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Technical 8ba flathead temp ? HELP

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by lorodz, Feb 4, 2014.

  1. lorodz
    Joined: Jul 26, 2009
    Posts: 3,727

    lorodz
    Member

    ive been running my rebuilt 8ba for a couple minutes at a time trying to work out fuel and cooling bugs in the new set up, i was wondering what this motors temp should be running at normal, i have edelbrock heads a mustang 2 radiator set up for flathead water pumps,and a 10 inch electrical fan pulling through the radiator, no manual fan (had no space to run it). im using 50/50 antifreeze, no water. the thermostats are 180's the car runs good for a couple minutes at idle than the temp starts to creep up ive seen it hit 200 with no problem.. but when i crack the safety cap no steam or vapors come out, but the radiator is full almost 2 1/2 to 3 gallons.. maybe 160 degree thermostats...i dunno...timing is also at top dead center ..what should i check to get the temo to drop. maybe a bigger electric fan like a 15 inch fan? help
     
  2. prpmmp
    Joined: Dec 12, 2011
    Posts: 1,129

    prpmmp
    Member

    If its not holding at 180 then the 160 wont do a thing. If you can drive it to see if the temp comes down while you are moving then it would be your fan is not pulling enough air thru. A shroud would help and a the bigger fan. Pete
     
  3. lorodz
    Joined: Jul 26, 2009
    Posts: 3,727

    lorodz
    Member

    hers the thing i had what i think was a mustang II radiator and i modifyed it to run the flathead style inlets and outlets bottom is running the correct way but the top is going 2 into one inlet..i think i have a very small and i mean small leak at the bottom of the tank 10 mins of running shouldnt get hot that fast ? or maybe it should i know flatties run hot but it gets kinda hot fast ..im going to try a new radiator and a 15 inch fan and see what happends..
     
  4. JohnEvans
    Joined: Apr 13, 2008
    Posts: 4,883

    JohnEvans
    Member
    from Phoenix AZ

    Mustang radiator is not big enough ! And your fan is too small also.
     

  5. prpmmp
    Joined: Dec 12, 2011
    Posts: 1,129

    prpmmp
    Member

    I would think 10 min should bring it close to temp at 180. Do you have 2 temp gauges? Are they electric or manual? My flathead runs at 180(180 thermostats),it will climb to 200 at first till the stats open then hold temp. Pete
     
  6. Glenn Thoreson
    Joined: Aug 13, 2010
    Posts: 928

    Glenn Thoreson
    Member
    from SW Wyoming

    These things are notoriously hard to keep cool. If it's a fresh motor it will run pretty warm until it loosens up as it breaks in. You don't say how many rows of tubes that radiator has but my thoughts are it will never cool a flathead. These take a rather large radiator with a minimum of 3 rows and still are borderline. Try giving it more initial advance. An 8BA should have 4 degrees and a couple more won't hurt. Slow timing adds to the cooling problem. You need as much fan as you can cram in there.
    Ten inches won't do it. Run 160 thermostats in the summer and 180 in the winter.
    Make sure your thermostats have an air bleed hole in the butterfly. If not, drill a 9/32 inch hole to avoid air locking the system. Re-torque your heads (40 - 50 lbs for aluminum) at least 3 times. VERY impotant. Last torque when the engine is thoroughly warmed up. They must be tightened in the proper sequence. Fill the radiator to the brim and, with the cap off, run the engine and watch for gas bubbles in the coolant. If you have bubbles that don't go away, you have a problem. It will run cooler after break-in. Hope this helps and good luck........
    Glenn
     
  7. Saxon
    Joined: Aug 9, 2008
    Posts: 2,157

    Saxon
    Member
    from MN

    Ya the choke point may be hindering some cooling. Orginal rads were quite large too. 200 is not a deathsentence at standing idle for long periods. Could always give it a little advance and see if that helps but does not hurt performance.

    Oh my flatty needs to be run hard for 40-50 minutes before it gets over 160. So flatheads dont all run hot.
     
  8. lorodz
    Joined: Jul 26, 2009
    Posts: 3,727

    lorodz
    Member

    thanks for the advice guys ..

    yeah the rad i have is a 2 row 65 falcon rad im guessing its a mustang II that i had converted to accept the style water pumps of the flathead. i can only at max fit a 15 inch fan on the front of the radiator to push air towards the engine, very limited on space. im not shure about the air holes in the t stats i will go buy 160 degree ones and drill em out though, rad is filled to the fullest, timing how do i know its 4 degrees on the balancer theirs only the single dot...oh and thats advanced, not retarded correct.
     
  9. kyvetteman
    Joined: May 13, 2012
    Posts: 759

    kyvetteman
    Member

    The '49 Merc flattie in my Deuce ran consistently at 180 degrees for months idling, at speed, in traffic, whatever, then started running hot. It was a real head scratcher and I could not figure it out. I was ready to pull it and tear it down. A buddy suggested looking at the plugs and it turned out to be fouled plugs. You mentioned working out fuel bugs; could it be that your plugs got gas fouled in the process? A fresh set of plugs cured my over-heating problems. Good luck.
     
  10. Vergil
    Joined: Dec 10, 2005
    Posts: 785

    Vergil
    Member

    The bump on the pulley is 2º before TDC. Around 5/16" is 6º so you could advance it another 1/4". You might put box fans in front of the radiator to push more air through it.

