Register now to get rid of these ads!

Projects Coolant recovery bottles in the 50s?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by junkyardjeff, Feb 9, 2021.

  1. junkyardjeff
    Joined: Jul 23, 2005
    Posts: 8,588

    junkyardjeff
    Member

    Just put a new radiator in my 55 Sunliner and it does not have the over flow tube that goes down to the bottom but just a fitting to put a hose on like a modern radiator,so with that I would like to put a coolant recover bottle on it but not one of those plastic versions so was there any made back in the 50s out of metal or anything that would not look so out of place.
     
    51 mercules likes this.
  2. Hnstray
    Joined: Aug 23, 2009
    Posts: 12,355

    Hnstray
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Quincy, IL

    @junkyardjeff

    You might want to check your radiator neck and cap to be sure they are designed to work with a coolant recovery system. Pre-coolant recovery systems the cap pressure relief was a one way deal. It let out excess pressure but did not accommodate the return of fluid after cooling off.

    Likely your new radiator/cap is set up for recovery, but worth checking to be sure.

    Ray
     
    loudbang likes this.
  3. deathrowdave
    Joined: May 27, 2014
    Posts: 3,518

    deathrowdave
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from NKy

  4. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,933

    squirrel
    Member

    The main difference between recovery not recovery systems, is that there's a rubber gasket around the outer part of the radiator cap, so it can hold a vacuum. Earlier non recover caps just had a metal to metal seal, that would prevent the overflow from splashing out around the cap too easily.

    Sincc the neck in the new radiator has a hose fitting, it's very likely that it's designed to work with coolant recovery.

    you can use any container you want, just make sure the hose goes almost to the bottom of it, and it will suck the coolant back into the radiator tank as the engine cools.

    Or don't bother with the container, just check the coolant level in the radiator occasionally, as long as it's over the tubes when cold, it's fine.
     

  5. hotrodjack33
    Joined: Aug 19, 2019
    Posts: 4,128

    hotrodjack33
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    At a local cruise night, as a joke one of our club members, a NYS State trooper, had one of his "on duty" buddys roll up and write an "open container" ticket for one of our other club members. Seems that club member was using a Jack Daniels bottle for his overflow. :p
     
    VANDENPLAS and Hnstray like this.
  6. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,795

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Jeff, I’ve been running my 56 now for almost 10 years without one. I use the stock 7 psi cap and the coolant down 1” just like they came. With the radiator I have I’m sure I could to a 14-15 psi. I never loose or use any coolant.
    I have thought many times I’d adding a recovery tank also stop when seeing them. I’ve thought of one of the street rodder style tall narrow ones and painting it black but since I’ve never seen the need I didn’t. Hope you find one that looks more like it belongs.
     
  7. Joe Blow
    Joined: Oct 29, 2016
    Posts: 1,480

    Joe Blow
    Member

    As far as a container goes, I used an old Optikleen washer bottle and bracket.
    DSC00978.JPG
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2021
  8. Mark Wahlster
    Joined: May 21, 2016
    Posts: 75

    Mark Wahlster
    Member

    Look at some of the Aluminum Drink bottles you can put one in a lathe or drill press and spin it then using Gray Scotchbrite remove the lettering and have a nice aluminum bottle. Thats what I did but with some weird Surplus bottle I got somewhere,
    [​IMG]

    You can just see it stuffed down in the corner on my Willys
     
    VANDENPLAS, CME1 and Budget36 like this.
  9. Jkmar73
    Joined: Dec 1, 2013
    Posts: 120

    Jkmar73
    Member
    from Tulare, CA

    I was planning on using this from mooneyes. Clean and simple. IMG_0033.JPG
     
    VANDENPLAS and Elcohaulic like this.
  10. lowrd
    Joined: Oct 9, 2007
    Posts: 405

    lowrd
    Member

    Don’t have a picture, but I used an empty propane bottle. The small green ones you get at Wally world.
     
    VANDENPLAS likes this.
  11. CME1
    Joined: Aug 10, 2010
    Posts: 299

    CME1
    Member

    This is a beautiful engine and engine compartment. Very neat and clean!:)
     
  12. 57tailgater
    Joined: Nov 22, 2008
    Posts: 845

    57tailgater
    Member
    from Georgia

    There's a couple of ways to look at this for necks with a small hose. See if the hose connection is above or below the cap spring loaded seal on the radiator. A radiator with a cap with a spring loaded seal below the hose will only let coolant out during an overheating situation and the coolant expands too much. The pressure is relieved by the spring and the expanded amount of coolant is pushed out, through the hose into the overflow/puke tank. This keeps the mess to a minimum. When things cool down, the cap seal seals things back up and nothing will be sucked back into the radiator. You will find on some older car radiators there is a brass tube attached to the next that dumps the coolant down rather than all over the engine compartment. Newer cars and trucks have a surge tank. The radiator has only a cap that seals around the neck, no spring relief and moving seal, if it even has a cap at all. The small hose on the radiator neck will be below the radiator cap seal or top of the radiator thus letting expanding and cooling coolant flow in and out of the radiator. The surge tank has the radiator cap with relief mechanism. This tank allows the coolant system to expand and contract. There is a "make-up" line at the bottom that feeds the lower radiator hose so coolant can re-enter the system. This is why you see "COOL" and "HOT" lines on the tank. If things still get too hot the cap on the surge tank will relieve the pressure as a typical radiator cap does.
     
