Overheating

[Mark Shaw]

I agree with Mr Sullivan when he wrote:

"All my pre-war cars heat up considerably on hills. You are burning much more fuel in this situation and have much more heat to remove. The cooling margins on these old cars is not sufficient to keep the temperature in the 160- 180 F range. Remember the thermal efficiency of an old engine is pathetic compared to a modern engine. So, whatever power the engine delivers, there is a proportional amount of heat that much be removed by the radiator.

Finally, I don't think running and old car at, say 200 to 220 F is particularly damaging, even if there is some coolant boiling. Boiling takes a lot of heat out of the engine. Just make sure you carry extra coolant so she doesn't drop coolant levels below the top of the radiator tubes.

During this winter, I suggest you drive your car long and often. This will help improve the cooling problem and allow you go get more familiar with the car."

All prewar cars run better around 180-190 degrees F. They all get hotter going uphill too. If you have your coolant level right, you can still expect to add a quart or more every hundred miles or so, especially in hills. I think you just have a typical "rebuilt engine run-in" where you need to slow down and/or wait for cooler weather to break in your rebuilt motor. Changing the fan blades etc will only help for "parade speeds" as your car will get much more air flow at 40+ mph over the entire radiator than any fan can deliver.