46 Ford Fan Shroud ?

[G.M.]

The thermostats or restrictors or an old wife tail that doesn't solve the problem. There are NO thermostats made today for 32 to 48 Fords that leave enough water flowing through the engine with a stock radiator to cool the engine properly. Thermostats DO NOT COOL engines, only make them run hotter by reduceing the flow of water. As I described in my last post the water backs up in the top tank. The thermostats with the small openings restrict the flow so not as much water flows into the tank. It still back up and comes out the over flow until it gets down to a level it stops comming out but now it runs at elevated temperatures. There are 3 things that effect and improve cooling, the amount of water in the system, the number of gallons per minute of water flowing through the radiator and the amount of air flowing through the radiator. Improveing any one of these will improve cooling some but improveing all 3 is the optima cooling. A good example is my 39 P/U with a shrowd, Skips pumps and a large industrial 6 bladed fan. It ran like yours before the improvements. I went to the Early Ford V/8 National show in Hagerstown Md. about 7 years ago and ran the engine in the flea market at a fast idle for over 2 hours. The outside temperature was close to 100 degrees and the water temperature never got over 180 and when raced up a little the temperature came down 4 degrees. I even left it running while I went to lunch and left Ken Ct. watch it while I ate lunch. G.M.

[al pa.]

I have a repop,that fits between the top of the radiator,and the sheetmetal ahead of it.Can't use it on a merc.it's near pittsburgh pa.Never used. $30,picked up

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by G.M.

There are NO thermostats made today for 32 to 48 Fords that leave enough water flowing through the engine with a stock radiator to cool the engine properly.

I respectfully disagree. I use stock thermostats that are still made identical to the originals available here http://macsautoparts.com/search.asp?...ostat&x=14&y=6 and many other places (even NAPA.) They are important for getting the engine up to proper operating temperature as quickly as possible in the summer for greater efficiency and other benefits and to get the heater putting out heat as soon as possible in the winter. I have no problems with overheating in the summer. Why some think that Henry Ford was some kind of a bumpkin that hadn't figured out how to cool the flathead engine I don't know. I have tried all of the "tricks, tweeks, and gimmicks" and have never improved on Henry's design for cooling. Leave the thermostats in summer and winter.