I HATE overheating issues which happened to me while sitting in line at the John Force/CHP Holiday car show and while waiting for the freight train to pass at Glassell and Taft today.

I HATE overheating issues especially considering how much it cost me to get an original correctly dated "241" head with no cracks for this thing. I don't want to put it at risk.

Keeping in mind I want this car to be as original as possible (no fancy fans, shrouds, etc), I have 3 options:

#1. Recore the original radiator. It has several pinched off tubes from old repairs.

#2. Get a DeWitts aluminum radiator for a '55 and modify it by building an aluminim "lolly pop", removing the radiator cap area and making it appear as close to a '54 as possible then paint it black. With that I would set aside the original radiator but keep it.

#3. In either case considering #1 and #2 above, I am thinking about an electric pusher fan like this:

http://scottscoolingfans.com/?section=fans&page=6v

Here in the So Cal area we get some warm days and 80% of the time we are stuck in slow moving to stopped traffic. '54 Corvettes have no radiator shroud from the factory and they idle at 475 RPM which does not move enough air to blow out the candles on a birthday cake let alone cool an engine on a hot day. A 6 volt pusher fan would not be seen or take away from the original look of the car since it would be located between the front of the radiator and the grille and the wiring could be hidden.

Some say they don't have problems with their 53-54's so maybe I'm fishing in the wrong area, but the design used on the 6 bangers to me seems extremely inadequate unless you only drive at speed on the freeway. As you know, it was so bad it was updated in 1955 and subsequent years to include a shroud among other things.

Any thoughts?

 

Two thoughts in addition to the one you mention, recoring the radiator.

1. Timing. Too retarded will cause the car to run hot.

2. Water pump and water pump installation.

I don't have a picture, but the passenger car engine/water pump area utilizes a freeze plug in the front of the block under the pump.

In the Corvette motor, because of the "low profile" water pump, that freeze plug is not used. Commonly, when blocks are rebuilt, the shop will install that freeze plug, limiting water flow....causing overheating.

My 54 never overheated, and I'd let it idle in the heat for long periods.

Chuck

 

Hi Chuck:

I have an original pump and adapter (not a repo). The pump was just rebuilt by Bill Mock using stainless parts.

I actually reposted Roy Braatz's article on the soft plug issue a while back. When I took mine apart it was there. After pressure testing the block and doing all the machine work I knocked it out before putting it back together.

When I use a timing light to line the BB on the flywheel with the pointer on the bell housing adapter it is too far retarded. I moved the distributor around until it sounds the best and locked it down. Then I lowered the idle and adjusted the idle mixture which ended up being about 1-1/4 turns out on the idle adjustment screws. In cool weather like we had yesterday it is trying to heat up in gear. In nuetral it seems to hold steady at about 205 degrees.

Recoring the original radiator looks like it would be about as expensive as buying a DeWitts and modifying it. I don't have a relationship with any radiator shops around here...at least not enough to trust them with cutting open an original '54 Corvette radiator. Do you know of or recommend a good radiator shop that can recore mine where it would have an original appearance and good performance when they got done with it...or do I just find a good local shop and let them have at it?

Thanks for your help, Chuck.

Randy

 

Randy,

If you decide to have your radiator repaired/re-cored, I would highly recommend a radiator shop near me, Gilly's in Placerville CA.

Father started the business in '47, son runs it now. I walked in with the radiator from my '54 and, before I could say a word, Gilly said, "looks like you have either a '53 or '54 Corvette". Does that tell you anything?

Anyway, here is contact info:

gillys radiator

Jim

 

Randy, I cant add much to your issues other than there must be something not working correctly. My 54 will idle all day long and never reaches 190. The 54 radiator is very large compared to a lot of the radiators in old cars. My 65 mustang 289 always has issues with running hot and the radiator is very small compared to the vettes. This dosent help much but I would remove the radiator and carry it to a radiator shop and check the flow. If it needs recoreing any radiator shop that has been in business for a long time should have no problems fixing it. If it flows correctly you have a problem some where else. Mike

 

Randy,

I'm here in riverside and I drive my 54 year round. Just a few months ago I drove and idled my car in 110 degree heat up and down hills. Ive never gotten the temp over 190. DeWitt recored my original radiator. My car likes a lot of advance in the timing. Hope this helps

 

You don't have to modify ours...we'll do that for you. We will build a modified 55 with two inlet connections and no filler neck.

