351w runs hot

[astegall]

I put a 351w, 10.5:1, Edelbrock Performer Heads, E303 Roller Cam, in my 65 Fastback. The car has PB, AC a stock fan and the AC shroud but even with a four row radiator it runs hot. Overheats in fact. Granted I live in fresno where it is hotter than hell but when I started this project I was assured by "many who know" this would be ok. Would it cool off if I back off he compresion a bit? Milder cam? Aluminum radiator? Any help appreciated, I'm about ready to go back to the 289.
Thanks
Allen Stegall

 

[jerry S]

what you need my boy is a

puller fan. you can either have a manual switch or hook it up to your thermostat. It will do the trick or my name isn't jerryS

 

[WORTH]

I put a 351w, 10.5:1, Edelbrock Performer Heads, E303 Roller Cam, in my 65 Fastback. The car has PB, AC a stock fan and the AC shroud but even with a four row radiator it runs hot. Overheats in fact. Granted I live in fresno where it is hotter than hell but when I started this project I was assured by "many who know" this would be ok. Would it cool off if I back off he compresion a bit? Milder cam? Aluminum radiator? Any help appreciated, I'm about ready to go back to the 289.
Thanks
Allen Stegall

You say it's overheating, is it actually boiling over?
Is it overheating around town, or on the hyway?
What fan blade do you have? 4 blade,6 blade?
is the fan lined up with the end of the shrowd?
what t-stat are you running?
50-50 afreeze mix?
is your heater hooked up, or blocked off?

 

[astegall]

It has dumped a considerable amount of anti-freeze on the ground a couple of times after stopping. The overheating is always when driving around town Once on the highway it cools down. Six blade fan but I will have to check and see how well it is lined up. The spacer had to be customized to make everything fit. How clsoe should it be to the radiator? 50/50 with a 180 thermostat. The heater is hooked up and has a new core.

 

[astegall]

Does the puller replace the regular fan? or is it in adddition to?

 

[D.Hearne]

Is the radiator you're using a V8 radiator for a 65-66? If it has the same surface area as the 289 radiator it's really too small for your motor, even with a 4 row core.Back in the 60's Ford had a habit of using radiators that were too small for hot climates. If I were you I'd fit in a larger surface area aluminum radiator. I have the same problem you have but with a V8 Ranger, too much motor and a too small radiator. Replacing the fan with an electric unit, will just swap one problem for another, sure you MAY get more cooling but then you'll be running into charging problems unless you've also upgraded the 289 alternator to a larger one. A large electric fan does suck up a lot of juice. I've got three small 10" fans on my Ranger and with them and the heater blower running , my volt meter drops to less than 10 volts.

 

[Clark]

I have to ask, did the water pump get changed during all that work? As for the fan, it needs to be about an inch from the radiator.

 

[JB66]

I believe the clutch fans are 7 blade. I agree about the supplemental electric fan also, IF you can't get a radiator big enough to cool it. How tight are the bearings clearances? I built my 351C-4v with less than .005 and it ran hot for about 5,000 miles.

 

[WORTH]

It has dumped a considerable amount of anti-freeze on the ground a couple of times after stopping.

Are you sure your not overfilling it, it should be about an inch down in the radiator, also an overflow bottle with a recovery cap is a good idea, that way you cah keep the rad full to the top.

The overheating is always when driving around town

Is it actually boiling over, or just running high on the guage? If it's running high on the guage, but not pegging the needle, it may be ok, check it with a real mechanical temp guage

Once on the highway it cools down. Six blade fan but I will have to check and see how well it is lined up.

The blade should be about half way into the shrowd.

The spacer had to be customized to make everything fit. How clsoe should it be to the radiator? 50/50 with a 180 thermostat. The heater is hooked up and has a new core

 

[Maxamil]

I live in Fresno also and a classic idleing in 100 degree plus weather is not good for your car. A few things I did in my car was use water wetter and a 50-50 mix of aF and h20 just like it was suggested. I would suggest getting a aluminum radiator. I know Eds Radiator here in town sells aluminum 2 rows for our car for around $200-250.