I recently purchased a 1946 truck with a 216 engine. It starts right up but overheats within 5 minutes of driving and could use some help from the experts. The engine looks to be rebuilt and it has a new aluminum radiator. Here is what I have done.
1. Ran with and without thermostat - Still overheats (tested thermostat and opens at 160 degrees)
2. flushed radiator and engine and has good flow no rust- still overheats
3. dialed in the timing - still overheats (Note: It has a new distributor with no vacuum unit)
4. water pump looks to be working fine and both radiator hoses run hot
5. Did an engine block and head test with blue die and no sign of carbon leak in coolant
6. no sign of coolant in oil
I have a extra complete 216 engine from a 1937 truck that I was planning to use for extra parts and I realized that the water pumps are different. I am now wondering if during the rebuild that maybe the guy that did the rebuild might have used something from an older 216 engine that is causing the coolant to not flow properly. When I used a heat gun on the engine the block looked to be cool but the head seemed to run hot. Here are my questions.
1. Could the engine/head have a coolant block in it? Maybe a part from a earlier 216 was used that does not line up the coolant flow?
2. Will a 216 head from a 1937 fit on a 216 from 1946?
3. Any suggestions on where to go from here?
