The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 Power Loss & Overheating - HELP

TIming advanced too much will make it run hotter. If someone has maybe twisted the dist in an attempt to get it running better and now it is running hotter try this. Get a vaccuum guage and hook up to the vac on the side of the intake. May now have the vac wipers hose there now. Start the engine if the vac is below say 17 inches of vac shut off the engine before it gets hot and carefully loosen the screw that prevents the dist from turning. Use a long screwdriver. Its on the front side of the dist at the bottom. Loosen it just enough to barely turn the dist. Start the engine and look at the vac guage again and by slowly turning the dist first one way then another does the vac increase and the engine sound better. If you can get the vac higher you will be doing many good things for this old engine and yourself with increased confidence. The timing will be closer to where it should be (5 degrees before TDC). And it will run smoother and cooler. The old motor manuals and chevy guidance said to put in a therm that opens around 145 degrees if I remember correctly. I have not been able to find one that opens that early now days but I use a 160 with good results. You may have other issues with this engine but this will get you started on the right track. You can do this stuff yourself. Save your money and have fun. You might want to flush out the cooling system good and replace with a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze. If your system is tight, hoses in good condition and the radiator and heater core in good shape try a 5-7 lb rad cap that will increase your boiling point and allow it to run cooler also. We are here to help you.
Tim