Hi:

Has anyone tried the Edelbrock high capacity water pump and seen whether it has made a difference in temperature? My '65 289 (a recent convert from it's 45 years with my parents as a 200 six, the last 10 of which it was basically abandoned and languishing) runs in the real world down here in Houston (almost 5K miles since November 2009), and I am always interested in ideas to keep engine temperatures in line. I have done pretty much the standard upgrades (aluminum radiator, viscous fan drive etc.), and occasionally things get a little warmer than I'd like in traffic, coming off the freeways etc. Nothing bad, but every little bit of improvement helps.

Thanks,
/s/ Chris

 

if the car is cool on freeway then the radiator seems to be big enough, however if it warms up as you slow down it seems the viscous fan doesn't kick in or kicks in too late? what thermostat are you using? (what temperature)

 

Well, I know what you mean about the fan, and that is something I will look into as well, although I was under the impression that these types of fans didn't exactly "kick in"--- more like a progressive engagement. Perhaps, though, I am wrong and there is an alternate viscous unit I can use. The thermostat is a 160. As an aside, I know what people say about an engine running too cool, BUT I have NEVER had an engine that runs too cool, and my Dad was in the Navy and we had this car all over the place--San Diego, Britain (where the car became the first Mustang to drive slowly and briefly down an old Roman road which ran through a field), Colorado, Hawaii, Arlington, VA (yuck---don't ask) and Texas. One thing which has been an absolute blast is, after all these years, finally converting the car over to a 289--a "boy racer" type 289 to boot with all the stuff I've wanted to do over the years, like the picture of your car. The whole character has changed, and it's like having a Mustang version of BumbleBee out of the "Transformers" movies! /s/ Chris

 

Alot of times these high flows wont do much--either the restrictions of the system limit the flow or on the other hand some flow too well--the fluid doesnt have time to be cooled in the radiator before its "pushed" thru the radiator.

 

+1 on the high flow pumps.

are you running a shroud?

if you need cooling coming off freeways or stopping in traffic etc your best combo will be an electric water pump and a suitable shrouded electric fan (thermo controlled). This is unbelievably effective BUT you must have reliable wiring.

next option is to relocate your battery to the trunk, widen the radiator support panel (there is a natural line to do this) and fit a wider radiator. The biggest issue in cooling 64-66 mustangs is the rad simply isnt wide enough to get the airflow. Every additional hp you add exacerbates the problem! Going bigger than a 3 row in depth gives little or no additional gain.

option 3 is do both!

btw, one "every little bit helps" tip is to make sure there are no holes/gaps around your radiator. if there are, block them to force all air that hits the front of the car to go thru the radiator.

 

A 160* t-stat is too cold. Assuming the rest of the cooling system is up to par, that means the engine is running at ~170F all the time. This is well below where it should be for optimum efficiency. Ford put 192/195 tstats in from the factory because the motor is designed to run at 200-210F, not 170F.

One question nobody has asked yet is, how hot is it actually getting? You can't rely on the factory gauge. A good mechanical gauge or infrared thermometer will tell you exactly how hot things are getting. If it never climbs over 210F, you're in good shape.

I run a 331 with a Weiand high flow aluminum pump, 3-row brass/copper radiator, 195F high-flow thermostat, thermostatic clutch fan, and fan shroud, and the motor runs at 200-210F all day, even in 110F heat.

 

I run the Edelbrock high flow pump. It did not really help me much. What ultimately solved my issues is installing a high flow 180* thermostat, remounting the A/C condenser soil so that it was parallel with the radiator to improve air flow, and installing a huge big block fan (19") and shroud. That eliminated my issues.

 

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. I think I will skip the high flow pump, and concentrate on making sure I have the basics all in order (car does have a fan shroud, but make sure it fits right, consider getting a larger fan etc...)

Again, THANKS!

/s/ Chris

 

So a huge fan is usually the answer. Is 19'' the largest one out there?

 

i have my original 289 in my 66 along with a 18" flexlite fan and aluminum radiator and the edelbrock pump. my car runs ice cold sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on the AZ freeways.
in the winter i dont think the thermostat every really opens.