Having cooling problem with the 351c in my 1955 tbird The brass restrictor is in place and no thermostat Thinking a thermostat may help slow the flow through the radiator and give more time to remove some heat. Anyone have a part number for the correct thermostat? Thanks, stay save
I guess the difficult part is figuring out what the engine is out of? Then you can get the parts store to look it up for you. The problem is they might ask you for the VIN letter code for the engine, instead of asking Cleveland or Windsor. Maybe try to get one for a 400 engine from the late 70s, instead? then you wont get one for a Windsor.
What is your cooling problem? 55 T-Bird, maybe it gets hot in traffic but is okay on the road? Do you still have the fan shroud? How hot is hot? Does it push water? I'm a fan of running thermostats, but they only control minimum temperature. I have a 57 with the original Y block. It does run up to the high/normal side of the gauge in traffic, but it never pushes out any coolant. I also found that the Ford gauge is at best an approximation of the engine temperature. My car had a flex fan when I first got it. Very noisy, and marginal at moving air. I've since changed to a clutch fan setup which works much better. More air flow and only runs as needed. The little birds tend to run hot it traffic, comes with the car design.
Most, if not all, overheating, running hot , etc, are in fact , undercooling. IF the radiator is doing its job properly , all will be good. My 2 cents. Ben
Use a high flow thermostat, the good ones have oval by pass holes in the main plate. Brass Works sells them, Robert Shaw is the best brand name although they private label for others.
Do a search on the Pantera forum or try one of the Pantera parts dealers. It's a very common problem because of cooling system the design. The "correct design" thermostat has been obsolete for years. You can buy a thermostat to fit, but it isn't the correct design. When I had my Pantera there was a guy modifying the Robert Shaw thermostats to properly work and he sold them to the Pantera parts dealers and also on the Pantera forum.
The Cleveland engine takes an odd thermostat. It has a special hat that seals against that brass restrictor plate when it opens to circulate all the water through the block. Ford no longer services this part. Most parts stores will sell you the wrong one. Ask me how I know! . I did see this on ebay though. Don't know anything about the vendor. https://www.cjponyparts.com/thermos...MIqfHO0Z3S6QIVVeDtCh2JUwGEEAEYASAAEgIHrfD_BwE
The Cleveland takes a special thermostat. When it opens, it closes off a port in the block, below the thermostat, as the Cleveland thermostat is in the block, not the intake manifold. Pantera mechanics used to pull the brass insert, that is in the hole below the thermostat, and solder in a copper penny. The penny must be older than 1986 as the newer pennies are not solid copper. With the penny installed, a cheaper and more readily available standard type thermostat can be used. If the hole below the thermostat is not plugged, the water keeps circulating in the block and doesn't have a full pass to the radiator. This was a feature designed to get the block up to temp faster by having it circulate in the block before thermostat opening. Run this motor without a thermostat and not plugging the hole below the thermostat = overheating!
This is the thermostat that you need for the 351 Cleveland. I have a 408 M and have been running it in my F1 in Arizona without any problems https://www.tmeyerinc.com/product/high-flo-thermostat/
It has been said many times already , the C and M motors take a special stat and must have the brass piece installed in the block or she will never run cool
Both the C & M require the thermostat. But ONLY the Cleveland requires the brass insert. 351 M Block 351 C block
Maybe just do the penny thing. I installed a 3 row aluminum radiator, with the shroud and large electric fan.it has not overheated yet, but gets up to 190* around town on a 85* day. It has the brass disc in the block. I very seldom use a thermostat, only drive it in warm weather. I knew about the penny modification, but somehow slipped my aging mind. Thanks for the help.
Saw a study that said cyl wall wear is 3 times more with a 160 vs 180 to 195 thermostat. Should run it the way it was designed.
The Jalopy Journal
