I used a product called purple ice, I'm sure it is like water wetter. My guy at napa said it should help some.

I'm thinking I will need 2 beer just to start the job. My new carpet came in also so I will try and do it in the same day. Probably be next week before I drive her again.

 

My new carpet took me the better part of a whole day, and that was with two other guys helping me. Better to save that for another day, and get the engine running cool first.

 

YUP very good I_AV8_4U But see I bought a Laser thermo....monitored my motors all over.....So far I can't tell the head gasky'y gonna blow or worse till it does.......it's gonna be trial and error this summer. My dad is an electronic engineer....these parts are all built around some kinda electric thing.....he' 75 and ain't as sharp as he was when working......thing is we have no base temp to work from.....ie. head temp. rad. water temp....etc.........so run what ya brung......till it blows up!

 

There have been many valid points and suggestions from members of this forum and I'll add my two cents.

To begin with we need to consider that this car ran for many years at a satisfactory operating temp exactly as the factory designed it. No trick water pumps , no exotic wetting/cooling agents , no aluminum radiators etc... What we have to ask ourselves is why is there now a problem ? Let's look at a few solutions to our quandry.

1. Are you utilizing a fan shroud ? Always helpful and often overlooked.

2. Is your timing advanced too much ? An engine with too much advance timing will demonstrate a number of undesirable behaviors including spark knock ( detonation ) , engine run on after you shut it off when warm , hard to start ( slow cranking ) especially when warm , a horrible pinging on acceleration and every engines worst enemy, HEAT.

3. Have you made a carburetor change or adjustment ? A carburetor which is running too lean will yield tremendous fuel milage and in some circumstances the engine will run like a bat out of hell... for a little while. Then when the aluminum thingys start melting and sticking to the steel and iron thingys... Your beloved 289 will throw a scrap iron fit ! Trust me on this one as I ruined a very good 351 Clevor race engine in EXACTLY this manner. I knew it was running lean.. but it was fast !

4. Radiator caps. A cap of 18-23 pounds will also help cool the engine. The boiling point of water is elevated when under greater pressure. A higher tension cap will assist in cooling but if your cooling system has a weak link like a radiator or heater core... it's going to show up in spectacular fashion.

5. Coolant additives . Water Wetter , Liquid Kool , Purple Ice are all very similar chemicals and they do work, but ... I'd rather find the source of the problem rather than put a bandaid on it.

6. Water pumps. Aluminum water pumps are very , very effective and a high perf race pump is typically suitable for street use. Be sure to keep antifreeze mixed in so that straight water doesn't cause undue aluminum corrosion. ( AS A SIDE NOTE... BE WARY OF THE MARINE WATER PUMPS ! THEY TURN BACKWARDS COMPARED TO STREET APPLICATIONS )

7. Fans. You might think I'm silly but is the fan a flex fan and is it on right ? Believe it or not I helped a friends son with his overheating Mustang and found that he had installed an aftermarket flex fan on backwards ! It took me a while to finally notice it. I can only imagine what the airflow in the radiator was like at highway speed. The fan pushing it toward the front of the car was VERY ineffective.

8. Now here's my last point and you're gonna hate this ! Pressure test your coolant system and make sure you don't have a leak. I'm not so much concerned about a leak out of the cooling system as I am aleak into the cooling system. If you have a problem with a bad head gasket , cracked head , cracked block etc... you could be leaking superheated exhaust gasses into the coolant flow. I don't need to tell you what that will do.

In closing, take the radiator to a competent radiator shop and have it cleaned and tested. Bent/damaged/dirty fins will effect cooling and clogged rows will restrict adequate water flow. Take it to a trusted shop for inspection and/or repair.

Good luck and I hope these tips are helpful. I've built and raced Fords for 30 years and I offer this advice only to assist you in finding your problem. Each of them are causes and remedies which I have personally experienced usually in an attempt to squeeze out just a little more horsepower. Hell , I had to try anything to outrun the bowties when I was outnumbered 20 to 1 ! Good luck, Dean

 

Dean,

Thanks for all the advice. I'm still getting to know the car since I've only had it a few months. As soon as I get home I will check the fan, putting it on backwards sounds like something I would do. I'm just glad I didn't put it on or I would really be doubting myself. I think it will all work itself out and run like a champ.
thanks
mark

 

One more...

Did you paint the radiator? If you painted it and did not use special radiator paint, that could be the culprit. (It's more common than most people like to admit)

 

Good idea, the radiator is painted. Although I would have no idea of what kind of paint was used.

 

Dean and others have some valid points. But, taking an old 2 row radiator to a radiator shop is a waste of money IMO. Sure, the rad will be clean and the fins will be relatively straight, but it is still a 2 row radiator. If the engine is relatively old, there will be a collection of water minerals attached to the inside of the block, causing less cooling from within. In that case, more and colder water has to be pumped through the block to offset the difference from a newer engine. Traffic conditions are different than in the mid 60's as well. Especially in the metroplexes, the stop and go even on the freeway is common today, whereas it wasn't back then. Recovery tanks, aluminum radiators, electric fans and shrouds were invented to help defray this phenomena. There is absolutely nothing wrong with adding these to any old Mustang, if it will make it run cooler. However, I have found that aluminum radiators and electric fans are not needed for a steet car if the other components have been added.
I just got back home from a 400 mile round trip and part of that trip was spent in bumper to bumper stop and go traffic in the Houston area during the middle of the day in 90+ degree weather. I had my air conditioner on, and Ol" Yeller did not heat passed the halfway mark. I have a 4 row rad, 6 blade fan, shroud and recovery tank. My timing is set at factory specs and my carb is also set at factory specs.

 

It might be alot of time for nothing but if all else fails make sure your heads gaskets are on right. There is a front a back to each gasket.