since i'm thinking of it, has anyone had problems with these things overheating in summer temps? i'm not sure if anyone else on here lives out west, but we get highs well over 100 degrees for months here in the dead of summer. i had my truck idling one of those warm days last summer, went inside for a while (SWWMBO kept me longer than i really wanted to be there) and the radiator was spitting up when i came back (or _down_ rather, on my driveway). i figured it was just because it was sitting, so i tried driving it, and it cooled right down. i'm guessing this is normal with these old trucks. any advice, tips, tricks, or stories? probably shouldn't leave it idling for long in summer months, huh? i'm just a dumb kid, though i gotta learn the hard way!! ha! oh, also, do you guys know anything about getting a radiator/condenser overflow dealie? i don't have one, and i've seen those magazines where the dudes just rig up a bracket for an old Corona bottle, and stick the overflow hose in there. is that sufficient? thanks!! jon
Jon, Alot of things could be effecting the cooling system flow causing overheating. Not sure what year your truck is ? My '54 had some issues but I finally got it settled down. Flow will be lost at idle if the radiator is older and partially restricted inside the veins. May help to either have cleaned/recored or install a updated radiator such as Desert Cooler sold by CP page #67 in catalog. The engine thermostat may be partially sticking with age also the radiator cap should be the proper pressure value. I believe the earlier trucks were 0 psi. My '54 was 4 psi. I have seen alot of issues with the aftermarket radiator caps. I switched to a AC Delco cap Part# RC2 850796 which is rated at 4 psi, Older trucks use a Part# RC10 850901 rated at 0 psi. Also do not forget need a proper 50/50 split on the coolant with water due to the lower psi on these systems the boiling point of the liquid is alot lower. Mine ended up being a partially rusted out water pump impeller wheel would flow decent at road speed but hardly anything at a idle. As far as the Radiator overflow tank just a show truck item. Have seen one recently on Ebay item#190052044799. Pretty expensive !!! and remember all they do is store fluid until it cools down. Does not help or hurt related to overheating. Corona bottle sounds cheaper and helps the enviroment-(recycle). In our area we have switched over to our winter beer Yuengling Lager so that bottle maybe would work better here in the Northeast. Steve
awesome great info! i'll have to check on a few things. yeah, the radiator cap i've got is 4psi i believe (my truck is a '53) and it's aftermarket from LMC. that's the last thing i bought from them. it was made in china or something. maybe switching that out would help. plus, i'm sure the radiatior needs to be flushed. haven't gotten around to that one yet. and yeah, those condensers are really pricy! i like the recyling route, myself. thanks!! jon
Jon, was the truck actually overheating, or was it just spitting fluid? Steve gave good info as to what to look for. I live in Sacramento, Ca area where it gets very hot in the summer also. I switched to a fan blade with more blades, for a little extra airflow. I have also noticed if I fill the radiator a little too full, it will pump it out until it finds its desired level. Just something to consider.....Mike
Jon, go down to your local super wallyworld and buy a can of Prestone radiator cleaner and run it through your radiator according to the directions. Then drain and fill with water, get it up to operating temp and drain it again. Repeat again until the water drains clear. After that, put in a new thermostat (160 degree) and fresh 50/50 mixture of anti-freeze and water.
All the above plus : you'll be better off if you mix your coolant to 60/40 with distilled water being the 60 % . I live in the desert too and I occasionally have overheating issues , esp. when stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in Ausgust . " Water Wetter " is wierd stuff , it works but be aware your temperature gauge will be moving a lot more than it does now , this is fine but can make you nervous . You must needs run a 4# cap , if you have a puke tank (remote bottle) the cap needs to have the outer seal too so I'll suck coolant back in again as it cools down . I have a cheapo generic coolant bottle high up on my firewall so it feeds the radiator by gravity... The re-pop puke tanks look bitchin' -BUT- , they're small and not translucent to see what's going on in there . Our old StoveBolt engines have _lots_ of turbulence in the cooling systems so it is normal to be full when the coolant level is 4" or so _below_ the lower edge of the fuller neck , adding more coolant guarantees puking untill it self-levels . More blades on the fan or an electric fan with hot wired relay will also keep you old truck cool no matter how hot the day gets . pusher fans work just as well as puller fans tho' many don't understand this .
water wetter Nate, have you run water wetter in your truck? I used to install it all the time in older vw vanagons. Worked fantastic. Never really thought about it for my 50. I am running a stock 261, but I would think in the summer months here, it wouldn't hurt to run a bit cooler. Any thoughts? Mike
No ; I'm a Yankee Tightwad so I don't as it does O.K. without it . My son OTOH , uses it in his racecars and truck to very good effect . This is why I recommend it ~ it works even if you're cheap .
I had never heard of water wetter until this morning. I went to their website and it looks like some neat stuff. They said that most race cars use a solution of water and water wetter. I'm glad that i haven't killed all of my braincells because i like to learn something new every day! Thanks for the info, guys.
