Cooling

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bbogue
Posts: 850
Joined: Wed May 01, 2013 3:04 am

Re: Cooling

Post by bbogue »

Wally,

During its rebuild my engine was baked and rolled in steel shot and every orifice supposedly reamed with steel brushes. This was followed by pressure washing. Presumably, this provided a thorough cleaning but I really can't be sure. This kind of cleaning is just what this FE "expert" rebuilder did and preferred. Considering the issues I had with his work it wouldn't surprise me to learn that sludge remains. FWIW, when I replaced the leaking freeze plugs (one of the rebuild issues) last spring the engine looked pretty clean inside. There's not much I can do about it now anyway. I don't plan on pulling the engine again.

Thanks.

Bill
Past owner 1961 Thunderbird - Heritage Burgundy Metallic

If there are no dogs in heaven, send me where they went. - Will Rogers
bbogue
Posts: 850
Joined: Wed May 01, 2013 3:04 am

Re: Cooling

Post by bbogue »

Another update. I just completed installation of a Flow Kooler high flow water pump. Summer will be the acid test. All I can say now is that my 61 takes longer now to warm to the mid 180's on 70 degree days. I still have to turn on the pusher fan if it idles for very long. While I had access, I also installed a B&M 70266 transmission oil cooler. The 61 apparently 1-year design has the transmission cooler on the hot side of the cross-flow radiator. For this reason I bypassed the radiator cooler entirely. The trans cooler is mounted on brackets several inches ahead of the radiator. The temperature difference in the transmission cooler lines is very noticeable. No more 200F fluid going back to the transmission. The highest I have observed is 180F. Yes, the stock cooler somehow worked for 55 years and 120K miles but this is an improvement I just had to do.
Best regards to all.

Bill
Past owner 1961 Thunderbird - Heritage Burgundy Metallic

If there are no dogs in heaven, send me where they went. - Will Rogers
63vert
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2017 10:13 pm

Re: Cooling

Post by 63vert »

Just curious did your high flow water pump make a difference this summer with the heat?
bbogue
Posts: 850
Joined: Wed May 01, 2013 3:04 am

Re: Cooling

Post by bbogue »

Yes, noticeably. I'd say 10-15 degrees cooler.

Bill
Past owner 1961 Thunderbird - Heritage Burgundy Metallic

If there are no dogs in heaven, send me where they went. - Will Rogers
comrade

Re: Cooling

Post by comrade »

I am reviving this well researched topic, which coincides with my overheating issues after a complete re-build this past winter. So, I am researching radiator and pusher fan options but read here where someone had the same issue which had materialized, as did mine after replacement of the Instrument Voltage Regulator (IVR)....Bingo! Yes the ambient temps have gone up in (Houston) but after the build the engine ran at the midway on the heat gauge.

Since I do not know what is real I will run a water temp gauge (Hidden of course) and see what is really happening before I start investing in radiators, etc.

Love this forum, after restoring VW's for years I have been on the learning curve for a wee bit over a year on this bird and this forum really has been a wealth of info to which I consult repeatedly.
bbogue
Posts: 850
Joined: Wed May 01, 2013 3:04 am

Re: Cooling

Post by bbogue »

Comrade,
I have aftermarket gauges to monitor temperature and other things. If you don’t want to go to this trouble, you can use an infrared temperature gun. I “shoot” my upper radiator hose occasionally to keep my gauge honest.

Good luck.

Bill
Past owner 1961 Thunderbird - Heritage Burgundy Metallic

If there are no dogs in heaven, send me where they went. - Will Rogers
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