Reply To: coolant in a 12

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I had heating issues at the Rochester meet a month ago. My car gets a flush every spring and fall, so the cooling system should stay fairly clean. And at the last several meets, the car ran without using any water, or getting hot on on any of the tours.

But this year, while on the second tour to the Mississippi River and back to Rochester, I developed an overheat situation that did not go away, even with slow, 35mph driving into a 10+ mph headwind. Normally driving like this would give me 140* water temps.. I had 210* temps.. The fan is a 6 blade fan, the belts are not slipping, I’m running pure water, and the waterpump has modern seals.

I just reverse flushed the radiator, and flushed out about a half cup of loose rust flakes, all about pea-sized. After a test drive, this may have been my problem, but I\’m not totally satisfied yet, the top tank of the radiator still has a coating of oily grease, so I may try some form of flushing agent or solvent.. Or I may break down and pull the radiator and have it cleaned or re-cored. I don\’t think this radiator has ever been opened up, or professionally cleaned. I’m sure the accumulated waterpump grease and small rust flakes have a significant number of the radiator’s tubes clogged.

Anyone know the best source for blank cores for the ’33 radiator? I hate paying 3xRetail when a radiator shop hears \’Pierce Arrow\’.

Greg Long