It seems like everyone is having temperature control proplems with the summer heat, and so have I.
I have a 51 with a slightly beefed up 350. The original radiator couldn't cool the engine, so I installed an aluminum radiator, which made a big difference. It would run nice and cool on the highway, but still creep up to at least 200 in traffic in hot weather.
Last winter, I installed a new Edelbrock carb that was tuned for economy, to replace an old Holley carb. I also installed Pertronix ingition, and advanced the timing, which caused the idle speed to increse about 300 rpms, so I adjusted the idle back to about 800 rpms.
The truck ran great all spring, and it ran a lot cooler in traffic; never getting over 185. But once the summer set in, the truck still ran cool in traffic, but would get hot on the highway. I never drove it more than 12 miles at a time, so it never overheated, and I think the temp would have stabilized between 200 and 210.
Recently I drained out 1 gallon of 50/50 antifreeze and added more distilled water, and added a bottle Water Wetter. This helped some, and now it stays below 200.
My mechanic said that the Edelbrock is probably running too lean, and this will cause the engine to run hot. I ordered a tuning kit, but it hasn't arrived yet so I don't know if that will help or not yet.
So what kind of advice would you give me to keep the engine cool at speed?
How much hotter will an engine run if it carbed too lean?
What about high volume water pumps? Would that help any, and if so , how much?
I have a shroud I am working on to install, (I am using an electric fan) But I'm sure that won't help cool at speed.
Thanks for any and all advice and comments,
Mark
