After cold starting and letting it idle for 5 to 10 minutes, my engine overheats. We’ve installed a 292 cu in into my ’53 3600. We’ve attached a triple accessory drive system from Engineered Components, Inc. to mount the alternator, A/C compressor and power steering unit. Since the drive system didn’t quite fit, we swapped the original water pump with one that had a different profile from another engine so we could get clearance for all of the accessories. We are using a 165 degree thermostat and a 1230 CFM electric pusher fan to force air through the A/C condenser and radiator. The radiator is stock and the radiator shop stated that they had never seen an “old” radiator in such good shape.
Wanting to solve this problem first (to say nothing of no brakes and clutch), I have not taken the truck out for a drive to determine if the engine will cool down while it is moving.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this overheating problem? We haven’t tried drilling a small hole in the thermostat flange. Should we start there?