    Vergil
     
  11. Glenn Thoreson
    Joined: Aug 13, 2010
    Posts: 928

    Glenn Thoreson
    Member
    from SW Wyoming

    Oh, boy. That 2 row little radiator and an itty bitty fan won't even come close. I really don't think your plumbing will cause a problem. I have a fresh 8CM in my '42 and it took some miles of break-in before it really behaved itself. I have a stock 4 row radiator and a stock 4 blade fan. It stays quite cool except climbing long, very steep grades at high altitude. Then it can climb to 200. I just finished a 59A that I was running on the stand. Cold water from the garden hose fed from the bottom and exiting through the heater hose outlets won't let it warm up at all at more than a trickle.
    --Glenn--

    ----Boiling over in the Mojave in the '60s----
     
  12. lorodz
    Joined: Jul 26, 2009
    Posts: 3,727

    lorodz
    Member

    hmmm i do have a fuel problem im working out ..i am running a brand new holley 94 with a 2 1/2 fuel pressure regulator, and an electric fuel pump, a small mr gasket style pump,to the factory model a gas tank, here is the thing.
    if i leave the petcock open underneath the gas tank i noticed fuel will flow passed the filter, passed the fuel pump, and passed the pressure regulator and start to trickle into the carb causing a massive leak on the top of the manifold and make the spark plugs soaked with gas,, it was so bad that until i realized it was ahpping that it filled the oil pan with like 2 gallons of gas ..thought i fixed the problem by cleaning the carb out there was dirt in the pin on the float, i looked into the carb today and its doing it again until i close the pet cock, ive never had this problem before and cant figure it out ..so what i plan on doing is im going to switch the holley out for the a rodchester that i had on the previous motor im thinking theres something up with the carb, maybe after i get the fuel problem fixed i can than get a better idea of the temp, plus the holley makes the motor run so goddamn rich it will burn the hell outta ya eyes,,even after adjusting the carb, the rodchester ran way better ..
     
  13. lorodz
    Joined: Jul 26, 2009
    Posts: 3,727

    lorodz
    Member

    looking into buying a 3 row radiator but cant seem to find a good one that will fit my 32 grill..my rad now is 21 x 18 x 2 i can go an inch either way 22x19x3
     
  14. Saxon
    Joined: Aug 9, 2008
    Posts: 2,157

    Saxon
    Member
    from MN

    I always thought a lean condition had more of an effect of causing temp increases, more so over a rich condition.
     
  15. fenderless
    Joined: Mar 31, 2006
    Posts: 1,286

    fenderless
    Member
    from Norway

    Just a note on your cooling problems. I have an 276 cid 8BA, Fully ported with Edelbrock heads (59AB) Isky 400jr. It's mounted in my Modell A Tudor. New US Radiator 3 row. To my surprise it runs very cool:eek:! With 180 thermostats it will go slow up to that temperature on the road. In cruising speed or in traffic the temperature goes down:).
    So I think you need a good radiator to fix your problem.

    K

    .....................................
    Taildragger&fenderless
     
  16. lorodz
    Joined: Jul 26, 2009
    Posts: 3,727

    lorodz
    Member

    Yeah I been looking for one but cant seem to find one with measurements close enough to fit my 32 grille, 20 1/2 x 18 x 3 inches.

    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  17. DICK SPADARO
    Joined: Jun 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,887

    DICK SPADARO
    Member Emeritus

    First problem is being too conservative to purchase the correct radiator for the job. While you may deem this an expensive part it is the life of your car. Of anything this is not the point to skimp. There are companies like Walker that make a Model A radiator for 32 shells and I'm sure that there are others also. The second issue is with crap in the fuel line . If you have not cleaned or sealed your gas tank you will pickup crud in the base with a gravity flow system so you need to install an inline filter before the fuel pump to eliminate the debris.
     
  18. butchbov
    Joined: Jul 10, 2005
    Posts: 25

    butchbov
    Member

    Very well put:).

     
  19. Petejoe
    Joined: Nov 27, 2002
    Posts: 12,264

    Petejoe
    Member
    from Zoar, Ohio

    A lot of issues. I agree you need a bigger radiator. You also didn't mention what distributor you are running. If you are running an original, they can cause a lot of problems. Although, at idle the advance should not be engaging, the diaphragm on those go bad over the years.
    Short out each problem after you get yourself a new radiator.
     
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2014
  20. dtracy
    Joined: May 8, 2012
    Posts: 223

    dtracy
    Member

    Set your biggest shop fan out in front of the car with the air blowing through the radiator. If the temperature still goes up then it's not the cooling fan. If it stays cool then you need a bigger cooling fan but your spark plugs are ok.

    Dave.
     
  21. lorodz
    Joined: Jul 26, 2009
    Posts: 3,727

    lorodz
    Member

    Hey dick.
    I did put a filter as a matter of fact their is 2 inline filters, so it will pick up impuritys
    As far as the radiator goes im jot trying to skimp or be cheap, im trying to find a radiator to fit ...my grille shell is 2" shorter than stock, and walker wants 700 for a radiator, their is no way for me to fund that unless you guys want to chip in...im sure ill find the radiator tonight, I have a line on a company that a little bit more reasonable, ill keep you guys posted.
    The distributor was converted to pertronix 12v no more points, it fires rite up and revs up with no problem....
    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     

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