I have a '55 Big Window Chevy truck and need to add an Overflow Bottle/Can and I am looking for something not store bought or traditional. We've all seen the Beer bottle/Cans and store bought overflow bottles but I'm really looking for ideas of something Kool and Unique, please post some pics of yours or one's you've seen running around - thanks in advance. -Johnny
Look around and see what you see. I don't know what you have in your shop, or what you will find at the next flea market. You know what size container you need, you know it needs to hold water and be heat proof, and you know what kind of space it has to fit in.
how about an army canteen ? the early type are made of aluminum. just mount it upside down put your overflow hose in the inverted bottom. nick
Heres one that I put in my '47 Willys. It started life as one of those metal water bottles. It was already coated in red metallic. I found a different hex cap to use for the lid. I put elbows in it and made it fill from the overflow through the bottom of the bottle and vent through the top. As the system cools, the overflown coolant will be sucked back into the radiator. It works great!
I have a 57 Suburban and a 59 pickup, and neither one has an overflow bottle, I just keep the radiator filled to just above the tubes, and they seem to work ok, mostly. I have an old Pennzoil metal quart oil can with a neat picture of an owl, in my 55 belair. And an early 60s Schlitz can on my Chevy II. They both need a catch can, because of NHRA rules.
I have used empty aluminum bottles that are used for sample gases for our testers work. they are about 4 >5 " diameter and 16" long................just right, and they are free. If you know anyone who works in a factory with a confined space, they need co2 detectors, these gas canisters are used to test them. Acklands Grainger carries them and they go out of date after a year, so they dispose of them.
There is a lot going on in a tiny engine bay ... The angle of the picture is deceptive as far as my ability to service; its actually not near as hard as it looks; the catch can is what I am clearly showing here.
Christ, dont do the beer bottle/can, wiskey bottle. To me that screams rat rod in my opinion. I would just buy a stainless unit from speedway and install it if you dont like the looks of it get it powder coated.
Early to mid 60's ford used a metal catch can that was rectangular, and as I remember was black and mounted to the front of the motor. There is a post on the SHOC ford motor- it has a picture of what I am talking about. Would be period looking as opposed to something powder coated or ratroddish
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