The flow was checked when first starting up. I put the cap back on and shut off at 225 degrees because I know with a 13lb cap it will start puking at around 230. My concern is that with a load on the engine that it will start climbing even more. This is only idling in the driveway. I think that my fan shoud with covers the entire radiator with a 14 inch fan may actually be restrictive on the freeway but is certainly good at idle. It has about a 3/8 inch gap between it and the fan outter housing. I may go ahead and order a med profile 16" Spal fan that puts out afew more CFM and see if that helps at idle. I will mount on just the radiator and shelf my aluminum shoud for now. I will cover the majority of the radiator. I will then take it up on the freeway and see if this helps. I am also faced with clearance issues between the radiator and water pump. Currently had to move the fan up about and inch from center to give me abit more clearance. I dont have much.

If this doesnt work I quess its time to start pulling plugs and looking for something internal. I hate to think such !@@#$ thougths. How many of you are running with overbore at .040 or greater

 

The flow was checked when first starting up. I put the cap back on and shut off at 225 degrees because I know with a 13lb cap it will start puking at around 230. My concern is that with a load on the engine that it will start climbing even more. This is only idling in the driveway. I think that my fan shoud with covers the entire radiator with a 14 inch fan may actually be restrictive on the freeway but is certainly good at idle.
I thought it was puking in the driveway. A 14" fan is way too small. Even the stock 4-blade is at least 17". On the highway, the fan does nothing, and the radiator size is everything.

It has about a 3/8 inch gap between it and the fan outter housing. I may go ahead and order a med profile 16" Spal fan that puts out afew more CFM and see if that helps at idle. I will mount on just the radiator and shelf my aluminum shoud for now. I will cover the majority of the radiator.
Any radiator not included in the shroud area is wasted, you might as well have a smaller radiator.

 

Well I realize the 160 degree thermo needs to eventually be changed to 180 but I am waiting before I dump out the coolant again. I got and IR thermometer and checked my gauge. Guess what it is accurate. I called the engine builder and he thinks that the high flow water pump is my problem. Dont buy that argument. IF it passes thru the radiator more quickly then it also passes through the block more quickly absorbing less heat. Anyway it is the old school verses new school argument.

I took it out on the road last night as it was pretty cool for california. I kept the rpms around 1600 or so to not really put a strain on the engine. This puts me around 40 miles and hour or so. Give or take. This speed should rule out fan issues at idle. The temp stayed steady accually slowly climbed back to 225 degrees before I headed home. The radiator was justing to spit alittle coolant into the overflow. I think I have a 13 or so pound cap so it would really puke at around 233 degrees. That is why I have been shutting it off when it gets this high.

I really think that I have an internal problem. There are alot of you guys running .040 overbore with alum rad and elec fans with no problem. My neighbor reminded me that over the winter moving the car in and out and checking things on long idles it never got over 205 degrees. It was only lately that it has been slowly creeping up to this level.

I will pull plugs this weekend and take a look. Has anyone put compressed air into a cylinder to see if the coolant bubbles at the radiator? Suggestions appreciated.

 

Okay, check the temp difference of the top and bottom hoses with your IR thermometer. I believe mine had almost a 30 degree difference. If your mechanic is correct your hi-flow pump and the 160 t-stat are not allowing the coolant time to absorb and disperse heat.
I had my car idling for at least 20 minutes last night without the fan coming on and the temp was about 200 degrees when it finally did. If your timing isn't right you can run hotter too. Ask me how I know.

Oh and check that your lower hose isn't collapsing on itself when you rev the engine.

 

Yep got a spring in my lower hose.

Will have to remove my (unused) air conditioning condenser to make a temp measurement. I checked on the hose inlets and outlets but really didnt get a good ready. Brand spanking new radiator so I dont think it is an issue.

 

The radiator is new, but is the coolant releasing the heat? Too fast like your mechanic said and it won't.

 

Regardless of where you are running the A/C or not, if the condenser is installed anything but parallel and close to the radiator, it will cause an air flow issue thus limiting your cooling effect. I had new everything, but the only thing that helped my temperature was a bigger fan, a matching shroud, and tweaking the condenser installation.

 

If the water is moving through the radiator, the extra flow from the hi flow water pump is NOT your problem. This 'too fast to exchange heat' argument is bunk and absolutely untrue at any velocities you can attain through your radiator. The reason cars overheat without a thermostat is because of cavitation at the water pump forming steam, not velocites in the radiator.

You have an air flow problem. An 040 overbore engine will generate more heat into the coolant than a stock bore, will require more cooling but it can be done.

You need to either consider MUCH larger electric fan, or go to a clutch/engine driven fan.

The AC condenser if not straight as mentioned above will drasticly reduce air flow as well.

 

If it is still overheating on the highway, it is not the fan. You can take the fan off at highway speed and actually see the temp go down slightly as the fan will inhibit air flow at higher speed. An overbore of .040 is not a problem on a 302. Now if you were at .060, you might have a problem. You have the classic signs of a too small radiator or poor coolant flow. It could also be running lean, have too much advance, or a blown head gasket, but I'm betting it is the radiator. Do you have any pictures you can post?

 

The motor is a 289 not a 302. The guy that I buy my parts from "Delta Bay Mustang" warned me that with a .040 overbore that it might run hot.

I checked timing, replaced thermostats, increased fan size, modified shroud to fit, checked plugs( they all look great), did compression check( all within 5 lbs), checked overall advance, and have run out of options.

Today I ordered a 4 row aluminum radiator from "Monsterradiators" that is guaranteed to work or they will refund the money. I also ordered a 16 inch electric fan but it probably wont fit with the shroud that I am currently using. If this doesnt work then probably start looking for a new bottom end.

If anyone is interested I will have a two row "Northern" radiator for sale that is almost brand new that I would sell to help cover the cost of the new one.

The only good news is that I used a eastwood fender roller this weekend and finished all four wheel wells. The rears are alot more work as they are two layers but finally started to bend and they came out great. Only a minor chip at about 10 oclock on the rears where there was a spot weld.

The heating issues on the other hand is a real frustration.