No Power, pops out back, runs hot, and Pi$$ me off

TOM B said:

This comment is just stupid, no wander you guys sit along the road.

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I'm not sure what's so stupid about it? An occasional spike to 210 - or even 220 - isn't going to do any harm. As long as you don't see steam coming out of the radiator, the fluid is still in a liquid form and is therefore capable of properly conducting heat.
There is still a significant problem with a setup that runs over 200 with a 160 thermostat (or even a 180) installed. The problem is one of two things - either improper flow (pump, thermostat, head gasket issue, plugged radiator) or improper heat transfer (plugged radiator, fan issue).
This being said, I personally think that any engine worth anything should continue to run properly when the temperature reaches 210. 220 is pushing it but 210 for sure. Again, if the car runs 210 all the time - even though you are running a 160 or 180 thermostat indicates a problem. I stand by my statement that THE CAR IS NOT OVERHEATED AT 210!

Mustangman1974,
Did you hook up the wideband since you rejetted the carb? The 17:1's you got before are very bad. Make sure you have proper fuel pressure and AF ratio before proceeding. 17:1 can cause nasty detonation... which causes extreme cylinder temperatures... which causes the water to get real hot.

Not sure if you have access, but if you have another carb, might want to pop that on to see if there is a large difference. Maybe a friend's carb? That'll tell you if it's a carb problem, quickly.

I had lots of problems under load- I went for the timing/carb first- it turned out to be either the plugs, wires, cap, or rotor. Changed all of them at once on a complete whim, and bam, fixed. Went from a almost unusable car to perfect.

I hate these problems that we work so hard to fix, and they don't go away- I've started taking the 'bazooka' approach- replace whole systems (carb, ignition) to quickly see if the problem is contained within.

i didnt read all the post, but i see gt40 heads was this added later after the motor was built??

if so sure your head gaskets are on correct might have one backwards and it overheats and popped a gasket causing the misfire

The ignition electronic? When the controller box gets hot, the transistors
lock up. When it acts up pour water on the ign. box. This is a trade secret
I should get paid for. Since I'm new here and you all seem like dweebs I
thought I would give a "freebee"

Not to sound disrespectful but if I were you after dealing with this problem for well over a month, I would bring it in to a performance shop and have another set of eyes to look at it. You are only going farther and farther and deeper and deeper into a problem that may be a simple fix.

point the fuel line into a coffee can and see if it pours out. I missed whether or not you have a fuel pump on the engine or by the tank. I would put one by the tank and see if that helps.

I agree with others that it sounds like the main driveability issues seem related to a fuel delivery problem. Have you checked every bit of fuel line under the car for kinks or any other problems? Is there a filter sock in the gas tank? Have you checked/replaced that?

I had a car with problems when it got warm and I eventually found a crushed fuel return line under the car where a previous owner had jacked up the car. Do you have an electrical pump running pushing the fuel against a fuel pressure regulator (dead end), or do you have a system with a return line in it?

I recommend using a return system with an electric pump.

I have a series of fuel system questions that is somewhat on-topic. Does the gas cap provide venting for the fuel tank? If not, how does the stock one-line system keep from building up a vacuum on the back end, i.e. at the tank? If so, couldn't a bad cap (or vent) cause a lock up in fuel delivery once the pump has pulled a given volume out of the tank?

I had wondered this years ago when I was having a similar problem, but as I posted earlier it turned out to be a bad coil.

How old is the gas tank? Does your filter have rust particles in it? As I mentioned earlier, if you have rust in your fuel bowls (as you mentioned), your fuel system is most likely not delivering adequate fuel. Yea, 200 degrees is not preferred but I think you need to start getting into the fuel system more deeply.

Today's the first time I went into this thread and I'm amazed on all the goofy suggestions to an obvious problem. You're chasing everything for nothing. It's a vapor lock problem and nothing else, it should already been obvious in your post dated 7/31. Empty fuel filter? 3 PSI? There's your problem right there. The line doesn't have to touch anything hot. Being exposed to hot air from the radiator is enough to boil it. I've had the same problem and when I sprayed cold water on the fuel line the pressure shot up. As soon as the water evaporated it dropped to 3psi again. The line was touching nothing except the filter and pump, and I had a crushed line under the car. You have a Taurus fan? Chances are the hot air is blowing directly at the line. Did you insulate the line all the way from the pump to the carb?

Misses and sputters above 4500RPM, sounds like hitting a rev limiter. Been there done that. Keep in mind I have a Shelby-style hood with scoop and rear vents and it still vapor locked.