HI, Well I just need some help on this please. First it is a stock 50 Merc. with offy heads and 4 barrell intake and aluminum griffin radiator. I am not running any stats at this time how ever I have a set of 160 deg. stats for it.I would like this engine to run as cool as possible so am thinking of a fan infront of the radiator but do I use a pusher or a puller. Thanks I live in Florida and it is hot as all get out down here and would like to drive it in midday when 95 and up outside and not get engine to hot. thanks sp1ke
What you need to do is to restrict the air flow throught the radiator. If you don't the air will move throught too fast, and won't have time to cool it. OK, just poking fun there... sorry. What you really need is lots of air flow. I would use the biggest fan you can squeeze in there, driven off the engine with a thermal clutch. 5 or 7 blades.
I think the key to a cool flathead is to make sure the block is clean INSIDE. Best time to clean it is during a rebuild, but some guys have told how they use vinegar in the water jackets to eat the gunk. May eat some gaskets that way though. Do a search on flathead cleaning.
You must have the "T" stats in place,or restrictor washers,for max cooling. Running straight water,with "Water Wetter",will cool better than an Anti freeze mix. Make sure the timing is right,and the advance is working. A puller fan works better than a pusher fan.
When I had the heads of I flushed the water ports with water and used a coat hanger to get junk out of the block. A good radiator, water pumps, and a clean block make for a cool flathead.
Timing is the key. An 'Ol Timer told me to install a mech. water temp gauge and watch it as I changed my timing 2 degrees at a time, running for 5 miles at a time. Note where it runs the coolest and set the timing there. Hope this helps. SBC's are for sissies!
If you do use an electric fan, a fan behind the radiator is considered a puller, where a fan in front is called a pusher. You can't have a "puller" in front of the radiator. Well, you could, but then you'd really have some overheating problems.' The most effective electric fan installations are pullers, mounted between the radiator and the engine. If you don't have room to do that, then I'd recommend building a shroud and using an engine driven fan. It'll be more effective than an electric pusher in front of the radiator.
In reply to SBC "Real engines do not have valve covers" You will never see a SBC in my car ever...... sp1ke
Not at the present but just want to make sure it doesnot run hot this summer when we have to drive to shows at 2 in the afternoon with stop and start traffic...thanks sp1ke
Have you proven that the engine runs hot yet ? All the Flatheads I have played with do not run hot . I was in 104 deg temps in our 39 and it ran at 195 which is about 15 deg hotter than it's normal temp but it was perfect . Put a good temp gauge or preferably 2 temp gauges,one in each head, and see what you have. The statement below is a sign of ignorance : Quoted from the above post (Most flatheads run hot always have & always will. You can fix it with a SBC ) Skip Haney is in Florida and is the best IMHO for water pumps and cooling a Flathead Have fun !!!!
Yes and skip did my pumps also and a great friend besides--should have seen his cushman eagle when he was done with it. I sold it for him--spike
What do you consider "too" hot? Running a flathead 180-200 in traffic isn't hot, and is much better for the engine and oil. I would start with 180 stats, and a good fan behind and within 1" of the radiator. Running a 50/50 water/anti-freeze mix will bump the boiling point a few degrees while providing rust protection and pump lube, and with a 7 lb cap will push the boiling point over 235. Without knowing the condition of the engine's internal cooling system it's impossible to tell how hot the engine will run without actually driving the car. A proper engine tune, including timing and carb jetting, will also help keep the temp within reason.
my 52 ford f1 pickup ran a stock flathead and the temp gauge never went above 200 degrees in traffic...I used a heavy duty two ton truck radiator with a seven pound pressure cap, a derale brand puller cooling fan, and 160 degree thermostats....no "water wetter" or any other kind of additives...just 50/50antifreeze...the engine was twelve volts with an electric fuel pump, the pressure regulator set to 3 1/2psi...also ran tubular steel headers with 2 1/4" dual exhaust w/12"long cherry bomb mufflers...stock 3:92rear axle and a mid 60s close ratio 4speed toploader ford transmission.....the rig was absolutely dependable as a daily driver with no issues on the side of the road with the hood open....EVER !....just common sense and good luck and you too won't overheat or run hot !!! good luck.....I almost forgot...I used 10w-30 full synthetic mobil 1 motor oil religiously.....with NO EXTERNAL OIL FILTER AT ALL !!!
