how hot is hot
 

Hi 1947 ford convertible Stock engine 2- 97's walker 4 core rad 2 speed electric fan with shroud and mallory electronic dist. drake waterpumps and no themostats. 85 degree weather at 55 to 60 mph on a 35 mile trip it runs at 192 to 195 degrees. On return trip at 60 mph and a little cooler outside it ran at 200 degrees. The fan is set to come on at 85 degrees so it must be on at hwy speeds doing nothing at that speed. It also runs hot in the city. It has not overheated and i've have not driven more than the 35 mile trip on the hwy. It seems to be a little on the hot side. At 60 mph the engine seems to be running at a high rpm. It hasd 3.78 gears and 6.70 rear tires. Someone told me the problem could be the dist. because the mallory does not have enough advance. i'm using a mechanical temp guage. Any thoughts. Thanks

Re: how hot is hot
 

Most Mallorys have a slow advance curve. Just the opposite of what a flathead wants. You need about 22 to 24 degrees by 2000 rpm. You'll need to establish a timing mark and check the advance with a timing light.

Re: how hot is hot
 

bill h.
Often electric fans block air flow thru the radiator. When the fan is running does it pull air thru the rad. or push air ? The fan rotation can be changed by reversing the wires.
Just curious, Is there a reason for using an electric fan verses a stock Ford fan?
Another note: Electric fans use alot of amperage. Are you running an alternator?

Re: how hot is hot
 

Running an alternator and fan is running right way.fan has shroud.

Re: how hot is hot
 

I suspect your radiator is pluged. The fan has no effect at highway speeds. A engine will shed rust flakes after it has dried out. I put ladies nylon socks in the outlets when restarting. You would not believe the junk cought.

Re: how hot is hot
 

Like Flatjack, I suspect slow timing. Send your Mallory to Bubba's Hotrod Shop for setup. You wont be disappointed.

Re: how hot is hot
 

New walker 4 core rad

Re: how hot is hot
 

First of all, 200 degrees is NOT that hot, as long as you are NOT puking out
alot of coolant. If the coolant level stays above the core, you should be OK,
and as said, get the timing right.










.

Re: how hot is hot
 

The first two things id do … assuming timing is correct.
1. Back flush the radiator into a bucket with water and air pressure and see what comes out.
If nothing
2. Flush out motor while its open and install 160 thermostats and see if it cools down.

As for timing
After nearly 40 years I can get very close w these Mallory’s by ear.

1.Retard it slowly tell it starts growling / mild kinda cam lope sound
2.Advance untell it just starts to smooth out and snug it down

Go for a drive (with you’re ½ wrench and gloves)
1.If detonating … back it down tell it stops
2.If not … advance tell it does then back it down tell it stops

Be mindful getting zapped and the fan!! :eek:
A good load on the motor like a hill helps

That’s about all you can do yourself w no timing marks and a Mallory

Re: how hot is hot
 

Is this a fresh rebuild? If so I'd expect it to run a little hotter just from friction until it's broken in.

Re: how hot is hot
 

Sorry, that is just not going to work with the modern Mallory. The advance curve doesn't usually even start until around 1500 deg. Needs to be recurved.

Re: how hot is hot
 

I’m talking about setting initial timing with no timing marks
I made no mention of fixing improper advance curve … don’t read in things that aren’t there.
A lot of you people here seem to have that problem and it only serves to confuse people that need help

Re: how hot is hot
 

Bill .... are you using water only or antifreeze mix ... My 47 convertible was running hot & boiling over , have 4.11 gear in the rear end .... noticed calcium in the radiator & read on the ford barn about using Cascade all in one dish water tablets to clean all the system out .....have aluminum heads so did not want to use vinegar as some suggested ...... after 2 clean out cycles motor is running 180 at 55 - 60 mph going up & down the hills north east of our Toronto area ..... up to 190 in stop & go traffic back to 180 getting back into the city area , took the thermostats out during clean out , getting ready to put them back in. Could be some build up in the block , I was surprised how dirty the water was when drained. I am using the stock distributor but cleaning the system worked for me.

Re: how hot is hot
 

I check out the specs for the Mallory electronic dist. The advance is16 degrees at 3600 rpm. Do you think this could cause a problem. Had the car out today and it ran in the 200 degree range. I'm going to have to get a tach. Sounds like the motor is running at high rims at 60 mph.

Re: how hot is hot
 

In case you missed this post...looks like a recurve is in order.

Re: how hot is hot
 

Yes that could cause a problem.

Re: how hot is hot
 

How acurate is your gauge? Do you have other means to read the tempature? I have seen gauges read 220, however the rad. isn't boiling.
A 3:78 gear at 60 mph will require alot of rpms. There have been threads posted here that tell how many rpm's your motor will be turning at 60mph.

Re: how hot is hot
 

I vote for timing advance. Yes Mallory is less than ideal these days. :0(

Re: how hot is hot
 

I would suspect that in the direction of your trip that ran cooler you were going into the wind forcing more air through the radiator and on the return trip you had a tail wind. This makes a big difference. You need to have your original pumps rebuilt by Skip Haney in Florida, they pump almost twice the water then the ones you have. There are 3 things needed to cool these engines. More coolant in the system, more flow of coolant through the system and more air though the radiator. G.M.

Re: how hot is hot
 

I'll second this. I had a O/T 327 Corvette engine "Professionaly rebuilt", and for the first 800 miles, it ran hot. I couldn't let it sit and idle for more than a minute or so and it would boil. It gradually got better, and after 800 miles, everything was fine. These guys build engines these days as tight as they can, and usually have no facilities to "run them in".

If it is not a fresh rebuild, disregard everything I've said.

Re: how hot is hot
 

There are more than three things and they have been noted.