Height of water in 48 Rad.

[48fordconv]

How far up in the rad. tank on a 48 Car should be the water level. I think I have been over filling it.
Thanks

[Bruce Lancaster]

Somewhat below the neck, somewhat above the core.
It will tell you...if all is right, it will spit out what it doesn't want and thenceforth stay at that level. If level keeps going down, of course, something is wrong.
Without an overflow recovery system, it cannot hold water up to the very top, and surplus will be dumped during first heat and cool cycle.

[G.M.]

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Don't the 48 have a pressure cap with the over flow coming out of the filler neck?? If it does and the pressure cap seats down on the washer like seat at the bottom of the filler neck fill the radiator right up to the bottom of the filler neck. If the rubber on the bottom of the pressure cap don't hit and seat down on the bottom you don't have a working pressure cap and as Bruce stated you will lose water. I never really investigated the cap problem but it seems like there are some pressure caps that are to short. I have some I cut a washer shaped rubber about 1/8" thk and siliconed down on the bottom seat. You only need a 4 lb cap. The purpose of a pressure cap on old Fords with a stock type radiator isn't to pressurize the system but is to allow the water to be forced through the radiator. The problem of water coming out of a non pressurized cap is from resistance of the flow through 144 small tubes 2' long. This causes the water to back up in the top tank waiting to get through. When enough water is lost then the water can go up and down like the fuel un the carb bowl. These engines were made to run on 22 quarts not 17 or 18. More water in the system and more water flowing through the radiator cools the engine better. G.M.