I have a 32 Henry cabriolet hi boy hot rod. 8BA engine,bored .080,Isky full race,Edelbrock heads,slingshot intake. No hood,no fan of any kind,Walker radiator. I decided to change thermostat housings from small 8BA style to large mouth 1 3/4 I.d. Hose where I can run 1 3/4 I’d hose from therm housing to radiator. First,removed thermostats from system—ran car all day long 92 degree s.Texas heat—-sw gauge ran 160 when car moving. Put thermostats back in car ran 180 like it always does. There was a 20 degree drop from thermostats to NO thermostats.Bob Drake sells the larger 1 3/4 thermostat housings for same size hose from housing to radiator—1 3/4 I.d. From housing to radiator..pics of engine shows 2 sizes necessary to hook to radiator—-old setup. Changed housings for 1 3/4 from start to finish but no pics taken yet.
I run the 1 3/4" thermostat housings from Model Engineering on the 8ba in my '39 p/u. Don't know if it changes the temp but just made hooking up the radiator easier.
Of course, the question that needs to be asked is : "What temperature thermostats did you install?". If they were 180 degree units, you got the expected (and proper) results.
No Fan? You must never travel through traffic areas I can’t see a flathead staying within normal limits during long idle times in traffic without moving some air. I’ve stopped totally using a thermostat a long time ago.
IIRC Skip Haney recommends either Bob Sherman thermostats or none at all when using his rebuilt pumps. I run 160's with his rebuilt Merc pumps on my 8ba. On 100 plus days in stop and go it gets around 200 but other than than it runs cool.
A fan take 5-8 h.p. Flatheads are underpowered to begin with so why take away more h.p. By running a fan.People look at my hot rod and ask where is the fan—I tell them I don’t have one. They argue “you got to have a fan”——no you don’t. I have a super clean block(rust and scale are non existent) and a 900 dollar Walker radiator, no hood. When I run 180 thermostats it never goes above 180 anytime anywhere the car is in motion. Moderate stop and go traffic may get up to 200—nothing to worry about—get it rolling goes right back down to 180 even in hot100 degree s. Texas days. Have owned at least 10 early Ford hot rods—one was a 32 five window,SCOT blower,and full hood—still no fan.It is a proven fact, the hotter the engine runs(to a certain point)the more efficient it is. For every degree of pressure your radiator is you can add 3 degrees to boiling point so a 7 lb cap adds 21 degrees to 212 boiling point that now become 233(in theory) so even 195-200 is not terrible. Do I want that high of a temp—-probably not but it is reality and often liveable.
Add antifreeze instead of straight water and the boiling point will go up even further, up to 244*F (at 50/50 ratio)
The Jalopy Journal
