Hi everyone,

Just registered on this forum.
Brief background:
I inherited a 1953 Plymouth Cranbrook from my great grandmother many many moons ago. The car was garaged for 25+ years. Never started. It was in great shape prior to being stored. Sooooo...long story short. I grew up saved some and over the past 11 months have been trying to revive it. Had Flat 6 torn down and rebuilt. New Clutch, master cylinder, refurbished radiator, etc. Car purrrrrs like a kitten, swoons like a sewing machine BUT it overheats in about 10-15 minutes of sitting still and only a little longer when driving around the block. I need help. Radiator seems to be in working order and is "gurgling and percolating" with heat being dispersed throughout. There is NO thermostat in the car which shouldn't matter for overheating (or am I wrong here). Mechanic said water pump was fine. New hoses, etc. IDEAS?
Also have a fuel tank that had gas sitting in it for 25+ years. I emptied, pressure washed, and soaked 91% alcohol in it, but rancid coffee still pours out. Ideas on cleaning and sealing? Bill Hirch's stuff?
Tech: 217 CI flat 6
3 spd manual
6 volt
no frills.

Thanks for any help!

 

Welcome!

With no thermostat, you shouldn't even be close to over heating. You could have an air pocket someplace in the cooling system, you could be running too rich, not sure what else if your radiator and water pump are good.

Is the radiator cap the highest part of the cooling system? (this will help gett rid of any air pockets). Are the radiator hoses hooked up properly?

As far as the gas tank goes, I would look into getting a new one.... perferably poly.

 

Welcome to the show.

Have you flushed the cooling system ?

Is the system holding pressure ? Perhaps do a pressure test on the cooling system.

With regards to the fuel tank, you can dump a handful of nuts ie: 1/2 nuts etc
into the tank and give it a good shake with some lacquer thinner and once its clean then put a two part tank sealer in it or opt for a new tank like Tim said.

Keep us posted. Just a thought , Morigan has a Cranbrook

 

X2

Anyone seen/heard from her as of late? I have been wondering how her wedge build has been coming a long.

Sorry for the highjack.

 

x2
I sent her a PM, but haven't heard back.

 

what do you prefer? walnuts or pecans?

 

I heard walnuts work very well for this.

 

Well Bob..lol, in your case I would say "WING NUTS"...LMFAO

 

Hey All...

Alright, I lent out my Cranbrook service manual the other day, but I'll ask for it back to run through it. I would strongly suggest a new tank...I didn't even fool around with the one in the 67...I just chucked it and now that one will become a hillbilly upright bass.

You know, my Cranbrook has a leak at the radiator filler neck, and it gets kind of hot too. But I'll check my spec book for you.

Also, there is a guy out here I know that has two more 53's and might be willing to sell off some parts if you need them. My 'brook came to me already on drop spindles and shaved with new interior, or I would offer the stock bits to you myself.

 

welcome to the forum
you need a thermostat in the car
the thermostat allows the water to slow down, and let the radiator cool it

 

THANKS SO MUCH EVERYONE!
Definitely won't hurt to put a thermostat in and is a very low cost investment to test. As far as air pockets, provided the cap is the highest point, which I'm pretty sure it is, does just running it with the cap off suffice to alleviate air bubbles. It's been flushed and the entire engine was rebuilt. Didn't know if that flat 6 had freeze plugs or something stupid that I might be overlooking. I will also look at a pressure check. Based on the amount of boil over seems like the pressure is fairly strong.
Anyone put an aftermarket coolant capture (recycle) tank on before?

I'd definitely buy a new fuel tank if I hadn't blown my wad on all the rebuilding! If it comes to that guess I'll have to but may just see if the local radiator shop will do some work on it. Otherwise it's gonna take a lot of "nuts" to get it right!

 

without the radiator cap, the pressure will decrease, causing the boiling point of the coolant to decrease
you need a cap
it won't help with the bubbles
to get rid of the bubbles, you need to make sure the engine and radiator are completely filled, and then put an overflow tank, and put some coolant in there

 

OK, well after MANY attempts I finally got the fuel tank in reasonable working order. Several cans of Acetone, boiling water and high-pressure rinses cleaned most of the 20yr old gas out. Cleaned outside and repainted with some black rust-o-leum paint. Looking pretty good but still has some debris in tank. Placed 2 in-line filters on, (1 at tank, 1 before fuel pump) the one at the tank will probably be replaced fairly often!

OVERHEATING persists though. Radiator rebuilt, put in thermostat. Pulled out water pump and it is working fine. No shakes, no resistance. Car overheats within 10 minutes of running and typically can only drive around the block.

My idea: install universal overflow tank, trim down upper hose. (new hose is ribbed universal sort, arcs at the top and may be either level with or higher than cap- air bubble?) Fill entire system. I feel like there is something with an air pocket.

All hoses are hot...including heater core in and out.
After car gets hot, if I turn it off...temp gauge continues to climb (which is normal) if started back up, it goes down (which again is normal)

I did manage to keep the car cool once. After installing thermostat, I ran it with cap off. After it got warm it bubbled up out of top for just a moment then settled down, which I assume was thermostat opening up. I replaced cap and drove and it seemed to be fine.

Stumped. :banghead:
Thoughts?

 

What pressure it the thermostat cap that you have on the car?
Could some passages in the block be blocked or somewhat covered?

Putting fuel filters before the pump will really reduce its pressure to the carb.

 

I would take it to a radiator shop and have them do a dye test to see if the head gasket it leaking

 

No idea what the thermostat cap is? Where would I find that out? Do you mean radiator cap? It is the original radiator cap so should be ok. Engine was recently rebuilt from ground up so unless a rag was left in it, should be clear as far as passages.
Thanks for heads up on filter before the pump. Probably no way around this until I can run some gas through that tank but if I have power issues I'll know where to start. Replaced the mechanical pump during rebuild so it's fresh.

Definitely want to take it to a radiator shop so they can shoot the laser at it, but would have to tow (as of now).

Any validity to installing overflow tank at the radiator and lowering level of top hose? (air pocket)?

Thanks for the tips!

 

Did you get your overheating problem fixed. My 53 wagon was doing the same thing.
I took the radiator out and had it flow tested, not pressure tested the tubes in the bottom of the rad. were plugged . Had it rebiult $125.00 works great.

 

Was the water distribution tube checked and or replaced when the engine was rebuilt? Those tubes had a real tendency to rust and cause overheating. Had one flathead 6 years ago where the thing looked like swiss cheese with all of the holes in it.. Was the tube reinstalled when the engine was reassembled? I remember a few cases where the tube was not installed after a rebuild causing quick overheating.

 

Hey there!

Have a '53 Dodge 6, had the same problem. Check the exhaust manifold & the exhaust system for blockages!
In mine, the heat riser flapper in the exhaust manifold got rusty and broke off the shaft. It ended up partially blocking the exhaust pipe. Built up just enough back pressure to cause slow but sure overheating!

JGB