 

There ya go, Randy. You've got Tom DeWitt himself responding, and a suggestion from Jim for a radiator shop in California. Can't beat that.

I'll echo what 54Greg said. My 54 liked LOTS of advance.

I'll get flamed for saying this, but, forget the timing mark. Advance it till it pings, then back if off a TOUCH.

Chuck

 

Excellent, Tom. It would be so nice if you could do a repro for the 53-55 radiator upper tank.

Sounds like the radiator is the issue, since the freeze plug is not present.

 

That small 6 hole motor puts off so little heat it could almost be air cooled.

Doug

 

Chuck:

I advanced it while it was idling with the vacuum advance can at full advance until it tried to die, then backed it off a touch. Are you saying I should just advance it without advancing the vacuum can until it rattles and then lock it down. If this is what you are saying then I can probably get another 15-18 degrees in it. I'm heading for the shop tonight to try it.

Next time I put one of these together I'm marking the harmonic balancer and installing a TDC pointer. Then I'll know what is what. Guessing sucks.

I'll see what happens by going berzerko on the advance. But I'll likely have a conversation with Tom about offering my car as a prototype for his new line of 53-54 correct appearing lollypop radiators

Randy

 

Play nice.....

 

The 235 doesn't waste the power on heat instead it puts out a "tremendous" amount of torque

 

The quick answer is "YES".

As you know, you can advance it 2 ways, one by rotating the distributor within the clamp itself, the other by using the so called "octane selector".

The octane selector provides small amounts of advance/retard. If you look at your vacuum advance, it'll have small hatch marks. As you know, that vacuum advance is held down by a single bolt.

THAT will provide "tweaks" to the advance. I'm talkin' about loosening the clamp on the distributor itself and rotating it, forgetting about the octane selector. See how much advance you can put into it.

I never did like that "ball and pointer" arrangement that you can see in the transmission adapter plate.

Chuck

 

Chuck and Greg:

I wasn't able to make it to my shop tonight.

When I assembled it I locked the vacuum advance arrangement with the centerline of the octane selector on the centerline of the mark on the pad and tightened the bolt. The octane selector seems like a mid-1950's racing secret to me!

When I am setting the distributor I am loosening the clamp and rotating the distributor inside the vacuum advance clamp. With what you are telling me I'm thinking I may have to pull the distributor back out and kick it a tooth because the tach drive cable fixture on the distributor is probably going to end up at down about the 7:00 o-clock position as I rotate it counter-clock-wise. Only painfull part of that is getting the distributor shaft to drop back in to the oil pump drive.

I'll keep you posted!

Thanks,

Randy

 

Yea, but it's still a chick magnet.

 

I'm so old and fat that a "chick magnet" would do nothing for me.


You could try a "cheaters" trick, and just move the plug wires.

True story from many years ago:

A guy I knew in the Baltimore area had just gotten his 54 running. Rebuilt motor, etc.

Fired it up, ran it in the garage, etc. Tweaked on it, etc.

Drove it around the block. When he got back to the house, there was a LOT of "squeaking". NO oil to the rockers.

NO oil to the rest of the motor either, because the squeaking quickly became knocking.

He had installed the distributor, and NOT engaged the oil pump slot. He never checked his oil pressure, or lack thereof after he fired off the car.

He called me up in a panic. I told him about the oil pump slot and the screwdriver-like end of the distributor. He "didn't know that".

Needless to say, he got to rebuild the motor again.

Chuck

 

When I was much younger we used to take ton and a half chevy flatbeds, put them in granny low in the ruts of a potato field in 100+ degree weather and let them run at idle all day while we tossed the loose potatoes in the back......and the old stove bolt 6's NEVER overheated. I had to advance the timing on my 54 or it overheated badly. Just crank the timing up, it will run better, cooler, etc.

 

Thanks, Dave.

Here's a picture from the John Force/CHP Toys for Kids car show Sunday of my car. It was gloomy and the flash kinda washed out the colors. It's actually a little darker color than this.



Randy

 

Love it, Randy!!