Preface:
About a year ago I replaced the leaking freeze plugs on my spit and
replaced the radiator and heater hoses. At that time I flushed and
filled the cooling system.
On Friday I got my 68 Spit back from a transmission repair. The
transmission works great! It is much tighter than it ever has been
before. The cost was a bit higher than I expected, but there was
more wrong with it than I thought too. (Clutch Disc, Throwout
Bearing, Pressure Plate) BTW, the mechanic recommended 20W50 for use
in the transmission. He says it is better for the Overdrive.
Story:
On Sunday I decided to drive down to my folks in the spit. I live in
Redondo Beach, by the time I got to Long Beach, about 10 miles, the
temperature was almost all the way over to the H. It was a hot day
here in So Cal, but not THAT hot. I turned on the Heater and the
fan, and pulled in to a station to let it cool down. I left the
heater fan running to aid the cooling. I had water/steam bubbling out
of the overflow can in front of the radiator. No leaks anywhere
else. I pulled off the radiator cap when it had cooled, and it was
plenty dirty under there. Maybe the crud had prevented it from
forming a seal? There was no pressure relief when I removed the cap.
I removed the thermostat too and it was wide open, so that was
working. I didn't put the thermostat back so I would have maximum
cooling on the way home. Its a good thing I had the gasket scraper,
tools, water and RTV in the trunk! On the way back home it didn't
cool any better. I would go a few miles till it got hot and then let
it cool. Eventually I got back home.
Diagnosis/Repair:
Here is what I plan to do:
1) Replace the Radiator or have it re-cored. The one I have has been
there for over 20 years. It has had some holes plugged in it by
pinching off the tubes. It doesn't leak, but probably doesn't cool
very well. Do you have recommendations on whether I should Recore or
buy new? Which one will have the most modern & efficient fins/tubes.
I am not interested in keeping it original.
2) Test the water pump. I suppose I could do this by filling it up
with water, cranking it over and see if the water squirts out. Which
hose should I pull off for this?
3) Flush the system. I still have the old flush kit so this should be easy.
4) Replace the Thermostat. What thermostat would be best for sunny
Southern California? I think I had a 165 degree one in there.
5) Rebuild the air dams in front of the radiator. Ill probably get
some plastic to rebuild these with.
6) Double Check the heater hose connections. What is the correct
routing? I think I may have screwed it up.
Do you have any other recommendations?
I would like to avoid adding an electric fan system but may do that
as a last resort.
TIA,
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Kirk Crawford AIM:KirkBCraw
mailto:kirk.crawford@home.com
http://members.home.net/kirk.crawford/spitfire/
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