Hot weather and straight eights

[suntreemcanic]

My wife and I just returned from a 600 mile drive in my 52 Buick Estate Wagon all stock with 263 straight 8 and dynaflow, with 3.90 rear gears. The car preformed very well. We were loaded to 5425 pounds (weighed at the truck scales, car weighs 4750 pounds). My wife had some work equipment with us. On the flat it was about 95 degrees and I drove about 64 mph to keep up with traffic on two lane highway and my car ran at 195 degrees (160 degree thermostat). I have several mountain passes (5,000 feet elevation) to go over so that is a problem in hot weather. Today it was real hot, 107 degrees on the highway. I had one grade of 1324 feet climb in 4 miles at 107 degree temperature, fortunately there was a truck lane for climbing the hill. I had to take my foot out of it at 232 degrees and shift down to low range and creep up the hill at about 30 mph. It was very dangerous with everyone passing us at 50 or 60mph. I have a very accurate temperature gage tapped into my thermostat housing. I have a 7 pound pressure cap and run 50/50 mix antifreeze with together gives a 250 degree boiling point. I have never had it happen before but at the top of the grade my car had a slight hesitation, it felt like vapor lock, I have never had it that hot before coming up that grade. My engine block water passages are all perfectly clean, I had a new core (improved heat transfer style) installed in my radiator. I have inspected my water pump and the impellers are in very good shape. So I am sure I am getting all the heat transfer I can get out of the engine and it is running as good now as it did when it was brand new. I got 12.4 mpg and used about a cup of 10-40 engine oil and my dynaflow never leaked a drop the hole trip. Not bad for a car that has 96,000 miles since I rebuilt it with cast iron rings. I never used to drive it so fast but everybody is driving so much faster than they used to. I have been driving the car for almost 30 years. So I think if you are having a problem with overheating I think you could use this engine as an example of what they are capable of when they were new.

[suntreemcanic]

And here is a little more information, I have a stock oil pump and my oil pressure was right at 35 pounds during the whole trip even when the engine was at its hottest point during the hill climbs, it runs at about 15 pounds at an idle when warm. I use 10-40 wt. NAPA brand oil. I have a factory temp gauge (mechanical) and it works fine. At normal running temp of 180 degrees it runs straight up and down. At the maximum engine temp that I observed by my accurate temp gauge (232 degrees) my factory gauge needle was on top of the white dot on the right side. One more thing, these engines do not like to idle in when the temp is over 80 degrees, it will heat up immediately, the only thing to do is put the engine in neutral and rev the engine up to get some air flowing through the radiator and water flowing through the engine. I hope this helps with anybody that is getting one of these engines going for the first time and is not aware of it's parameters and what to expect from it and when the outside temp. approaches 100 degrees. It is not meant to insult anybody only to help the newer, maybe younger operator of these fine vehicles who may not have the experience of operating an older car when you have to be more aware of temperatures, steep grades and oil pressures.

[Jenz38]

Of course,we didnt have here a Weather like this,but its a very good Information,also for me..
Thanks

[Brooklyn53]

I'm one of the new, younger 50's car owner you referenced above with a straight eight, so I do find this post very helpful.

How often did you stop along your trip and what was the longest duration in hours you drove without stopping?

Were you able run through a full tank of gas without stopping at 65 mph?

Do you have a push fan installed in front of your radiator?

Do you have your intake manifold wrapped with any heat reduction wrap or have a carb insulator installed?

[suntreemcanic]

Brooklyn53,

I am glad someone is able to use some of my rambling. As I have been driving the Buick for a long time I am quit familiar with it. The original gas tank on this car was 24 gallons and I had to replace it with a tank from a special it only holds 18 gallons. Since gas stations aren't as plentiful as they used to be I have to fill up every couple of hours, so that is when I stop. But I do not lift the hood every stop because I know everything is fine. I check my oil level every 300 miles or so. I have the stock fan on the end of the water pump. No fan shroud, no pusher fan. I have no insulation wrapped around my intake manifold and no insulation around my fuel lines, no carb insulator, just the way it came from the factory. When it is hot out I sometimes reach out side the window and touch the hood, it is almost to hot to touch and there is hot air trying to escape around the edge of the hood. I have been temped to take the hood off and run it up a steep grade and see if getting rid of all that hot air makes a difference in the engine temperature on a hot day. Louver my hood?

[Jyrki]

I've had my share of overheating this summer, even though the weather hasn't been hot. At 68 mph, the temp climbs a tad from the 160 degrees (thermostat), but in idling at the lights, it doesn't seem to stop anywhere, but climbs up. Of course, I have a modified 320 but still. I didn't have any trouble letting it idle at my garage for half an hour in June. On the other hand, the hood was off back then. Also didn't have trouble on the dyno either. But again, hood off, and the dyno operator had a huge electric fan moving air in front of the car. My electric pusher fan kicks in at 194 degrees. There simply was not enough room to install a puller fan, which would be about 30% more efficient. Also, the intercooler pre-heats the air flowing through the radiator. The radiator was re-cored last year. Now it seems some of the tubes inside are already plugged from debris coming from the cooling passages. I remember I have seen a special coolant filter that installs in the upper radiator hose, sold by some Mustang parts outfit in the USA. I recall it was an Australian invention, though. It would be nice to get one.

It seems the hot air can't escape from under the hood, at least not in the 1942-48 models anyway. If I'd build the car again, I'd add louvers. Ten years ago I installed some marine air vents on the hood of my AC Cobra, and it helped a lot, both in town and on the freeway.

[LONG]

thanks man. I am taking my 52 out to work in the morning. first trip beyond 5 miles. I have eliminated the heat riser and have an edelbrock 4 barrel on it. hope she makes it. it has not been on the road since '73.

[suntreemcanic]

Hey LONG, thats the way you build confidence in your rig. Take along a small tool box, that way you will not need it.

[telriv]

Get an old nylon from wife, girlfreind, etc. Remove top rad. hose at Rad. Cup nylon in upper inlet neck l[ke a cone. Wrap around outside of neck to hold in place. Install upper hose. Wa La, cooling system filter. Best part it's free. After a week remove & clean. Depending on how much debris may be in there may have to do it one or twice a month. After awhile will not have to check for 6 months or more.


Tom T.

[LONG]

this site has some good folks. good info. my ride made it the 50 mile round trip. 80* day. stayed at 170* and oil pressure was at 40-42 psi strong. and yes I did have tools and all other supplies on hand so i would not need them.