Overheating...

I have a 58 Skyliner that overheat's..It has a 352 that I have rebuilt. I have had the block boiled, A new 4 core radiator, 2 new water pump's & every thermostat made. I have tryed a different gage & sending unit. I have tryed a pusher fan also. I've been told to try a schroud & a recover tank but then it is not original...While at a car show a gentleman with a very nice 59 hardtop told me to block the bypass hose & that would help...Has anyone ever done this? Doe's it work? Any idea's? Thank's Gregg...

Gregg,
does the radiator have the baffle in the upper tank? Some recores do not have it. Also, there is a product called water-wetter that helps in heat transfer from the block/heads. I have tried it and it does work.
Bill

Have you tried running without the thermostat at all? You can run it without the thermostat and leave the radiator cap off and watch to see if the coolant if flowing rapidly past the inlet. If so you're pump should be working. I was having similar problems last year and finally figured out that the impeller on the water pump had rusted off the shaft. Sounds like you've already gone that route, but it's not unheard of for the new ones to be faulty.

I've also heard of blocking the bypass hose but I'm not sure it's a guaranteed solution. How many miles on the rebuilt engine? I've also read that they will run hot for a couple thousand miles after a rebuild.

Is it boiling over every time you drive it or is the gauge just telling you that it's hot? It can be a little tricky getting all the air out of the cooling system as well. If you leave off the hose at the highest point on the intake manifold and slowly fill until fluid starts to overflow, that is a pretty good start. Then I've had to top it off a couple of times after running it up to operating temperature and letting it cool completely. You could even jury-rig a recovery tank for that step and let the vacuum fill it back up each time as it cools. Then just pull it off when you're done. Someone may correct me but I also think the level in the radiator is supposed to be lower than a modern car specifically since it doesn't have the overflow tank to handle the expansion of the coolant as the car reaches operating temperatures.

Lastly, a really great forum for FE engine problems can be found at http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/
I spent a lot of time on there when I was messing with my overheating issues last summer.

Not sure any of this helps but I feel you're pain since it's extremely frustrating. My '58 now runs between 185-190 while driving and will get up to 210 while sitting and no longer boils over.

Kent Z.

does vacuum advance work ?
are spark plugs loose
are spark plug tips "blistered"
Are spark plug wire so hot you cant hold onto them?
Is rear throttle plates open the correct amount , (these are Four corner idle cabs guys )

Hi,
Get an infared thermometer and check the temps of the hoses going in and out of the radiator during the time you think you are overheating. I guess the question I have is are you physically overheating or is the gauge just telling you that you are. The gun will really tell you where in the system the temp is higher and lower so you can isolate what part of the engine the problem is at.

Just a side note - Are you running the system through your heater core? If so you could have a blockage in your heater core that isnt allowing the fluid to travel as it should. I recommend two things:
1. Bypass the heater core - Just unhook the hose that goes into the core and hook that up to the engine block - That will remove the heater core from the system.
2. I personally would not fully remove the thermostat. The coolant needs to slow down a little bit to get proper cooling in the radiator. Removing it all together means the coolant wont spend as much time in the radiator getting cool. I would remove the center portion of the thermostat and even drill a hole or two in the metal plate of the thermostat and then re-install it.

Also check your radiator cap and make sure its the right pressure rating. Perhaps it is not.

Good luck