Cupid

Okay, took it out on another run. Turned on the A/C and took these: Gauge: 220* Temp Sending Unit: 215* Neck: 193* Return: 180* I turned off the A/C and then I ran it pretty hard to get the temps up as high as I could by going through the gears. It hung out around 218*. Turned on the A/C and drove normal for about 3 miles back to the house. Left the A/C on, popped the hood and got more measurments. Gauge: 231* Temp Sending unit: 230* Neck: 206* Return: 192* So it looks like i'm getting 13*+/- 2* cooling through the radiator. Is that good? I'm trying to narrow down whether it's the cooling capacity of the radiator or something is wrong with the motor, e.g., freeze plug in block or coolant bypass/thermostat isn't working correctly.

Didn't work. So with more airflow via the electric fan(in park) it still initially gets to 181 and hangs out. As soon as I take off it climbs to the upper 190s. When I turn the A/C on, it jumps to 220ish and stays there. You would think that just maybe the pusher was blocking airflow to the radiator, but even without it in place, the standard fan produced similar results. Other thoughts: I would assume (from outside looking in) that I have a freeze plug knocked inside of the block... I doubt that because I put about 4-5K miles on the car already. Yes, the temps still got into the 200s, but it was manageable. I "upgraded" my radiator to try to keep the temps down (It was a Cheap Summit Brand), but it was bigger. Most things point to my stock size 20" as not having enough capacity to keep the motor cool. Hey...it is 100* outside today, but I'd like to drive the car no matter what the temperature is.

I am running a vac adv on it. I'm at 12* btdc Too much more will give me hot start problems. @ 1969vert: I agree with you on heat exchange and surface area. While I'm waiting on my shroud, I think I'll rig the electric fan up as a pusher to augment my direct bolt on flex fan.... Just to see what happens. Might have to go with a larger radiator.....ugh....

I have the 20" 2-core radiator. Really the same size as stock. Just in aluminum. Apparently a 2-core aluminum radiator cools better than a 4 core copper radiator.:001_huh:

Where is your temp sender located? On the pump or by the water return neck?

Yes, I have the brass ring No, I do not have the RS thermostat. I've searched far and near....nobody has one for sale. Flowkooler has had them on back order for about a year. Apparently the manufacturer is redesigning them. I have the Napa replacement(197; 180*). If you have an extra, I sure could use one! I took the aluminum shroud+electric fan off today. I put a 6 bladed flex fan on it without a shroud. It made a significant difference at speed. 190ish standard versus 220ish, while running a/c. At idle, it hovers in the mid 190s. I'll order the shroud tomorrow.

Yes, I do have a spring in my lower radiator hose... :-)

I'll start by saying that I’ve searched the far corners of the Internet/Blogs/WebPages/Forums, etc. and have found that a lot of people have problems with high temps in their Mustangs. Quite naturally, I have problems with high engine temperatures as well. I'm interested in your build, problems that you are having/had, but most importantly, how you solved them. Here's mine: 351 C, bored .030, 12* btdc Eddy RPM Heads, Air Gap, 1407 Carb, 7168 Cam Flow Kooler, Napa 197 Thermostat(180*), Autometer Digital Gauge Champion 2 Row Radiator (RAD29; CJ Pony), + Aluminum Shroud w/16†2500cfm electric fan My saga started this summer with my temp gauge hitting 220* and beyond. This was sitting in traffic. Ambient temps 80-95* outside. Swapped the thermostat to the Napa 197. It worked somewhat. The car could idle all day around 181*. As soon as I’d hit the road temps would shoot up to 210*+. Shot the neck with an infrared gauge, it showed a 15-20* temp difference. (Note: I shot it while idling a bit in the driveway) Faulty gauge! Swapped to the Autometer gauge. Thought this was it. Took it on the highway again. Temps shot up to 210*+ again. But I would press in on the clutch and let the car coast to a stop…..I actually saw the temps drop as soon as I’d let off the throttle and coast to a stop. Must be a waterflow problem, right? Swapped to the Flow Kooler last night. Attempted to burp the system. It floated around 181* in the driveway. As soon as I put the cap on, the temp started rising. When I took off, within seconds (literally) the temp hit 200*. As I drove down the road, it dropped to about 194*. If the car runs around 190-195*, I’d be satisfied, especially since it’s a 351 C that has been bored. I think I’ll attempt the burp process again, since the temps climbed rather quickly when I backed out of my driveway (incline). Note: I checked for a combustion fumes in my coolant to no avail. I’ll try this again while burping the system again just to be sure. Thoughts?

Daaaaaaang! It's my car! Great job man. This was the original color of mine. I'm going back with it when I get finished throwing parts at mine. I just tell myself that I'm still in the "mock-up" phase right now! This is definitely inspiration!

I'm a tiny guy so between getting beneath the car and laying on top of the engine bay, I was able to get it on. I did not tighten any of the bolts until I got all of them started You should have received very small "12-point" header flange bolts. Did you not?

