The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk HEAT--Anyone covering their radiator to stay warm??

Just got my 292 (66 c-10) rebuilt w/ a brand new radiator. Has always run cold in the winter. Engine temperature is in spec, according to my mechanic. Temp needle always is in bottom 1/3 of gauge. Is it ok to partially cover radiator so needle shows about the middle of guage?
Don't know about the condition of heater core but inlet is warm and outlet is cold.

I've had to cover part of my 292's radiator to get heat in the winter, about half if i was in the warmer part of az, more if i was in the mountians. i have had my '65 suburban since 1969 and it always runs cool, especially in the winter.

bad plan to partially cover rad on anything, unless you wanna bend the fan blades - if you want the engine and/or heater temp higher, run a higher rated thermostat, 180-195 will give ya lotsa heat - no telling what the gauge reading means, best to go by the thermostat rating and for the record, check the rad with the family candy or meat thermometer when it's up to temp and relate that to the gauge

Bill

if you have a factory fan for your stovebolt, you shouldnt have to worry about bending your blades. i doubt you would be running your 'bolt at the speed needed to damage your fan.

Pull the lid off of the heater box under the hood and see how cool the heater core is. It should be almost as warm as the radiator, equally across it. If it were mine, I would replace it anyway. My 64 would burn you out and I never covered the radiator, don't believe in it,
Scott

Good advice. Tomorrow I'll try that and order a core in the meantime. Makes me nervous to cover it too so I keep a sharp eye on the needle. 64 would "burn you out", huh? Amazing! Deluxe or standard heater?

Thanks fellow SB'ers! Great and timely replies! I covered the outside with 1/4" foam core strips. I'll pull the lid of the box soon, check performance and order a core if needed. I'll also check the temp/thermostat. Going to be around zero in the morning. Got to do something? Heater does just enough to keep from fogging the windows too bad.

try Flushing the heater core, you would be suprised at the stuff you flush out....and the difference in heat afterwards using a 190*F thermostat....

the heat stoped on my 2000 s-10 they flushed the heater core that was it i was suprised

Slightly off topic. A 1946 Case VAC (tractor) didn't seem to be cooling or flowing coolant well. Took it off and drained it... 4 acorns, gobs of sludge, several sticks, one nut, and one bolt (they didn't match) came out.

Decided to attach it, fill it with water, run the engine for 15 minutes, and empty and drain it again. Gotta a little more sludge out this time.

Had the radiator boiled out, and it now leaked all over. Soldered up two big leaks, put some "stop leak" in to fix the hundreds of little bitty leaks, and it works great. 60 years of stuff accumulated in the radiator.

On one I had the heater core was hooked up backward's,switched em around and it heated great.Figured it out after replacing the core and thermostat.Oh well, lesson learned.

OK guys,,on heat to heater,,,The therm working and at least a 180 you should have good heat at the core assuming all is working as should and plummed correct,,if you have low temp at the core and at rad with a good therm take a look at the water bypass flow as some will flow enough to run cool if you think this is the problem restrict the flow also if you have a full flow thru the core with the hoses look nat installing a restrictor in the return line to slow coolant flow and retain more heat in the heater..doc

Thanks. I'll try it.

Up north here where it gets to be -30 most people have winter fronts on their vehicles. That covers up the rad so your motor runs warmer.

I can't see how you would ever bend the fan blades from putting something in front of the rad.

I can't believe people allow install kids to drill a bunch of holes in thier grills for mounting snap fastners on those winter fronts. It looks just hideous in the summer. I run cardboard in front of my rad every winter and find covering about 1/3 works best in my climate. I flatten out a cardboard box and jam it up in between the condenser and the rad. If I want it to run hotter or cooler I just change the size of the box.

Curt B.

I've always found that Cheerios boxes work best because they're fortified with all the essentials.

It was a standard heater with a new core in it. I also had a fresh 350 under the hood with a new radiator and a 180 'stat. I insulated the floor and between the seat and tank to isolate the cold from the fuel and me. New carpet and weatherstripping and it can't help but be warm,
Scott

A little off topic but didn't some of the early diesel big rigs have automatic air operated radiator shutters for cold weather?

This was how my 1941 Caddy was built, the thermostat operated a shutter in front of the radiator.
Also on page 19 of the "1950 Chevy Operators Manual for light, medium and heavy duty trucks," they recommend a higher thermostat OR covering part of the radiator under certain conditions. Mostly when the engine idles a lot or frequent stop and starting.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Out here many bus fleets partially cover their radiators during the winters. It used to be more common than it is today.

Make sure there aren't any pin holes in the cooling system. That will keep it from making any heat as well. I had a 68 Plymouth Valiant with a 225 in it and a small pin hole in the radiator. It never really leaked just seeped a little. That was enough to keep the cooling system from building any pressure and kept me from having heat. One winter here it stayed in the 20's for days. Driving to say the least was miserable. I even took the fan off and put cardboard in front of the radiator. At traffic lights the needle would just barely move and you would start to feel heat. Then you started moving again and cold air coming from the heater. Have your cooling system pressure tested as well to make sure there aren't any small leaks.