We swapped engines in my '34 Roadster last week, the new engine has Navarro heads - the old one had Edmonds. The water outlet on the Navarro heads tapers into a short, straight tube section without any lip or bead. Is there a special technique or installation process to get the hoses to stay on that outlet? We pushed the hoses down onto the taper and installed the clamps at the transition point from taper to straight. After a good run, water temp 180, the hoses had migrated up the tubes - the bottoms of the hoses relocated to just above that transition point. We switched from Breeze to Oetiker clamps, drove about an hour and had 1 hose move. We repositioned both hoses, the bottoms now at the transition with the clamps midway between that point and the top of the tube. After the same hour drive there was no movement. During the post-drive debrief, (beer, cigars, and BS session), the following questions/suggestions arose: 1. The clamp should be positioned near the top of the tube to prevent system pressure from expanding the hose away from the tube. 2. Radiator cap should be 0 lbs, 3 lbs, 5 lbs, or 7 lbs. The radiator is new, with the actual filler located under the hood, and the original position a dummy. What is the correct pressure? Should I run a recovery tank? 3. What is the optimal water temp? What is normal range? What size alt/fan pulley? This is my first flathead, you guys have a lot more experience and knowledge than me. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
Peen the necks to rough them up a little. I used a center punch and dinged mine up and it solved the creep problem.
It’s a proven fact that the hotter the engine runs(without losing coolant or overheating) the better the performance is and better for the engine also! I found some 190 thermostats for my 289 in flathead(no hood and no fan) in my 32 Henry cabriolet. The car runs 190 degrees and performs very well. The car has run 80 mph in the 1/8 mile running 2-3 gears only in a gm 5spd and 3:89 Detroit locker in a 9 in Ford rear end. Flatheads Forever!
Over on the Ford Barn it was suggested to coat the inside of the hose with Indian Head brand shellac and push it on, that will eliminate slippage. Oh, and clamps of course.
I second this. I had the same problem on 8ba water outlets on the pumps, but I used the Permatex aviation form-a-gasket that you can find at all auto parts stores. If you use this, the hoses will not walk on you. Just let is set up a few minutes before tightening the clamps. It's coolant and oil safe and never dries... sticky as hell... but works! If the engine is happy, timing's correct, it'll run at 180 with 180 degree thermostats. But, you have to remember that the engine doesn't share coolant side to side, and probably only mixes in the radiator. If you were losing a head gasket (I'm not saying you are) it'd be easy to see the problematic side with dual temp gauges. For some reason, memory says it's a 3lb system. Overflow is up to you. It'll puke out what it wants to, but obviously won't draw it back in without a catch can. Just top it off with distilled water every once in a while and you'll be fine without one. Awesome car. I watched your other thread... it's just amazing that cars like this are still hiding in garages. They need to be driven! Just out of curiosity, does H&H tell you to re-torque the heads after heat cycling the engine? I'm just wondering what a "crate" flathead requires... 3blap.
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