Most illiterates have no idea what they are talking about so they regurgitate the verbal diarrhea that there fellow sheeple have spewed for as long as the sbc has been planned obsolescence.. -just kidding
Here's a little preventive maintenance for your Flathead.. (I posted it in another thread so just ignore the reference to the original poster) --------------------------- Well, assuming that your timing and carb are set precisely and not causing addition heating thru power lose etc... This is what worked for me, it's worth a try and there is no real downside.. ------------------- My problem was compound one, a truck -stump pulling- gear ratio and years of rad stop leak and gunk inside the water jackets. Once I got up to speed (the rear ratio limits my truck to ~55 or 60 mph), the problem was exasperated by the over temperature. : At 45 mph I could drive for 15 or 20 minutes before the temps climbed to normal 180 : At 60 mph I got about 10 minutes max before the temps went up to 195. : At 70 (over speeding the engine) temp would hit 212 : Once the temp gauge reached 210~, there was no way back, in other words, the system steamed the water out and then there was no way that the temp would come back down by slowing the revs/speed down. -I tried several store bought 'Rad Flushes', didn't help. -I tried running the hose thru the system with the truck hot and running, I probably did that a dozen times and after each time I would again go for a short drive and it would run back up to hot just like the dozen times before. ----------- Each time I flushed the rad I saved the first gallon in a see thru container just to see what things looked like. With every flush, the first gallon out looked brown and it had a slightly slimy feel to it And every time I pulled the rad cap it had a slime on it (years of rad stop leak and other miracle cures). I would let the gallon cool/settle and the water would be mostly clear while all the stuff had settled to the bottom. -Even after a dozen flushes using several Store Bought 'Rad Flush' products and most times just plain old garden hose water, I was still getting the same slimy brown water out. . Then an old mechanic friend told me about this stuff: Cascade ALL IN ONE for dishwashers (make sure it is the all in one and not just the sheeting action rinse) I placed 2 cubes in the rad with fresh clean water and went for a 20 mile drive at which point the temps had hit 212 (70mph). I flushed the rad at a friends place and witnessed the same brownish looking water that every other flush had produced..I placed 2 more cubes in and filled the rad for the return trip at which point I flushed the rad again. -Filling the rad back up and going for another cruise produced these results...... -If I kept it under 70mph, I could literally cruise all day. -With one eye on the temp gauge, I drove with the intent on keeping the water under the ~200 mark (at which point the steam would escape the rad). What I found was that if I kept the revs/speed below 3000 rpm or about 70, I could cruise indefinitely and more importantly, when I slowed down the temps came back down to the 180 mark. Cascade All In One Worked when all other store bought methods and a dozen hose flushes failed..Cascades sheeting action removed the slime of 63 years from the water jackets of the engine and the cylinder walls were able to transfer the heat of combustion fully into the water.. I think that in my case, 60 years of 'Bar's Leak' etc., had coated the water jackets just like a snugly warm blanket so the heat was not being transferred to the water and then into the rad. -There was little thermal transfer.. Here's what you need to know about Cascade (All In One): -It's dishwasher safe, rubber, glass, ceramic, metal, plastic etc Safe -It's designed to work at extremely high temps and the hotter the better so the 180 to 220 degrees that the engine runs at helps this stuff do it's job. -It worked and the price was about $5 which will give me a lot of rad flushes (my dishwasher wears a mini skirt). -If your timing is not causing your over heating and your fan belt tension is correct, What do you have to loose? My timing, ignition and carb were/are set properly but my problem was in not being able to transfer the heat from the cylinder walls into the water/water jackets. Hope it works for you. moe (not a cascade employee or representative, just a user and abuser) .
Moe, This is great! I have a 289 that heats up on me after about 20 minutes and I done all the rad flushes as you described. I'm giving this a try this weekend. thx, Greg
Greg, remember that it's the "All in one" and not just the rinsing stuff. You get about 20 cubes for 5 dollars and I have "re-applied" in some instances. In the case of my 49 Merc, I think I ran a few cubes thru during three separate runs just for piece of mind.
If Skip did your waterpumps, quit worrying. Talk to him and I'm sure he will explain everything you need to know about maintaining "proper" temperature in a Flathead. He'll also discredit many myths i.e. "restricting water flow" etc.
I don't understand the physics of this. If the heat was not being transferred to the coolant, why would the coolant temperature go down when you cleaned the water jacket which allowed more heat to transfer to the coolant? For a given radiator area, wouldn't increasing the thermal load on the radiator cause the temperature to go up? Bob
Probably had to do with cleaning the crud out of the radiator more than the engine, which allowed heat to be transferred out of the radiator to the air stream. Using the method he described, both the engine and the radiator got cleaned.
I ran the same overheating chase a few years ago. These major things are required to keep any engine cool: Water flow, air flow(more is better), correct timing and fuel mixture. Timing is a little more critical on a Ford flathead because the exhaust ports run though the water jacket. Keep the exhaust temps down you keep the coolant temp down. Flatheads also run a little cooler slightly rich on fuel mixture. The Cascade works better than any commercial flush. I used the powdered stuff in a higher concenteration. 1 cup with staight water for two 1/2 hour runs then a straight water rinse. Did that before installing Skips pumps.
horse shit pure and simple....timing,clean radiator,clean block and unrestricted airfow...oh dont listen to the know nothings
There are only two ways to get more cooling: 1 - More water flow 2 - Bigger radiator A stock system in good condition should be more than adequate for all manner of street-modified engines. Clean the block, clean/replace the radiator core, make sure your pumps are in good condition and the belts isn't slipping, make sure your timing is correct, your head gaskets are good, and it's not running lean.
Greg, feel the heads if one get hot quick and the other doesn't, you have one head gasket on upside down,,real common mistake..one is silver, the other is gold colored, when correct.. been a while, but I learned eventually, can't forget, how I screwed up. My wife said I never listen, at least I THINK that is what she said..
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