Re: 1936 V8 radiator issue
Craig there are two reasons the water comes out the over flow. First you must under stand this is a built in problem with the old Fords the don't have a pressure cap with the over flow off the neck of the radiator. The 144 radiator tubes 2 feet long cause a restriction of flow plus the dirt build up in them. When pumping the water backs up in the top tank and out the overflow. The faster the pumps turn the more water is pumped so at highway speeds the problem gets worse. Your over flow come off the top of the tank and when the water backs up in the tank it flows freely out the over flow. Skip Haney in Fl. developed a 3 lb pressure valve that go's on the bottom end of the over flow tube. This holds the water in the radiator until the pressure gets above 3 lbs then opens as a safety valve. Under normal operating conditions the temperature which causes higher pressures should never get much over 200 degrees. This valve also allows you to fill the radiator up to the filler neck. This give you the full 22 quart capacity that cools the engine better. The other problem of loss of water is a leak of compression into the water by a bad head gasket or small crack. This would be found by filling the water up to the neck and with the engine at idle small bubbles will appear in the water. Increasing the speed increases the size of the bubbles. Small leaks can be stopped with Barr's heavy duty stop leak. Remove any thermostats before testing. G.M.
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