not the same.

Bruce

Works good
Lasts long time

 

[Old Henry]

Old Henry!

Is the water level ok? I put soluble oil (two tea spoon), it is used in grinding machines to cool the tools of the machines and avoid corrosion recomended by radiator maker.

What do you think?

Thanks

Hary

Water level looks OK. One way to get it to max is go ahead and fill it to the top then drive it and it will push out however much is too much and stop when it's at the maximum level it can hold.

I don't know what soluble oil is. Sounds like you may have put the wrong kind in according to cmbrucew who said the kind that is put in radiators is not the same as the kind used in cooling machine tools which you put in.

When I'm running without antifreeze I use Hy-per Lube Super Coolant that not only has a water wetter but also prevents corrosion and lubricates water pump seals.

Details here: http://www.hyperlube.com/Super-Coolant-c8.html
Available from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/s/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Note how plain water cools better than water with antifreeze in it and even better with Super Coolant in it.

 

[Harylufa]

Hi all!
The soluble oil was given to me by radiator maker, so I think it is for radiator. He insist to put soluble oil to avoid corrosion.

I will investigate antifreeze.

Thanks for posting..

Hary

 

[Old Henry]

There are two different kinds of antifreeze. Here is a great article that tells about the two and the advantages and disadvantages of each. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/ethylene-propylene-glycol-d_904.html I use propylene glycol because it's safer for animals and has better heat transfer.