Hey guys, back again with more newbie questions. Ive got a 67 Skylark w a 455 and its lately been running hot. Ive changed absolutely nothing on the vehicle and temps have been creeping higher and higher. The fan (not electric) needs a shroud, but id drive it for hours in Houston summers and its never gotten as hot as it has recently. I dropped by a local car meet the other night and another 455 owner more knowledgeable than myself took a look inside the radiator as i i let it run briefly and said although it looked good and clean inside it seemed i had bad circulation. My question is: whats the fix? New water pump? New radiator? Im assuming they're both "original" in that theyre old and ive never replaced them. I flushed the radiator and double checked the 190 mr gasket thermostat direction. Whats left? Thanks in advance.
Could be timing. Could be thermostat. Could also be a dirty radiator. Do you use antifreeze? How old is the radiator? If you run the heater in the car does the engine temp go down?
I had similar problems and solved them with a bypass thermostat https://www.summitracing.com/parts/emp-301/ Block the bypass hose ports and every molecule of coolant now passes through the radiator. I live in Hotlanta and run ac and since I did this the coolant temp has never risen above 185f. It does take a bit longer for the engine to warm up though
Timing shouldnt have changed cuz i havent messed w anything, unless it just... Changed on its own heh. Radiator age is unknown. But its one of the old bastards not a nice aluminum one. It flushed clean and looks clean inside, but.... Idk. The heater core is currently bypassed as well. There is a bit of anti freeze but not much currently
Sometimes by-passing the heater core only circulates coolant between the hoses. Try blocking off the outlets instead of using the hose as a bypass.
I havent personally done it so i cant be sure. Ive owned the vehicle since 2014 but it had sat for some time while i sorted out previous electrical issues.
