What year did ford start using these? Is there an advantage by using one? I was thinking about using one in my 1956 ford fairlane.
I could be wrong by a year, I'd say in 1958 with the 332 and 352 engines. The radiators were set pretty low in the cars by that time in relation to the cylinder head elevation. I'm not sure it would be an advantage in your 1956 except for the cool factor. Bob
lift the hood on any FE Cobra (OEM of course), you'll find the ubiquitous overflow tank - they work great - but tend to clutter the view on a hot rod.
Pretty sure they were only used in applications where the radiator was lower than the top hose. Corvettes used cool aluminum ones as well.
I wanted to use one on my 56 just because it is an FE icon to my eye. But alas it won't work once I got the engine in there. I guess you can do anything but it was not worth all the cutting and soldering.
One advantage that expansion tanks have (other than what Don mentioned) is in cases where there is a limited amount of total coolant in the system; for example when the radiator has to be a very small core size. In those cases, the expansion tank can sometimes make the difference between overheating/not overheating. There were some drag cars in the '60s and '70s that used them alone, or with very small radiators, for just this reason. If neither of these two reasons are an issue for you, then there's really no reason to use one, other than the looks (which as Tommy notes can be pretty neat).
A puke tank is required on the drag strip. The aftermarket ones work great, but they do look like hell. Put on a new radiator cap at the same time to make it work right.
Thankd for the info guys. I just thought they look great and some of the y blocks came stock with them.
not sure when they started but I have a Y-block out of a 60 Starliner and it has the expansion tank. Might be the first year, the 60 hood sloped off so much the radiator had to sit low.
A picture of the 3 types Left to Right 6 Cyl&Bronco --- Y-Block ---- FE Just so you know a Y-block & FE will not interchange. Mounts Y-block straight across & bypass in the thermostat flange & the FE diagnol bolts & bypass is seperate. FYI 1958 T-Birds & Edsel had them on the FE's I have no Idea which Y-blocks had them before the first FE's in the T-Bird & Edsel in 1958 Fords reason for the "surge tank was as BoB said it' was the High point so any air would circulate there and an air bubble would not get trapped in the system. Thats why the fill cap is there - same with the Vette & the slanted low radiator . Movin/on
I hope that's not a HF engine stand that beautiful chunk of Merc is hangin off...... If so, very brave.
I had a '56 two door wagon that had a 312 with triple carbs from the factory. It was built at the Ford assembly plant in Pico Rivera and it was one of 100 Ford had to produce so they could use that version of the 312 on the NASCAR dirt track circuits. Mine ran like a scared rabbit. How many '56 two door wagons did you ever see with a four speed from the factory? This one attracted a lot of attention. I had a buddy who has a '56 T Bird with a four speed and dual quads on his limited edition car. He still has it. His insurance man calls him every year to get a new appraisal. It is worth a fortune!
That would be correct. The tank was a place to fill it so you didn't have to loosen the goose neck to burp it. There are some other advantages to one that a friend and I thought up the other day just for grins. Added coolent capacity for one and another is if your car is running really hot it gives the steam a place to condense prior to going to the radiator, or if you have lots of engine setback it visually takes up some of the room between the engine and the radiator. It can also help hide your electric fan. OK so they are not real advantages but we were real board.
There are some terms being thrown around here that are not correct. I don't know what Ford called the coolant fill tank with a radiator cap in it but technically it's not an expansion tank. Expansion tanks in hot water heating systems in boiler rooms are only 1/2 filled with water. There is a large trapped pocket of air in the top. As the water heats up it expands and the air in the expansion tank compresses allowing for the expansion. The cap in the tank would prevent this since it has the over flow nipple. Modern "puke tanks" are coolant recovery tanks found on all late model cars. Usually a white plastic tank marked with a line full when hot. When the coolant heats up it expands sending the coolant up in to the recovery tank. When you shut the engine off and it cools back down a vacuum is formed pulling the coolant out of the recovery tank back into the engine lowering the level below that line. Puke cans required by the tracks in the early years where there to catch the coolant that came out of the over flow line. Since it was not sealed, no vacuum could be generated to pull the coolant back in the engine. If the engine did puke it was caught in the tank and not spilled on the track surface. I know the terms have been tossed around for years but I was a steamfitter for 16 years and they are not the same thing. Just a pet peeve.
Actually it is an expansion tank as there is an air pocket used for expansion/contraction (vented coolant cap). The only way to not have it contain an air pocket is to incorporate a coolant recovery bottle to the tank whereas it (coolant) will not have access to the atmosphere. A puke can is (was) simply a can hung at the radiator that would catch any coolant overflow on an open system. A coolant recovery tank (bottle-jar-reservoir) will actually cycle coolant pressure as it is a closed system and will not reintroduce air into the coolant system once purged properly.
We will just have to agree to disagree. There is not enough trapped air in that tank to function as an "expansion tank" any more that the air left in the top of non Ford radiators.
well all i know is when my 62 galaxie is at operating temp the tank is full and when its cold is below the separter plate.i guess thats why they call it expansion tank..lol and to replace one is 199.00 new ouch.
Correct. Terminology is the same but the principle is a little different. You call it potato, I call it pototo... It is an expansion tank in the sense the coolant expands into when hot and contracts from when cooling. If the system is closed with a coolant recovery system, it would not serve that function, the recovery bottle would. If you notice, this system is used only with a cross-flow radiator, correct? The tank(s) are well below the engine coolant level, hence the need. It you have a normal radiator with only top and bottom, or side tanks that are open to the atmosphere (vented cap), the tank(s) will considered as expansion tanks, unless a recovery system is used in addition. It is merely a way to describe and differentiate systems so that they can be understood by all in description and conversation. Correct FOMOCO nomenclature- TANK ASSEMBLY-RADIATOR SUPPLY
no 56 Fords ever had tri-power from the factory or 2 fours from the factory, if you were a licensed n.a.s.c.a.r. car owner you could buy a 2x4 set up to be used for racing. Also Ford did not offer a 4-speed untill 61.
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