    Budget36 and Caprice89 like this.
  13. Did you empty it by placing it on top of a fence post and shooting it with a .22?:D Then trekking through the woods to try and find it.:mad:
     
    triumph 1, VANDENPLAS and Hnstray like this.
  14. Greg Rogers
    Joined: Oct 11, 2016
    Posts: 802

    Greg Rogers
    Member

    Old Strohs beer can...
     
  15. lowrd
    Joined: Oct 9, 2007
    Posts: 405

    lowrd
    Member

    Na, nothing that easy, just a .45 1911.
     
  16. Mike Colemire
    Joined: May 18, 2013
    Posts: 1,428

    Mike Colemire
    Member

    I seen one made from an old brass looking fire extinguisher. It looked like about a qt in size and looked pretty cool.
     
    VANDENPLAS and Budget36 like this.
  17. olscrounger
    Joined: Feb 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,770

    olscrounger
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I can't recall when they made you have one at the drags--was usually whatever worked
     
  18. I like the concept of the "recovery" system. It should keep the radiator topped off with no air pocket.
    Did you shoot from the hip? :rolleyes:

    That might be mine. I posted it a year or two back. The 'knob' on top is a high/low dipstick and the nipple at the bottom has a standpipe that goes up near the top for an overflow function.

    DSCN0165.JPG
     
  19. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 7,589

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

    Made one from an aluminum water bottle. You should include an overflow outlet in case the amount of coolant released is more than the recovery bottle capacity.

    IMG_7053b.JPG
     
    Tim and Just Gary like this.
  20. Latigo
    Joined: Mar 24, 2014
    Posts: 739

    Latigo
    Member

    Back in the day....mine was a Coors can because I was underage and Coors wasn’t sold in Iowa. Just for the “cool” factor.
     
    VANDENPLAS and warhorseracing like this.
  21. HarryT
    Joined: Nov 7, 2006
    Posts: 722

    HarryT
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

  22. junkyardjeff
    Joined: Jul 23, 2005
    Posts: 8,588

    junkyardjeff
    Member

    I like the glass washer fluid bottle so that is what I am going to do,I forgot all about those and would look alot better then one of those cheesy plastic versions.
     
    VANDENPLAS and warhorseracing like this.
  23. Beanscoot
    Joined: May 14, 2008
    Posts: 3,053

    Beanscoot
    Member

    I always thought the overflow bottle system's advantage was that it kept air out of the rad itself, so slowed down oxidation of the coolant and thus engine corrosion.
     
    Hnstray likes this.
  24. 1971BB427
    Joined: Mar 6, 2010
    Posts: 8,717

    1971BB427
    Member
    from Oregon

    I also use an old fire extinguisher for my catch bottle/recovery. It's not an old brass one, just an old aluminum version. I stripped off the label, and polished it up with some Mothers aluminum polish. Bought the strap at an electrical supply house.

    [​IMG]
     
    VANDENPLAS likes this.
  25. Bbdakota
    Joined: Oct 23, 2019
    Posts: 81

    Bbdakota
    Member

    I used a shine jug on a car I used to have 20190914_121550-756x1008.jpg
     
    TCATTC and warhorseracing like this.
  26. THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER
    Joined: Jun 6, 2007
    Posts: 5,367

    THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER
    Member
    from FRENCHTOWN

    I made one from a piece of aluminum 'vette driveshaft.
    A bottle will reduce the suds in the system, improving its efficiency up to 10%.

    tuboflo01.jpg
     
    VANDENPLAS and warhorseracing like this.
  27. Cosmo49
    Joined: Jan 15, 2007
    Posts: 1,551

    Cosmo49
    Member

    Anything that holds the liquid w/o leaking.
     
  28. junkyardjeff
    Joined: Jul 23, 2005
    Posts: 8,588

    junkyardjeff
    Member

    If all fails I will just get a piece of tubing with a short piece of rubber tubing and make it like the original radiator.
     
  29. blue 49
    Joined: Dec 24, 2006
    Posts: 1,820

    blue 49
    Member
    from Iowa

    001.JPG

    I made mine from a piece of aluminum electrical conduit. It has a siphon tube to the bottom with an overflow tube out the side near the top. A petcock out the bottom, too. Painted black to kind of blend in.

    Gary
     
  30. wackdaddy
    Joined: Nov 11, 2015
    Posts: 214

    wackdaddy
    Member

    Who remembers Ovaltine?

    fullsizeoutput_528.jpeg
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.