I would assume that it would. With my standard 3 inch, (I thought it was a 2", but it's actually a 3"), my hood closed just fine. Again, I didn't have the stock air cleaner, (which I think is actually shorter) than the 14" Eddy. I can't be 100% sure, but I would bet on it. You could always order it and send it back if it doesn't fit.:whistling: You'll be out a few bucks for shipping, but hey... I doubt any of us get back all of the cash we put in these cars if we ever sold them.

Anybody running them? I currently have 17 x 7s 5-4.5bs. I would have to go to a 16x7 or 8 w/4.5 bs. Are they worth the $? Are they really that light? Just trying to line up my excuse before I pitch it to the wife.:biggrin: I'll be doing a bit of auto-crossing next year and was thinking about going with a 16" wheel. I'm not knowledgeable enough to make a technical decision as to stick with the 17" or go with the 16"

Why yes. Yes I am. Set up: Eddy 1407 Eddy 1" Phenolic Carb Spacer (8710) Eddy Air-Gap Performer (7564) Eddy 12" Air Cleaner (K&N Filter 2-inch) Eddy 351C Aluminum Heads (61629) Eddy 7168 Cam Basically, I had to cut my hood after I added the spacer. I know....not the answer you were looking for. If it makes you feel better, you don't have to add the spacer and you can get a low profile filter so that you can clear the hood. I plan on going cowl induction so i'm not concerned with my current hood. I'm running Ron Morris mounts to clear my Sanderson Shorties. Yes, if I get into it, I'm sure the Cleveland rocks enough for the shorties to touch. No biggie. When I blow the car apart for paint, I'll ding the headers slightly to eliminate any rubbing. As far as how it performs, I have a little, actually, a lot of hesitation from < 1000 rpm on take off. I'm running a vacuum advance. Anything over 15-1700 RPM is orgasmic. :biggrin: I don't run up over 5K often. Don't need to. The torque this motor makes puts a smile on my face everytime I shift from second to third. If i'm in twisties, I don't even shift out of third, maybe a little on tighter turns, but the car is a blast. NOTE: The Air Gap + Cam only makes 12-15 psi vacuum. Not good if you are running a brake booster. If you have the stock cam, you may be good. I had to swap to manual brakes.

I knew it! I think that's a con man... They did the same thing to me. When I called them on the phone, Yeah, we got them. Will have them coated this week and in the mail next week......4 + weeks later....after I called and complained....did they finally show up. It could have been 5 weeks. Can't remember... Yup, I think they sucker you with the "yeah, we have them", get your credit card info, then send them when they get to it. Other than the extra weeks of waiting on them, they are the only thing that worked for my 351C. The FPA's rubbed.

It's the cables man! Had the same problem for years (though not as extreme), but I just addressed it a few weeks ago: http://www.1969stang.com/mustang/forum/showthread.php?t=11702 I did back the timing all the way down as well.

Anybody put a new wiring harness in lately? I'm wondering what would be a good place to put the fuse block. As I get older, I'm finding I dislike crawling up under the steering wheel to get to a fuse. I'm in no rush, I just want to plan ahead. Any pics?

Okay, I checked the recommended specs of my Cam. They recommended between 10-14* degrees btdc. I was at 15*. I backed it down to 11* right off the bat. It definitely helped some. There was a still a little hesitation. Then I changed the + cable out and haven't had the problem since. I'm hoping the combination of the two solved it! I have to make a confession: I had welding wire as my hot wire running from the trunk. Apparently that's a bad idea...*doh* FYI: Advance Auto has 2 gauge cable in bulk ($1.78 a foot).

Definitely creative. Not a fan. They've been around for a while now.

Definitely a 2 gauge wire, but I question the quality of it. It's not a "solid" copper, but a "stranded" one. It made it easier to do the cable run. May go to 0 gauge since it is in the trunk as a percaution. What brands of cable are you guys using?

The engine is having problems turning over, not starting.... I'll definitely look at the timing.

No, it does not ping at all. Will report back with timing...

Battery connections and power are good. If the battery is bad, it's the second consecutive one. I'll take it back to Advance to have it checked. It's an Optima. It is in the trunk. Think the length may be the issue? Alternator is a Powermaster (don't like them too much b/c they constantly charge, but hey....) I have a significant grounding system and the engine is grounded to the fender/frame. I'd much rather change the wiring for my grounds and battery connection than pull the engine to no avail! *lol* The hot wire is bulk wiring I got from Advance. *scratches head*

Maybe? Maybe not? But something just ain't right. Okay, I can drive my car all day long and then some. The moment I stop for gas or something else in the 5-10 minute range, the car is hard to turn over. It eventually will, but the starter has to work significantly. If I stop for 30+ minutes the car is cooler and it turns over just fine. I have a high torque starter to no avail. No, the starter isn't getting hot plus it's wrapped. One of my buddies (Chevy Guy) thinks I may have spun a bearing. Basically the metal is fusing together when the motor heats up. Well, i've been driving the car for maybe a year with this problem.(once or twice a month) ^Don't know if he's smokin' crack or what. I haven't seen any metal shavings in the oil either. Any bright ideas?

^I went with the Grab-a-Track stuff. I have reverse eye b/c I wanted the car to sit lower. Still not low enough. They work pretty good IMO.

Oh gosh that's cool! Semper Fi!