Car overheating

this is about my buddys custom 57 tbird which has (i know it aint right) a zz502 crate motor chebbie in it. We cant seem to get it to run kool it hits 210 and keeps climbing, it has a good size aluminum radiator with electric fan and mech pump it has two 600 eddy/webber carbs on a low rise aluminum intake we tried a thremostat and diffrent restrictors, put colder plugs in it but it still over heats,he also uses this evans engine coolant at $30 bucks a gallon (has anybody heard of that stuff i havent) I'm not sure what to try next. You think maybe the carbs are to lean and how do you jet those things i never messed with edelbrock carbs. Any ideas what to try next other than stuff a bbf in there like i told him Also it has aluminum heads and 9.6 compression i dont see why it should get hotter than 200 or 210 max but like i said i'm out of ideas.

That car just needs a BBF.I mean a BIG Ford. Have you checked the water pump to make sure it's turning the correct rotation.Take the rad. cap off(when cold) and make sure the water is flowing.

Maybe the thermostat isn't opening, maybe the coolant SUCKS. Maybe you've got a solid aluminum block with no water jackets But the radiator could be clogged up, that would do it. Some guy bought a radiator off ebay for his new motor and it kept getting hot like that. Plulled it out and replaced it, its never gotten to 190 since then. He found out the ebay radiator was clogged up.

No thermostat it had one that was drilled out when he bought it and he tried a 5/8 and 3/4 restricter and it still sucks,when its at idle if you rev it a bit a few times you can see it drop temp right away. I will check the water pump and yea maybe the radiator is clogged up, i had griffen make me a radiator for my mustang two and it worked great for a day then ran hot the next day and the culprit because it was all clogged up from a very rusty block and heads that was a marine motor used in the chesapeake bay most its life,of course i had to find it out the hard when it clogged up my new $430 radiator in a day.

put a fill neck inline up close to the engine , just got air in the heads

Yep put an inline filler on it. The cap needs to be at the highest point in the cooling system or you'll never get all the air out of it. That or the bird could just be rejecting the transplant.

the bird could just be rejecting the transplant.

Stand Back its going too SPIT IT OUT

Its got a fill neck on the intake the blue one. I gave him a mechanical guage to try tomorrow the one he has is electric just to make sure its not bad.

looks like that radator hose is higher than the fill neck

res0rli9 wrote:looks like that radiator hose is higher than the fill neck

Good point. Okay, if you haven't done this then go ahead and try it.
Take the radiator cap off, start it up until the thermostat opens and coolant starts flowing.
Then start filling it up until it wont take any more.
Put the cap on and shut the engine off.
This will allow you to get more coolant in then if you had the engine shut off, but start it with the cap off and shut it off with the cap ON. If you shut it off and the cap is off then it will start coming out like no tomorrow. try it, if it doesn't work then cross that off your list.

res0rli9 wrote:looks like that radator hose is higher than the fill neck

You mean the two small hoses on each side of the filler neck ?

nuclearcobra wrote:

res0rli9 wrote:looks like that radator hose is higher than the fill neck

You mean the two small hoses on each side of the filler neck ?

I think he means the water pump hoses. They do seem to be a bit high compared to the radiator.

bb429power wrote:

nuclearcobra wrote:

res0rli9 wrote:looks like that radator hose is higher than the fill neck

You mean the two small hoses on each side of the filler neck ?

I think he means the water pump hoses. They do seem to be a bit high compared to the radiator.

Well it just looks to me that were the big rad hose goes in to the little ones, that its a little higher than the fill cap?
but could just be the pic on my junk putor.

The tank on the passenger side fire wall is where he fills it thats the highest point. I might have found the problem tho,it has no fan shroud at all and the 16'' fan is a good 1/2'' or more off the radiator the way the mounts were made, so not only is it not pulling air from the sides of the radiator from no shroud its pulling air from the 1/2'' gap all the way around the fan instead of pulling air or well more air thru the front like it should. I told him its probley using half of the radiator the way its set up.I tried looking for a dual fan set up but cant find one thats 15x22'' so were gonna make a 15x22 shroud and try the single spal he has on it. (Damn chevy)

nuclearcobra wrote:The tank on the passenger side fire wall is where he fills it thats the highest point. I might have found the problem tho,it has no fan shroud at all and the 16'' fan is a good 1/2'' or more off the radiator the way the mounts were made, so not only is it not pulling air from the sides of the radiator from no shroud its pulling air from the 1/2'' gap all the way around the fan instead of pulling air or well more air thru the front like it should. I told him its probley using half of the radiator the way its set up.I tried looking for a dual fan set up but cant find one thats 15x22'' so were gonna make a 15x22 shroud and try the single spal he has on it. (Damn chevy)

No fan shroud or one that has a hole or 2 in it will cause BIG problems, even on a stock motor, hopefuly the new shroud will help with the cooling issues.