1965 Straight 6 Overheats

There is no "standard" fix for this because there are different things that can cause this problem. Are you using the same radiator that you had with the other engine? There are aftermarket add on electric fans or fan/radiator combos. First things I would look at is the condition of the radiator cores (maybe have it cleaned by a radiator shop). check thermostat condition and direction. Water pump condition. Long shots would be blown head gasket or even air pockets in the cooling system. Air pockets will block water flow and will show up as no heat coming out of the heater but engine will overheat. Even a poorly tuned engine can cause an overheat condition (I.E. timing and mixture). Someone else will probly weigh in on this, there may be a common problem with these 6's that I'm not aware of.

Julie Fernandez said:

1965 straight 6 overheats, this is the 2nd engine with this issue on my car. Is there a standard fix for this problem? Is there an sfter-market fan shroud or something to assist the cooling off of this engine?? Already manufactured an overflow bottle for the radiator. HELP i don't want to lose this engine too.

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did your previous engine ever run cool

how far over is it bored

exactly how hot does it get

is it hot while on the freeway or just in traffic

what is your outdoor air temp

remove your rad cap, drain enough water to see the tops of the tubes and look for any rust plugging the tops of sany of them.

do you have the load o matic carb and advance

if so does it work properly

if you timing is nit enough then it will run hot and the load o matic systems often do not work.
you need to make sure your timing is working/advancing properly before spending money on other pricey parts. i can tell you how to do this if you want but you need a timing lite.

does your engine run smoothly

start with the basics, clean rad, good hoses, and belts, good thermostat, etc. then check the tune of the engine, timing, a/f ratio, etc. after that then you are getting into airflow through the rad and through the engine compartment.

Hi Julie, I fought this problem for almost ten years. First tried 7 bladed fan. Then added a shroud, Checked timing, had three row radiator cleaned and flushed, removed thermostat, finally changed engine. Nothing helped. I finally, as a last resort, ordered an aluminum radiator off of eBay and the problem went away. Now I may have to re-install the thermostat to get the thing to heat up enough that the heater will throw out warm air.