Thermostat for 38 lasalle

[jos1270]

Hey guys. I have a dumb question. Or maybe a stupid question. And correct me if im wrong. My 322 flathead overheats. And was talking to some old timers and was told that since those cars used shutter thermostat (which my car does not have the shutters anymore) that it would not work. He and others told me that it may be that the water pump is pumping the water through the radiator so fast that it is not cooling it off fast enough before it goes into the engine again and just keeps getting hotter and hotter. They told me to put a regular thermostat like what is used today. Which opens and closes with the water temp and will slow the water down to cool it off more. The problem is that I cant put one thermostat because it has two hoses going in to the radiator, one from each head of the engine. Well here is my question could it be possible and will it work to put a inn hose thermostat like what some old tractor use? One thermostat in each hose? Will this be a stupid idea? Would it mess something up? Please let me know something. And thanks in advance for all the info.




                                                                     J. Aranda

[Brad Ipsen CLC #737]

These cars were designed with no restrictions in the water lines other than the reduced outlet size on the right side.  I have a 40 flathead that has been in 105F heat in Red Bluff CA with no problems.  Most common problems with the cooling system itself are rust packed into the lower section of the cylinder walls and radiators plugged with rust particles from the block.  I have parted several engines and radiators and this was the case with all.  There are no cooling problems with an as designed by Cadillac flathead in like new condition.

[Steve Passmore]

I concur with everything Brad has said, he's right on the money.  Crud build up in their back cylinders and in the rad is their  downfall.   
This ludicrous theory about slowing water down to cool better has been discussed here before.   Logic dictates that if you pass water faster it will cool better.
You have the wrong idea about thermostats, modern thermostats restrict the flow to slow the water down when the engine is cold so raising the engine to operating temperature for fast getaway.   They don't close when the engine is hot to cool it down.   when the temp is up they open allowing the water to travel unrestricted, so cooling the motor, so faster water, cooler engine.

I have just had a rebuilt radiator on my 322, I removed the core plugs on the side of the block, removed the heads and pressure washed inside the water jacket paying particular attention to cylinders 7 and 8 and the amount of crud that comes out of there would shock you. I sometimes had to hammer a rod through the water holes in the block to get it moving.    This car will run all day and sit in traffic all day at normal temp.
Don't think just a new radiator will cure your problems, you will move this crud from the block into the new rad.

[jos1270]

Thank you guys. This is the reason why i thought that was true. In the winter it takes for ever for the heater core to get warm as when its at an idle. And when i take off down the road it cool off and get realy cold inside. So in return i thought that in the winter it was the same like in the summer but opposite. In the summer it wouldnt cool off and in the winter it wouldnt warm up. So haw can that be explained? It sounds weird to me.


                                      J. Aranda

[Steve Passmore]

I think the first thing you need to do is get a set of shutters, I left them off my 37 for one winter and froze, the water will never get up to speed with ice air flowing through the rad.
Summers are the opposite if there's blockages anywhere, there's no icy air to cool it down.