Thanks, Steve. It sounds like my 283 is somewhere between your two vehicles.
The new rad helped a lot. I'll try the Redline Water Wetter. Another 10 degrees is about all I'm looking for. Cheers, Tim. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Stephen Lentz Sent: Friday, December 14, 2001 1:36 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [Chevelle-List] Operating temperature Tim, I live in Mesa, AZ. It is a little warmer here than in Tucson. My 70 has a 454 in it. It is a bored 30-over LS5 with a LS6 cam. I am running a regular clutch fan and am using a regular four-core radiator built for me by a commercial truck company (my dad's a trucker and the radiator was like $175.00). My car runs through metro Phoenix (mostly the east valley) all day in the summer without breaking 200 degrees. It usually holds steady at 195 and will only walk to 200 if I am stuck in rush hour. My 67 GTO, on the other hand, has a stock 300 horse 350 Chevy in it with thermostat controlled dual electric fans. I have done everything to make it run cooler but the darn thing usually runs up to 210 just by showing it a picture of a hot summer day...in traffic it runs up into the 230's. I just don't get it. Everybody I talk to around here always complains about how hot the big blocks run in the desert. I have the opposite problem. Well anyway, I don't know how to help you. I guess it comes down to how well the engine is built and what steps you take to provide reliable cooling. I have never built a motor myself so I don't know what to do inside; however, I would research and buy the coolest running radiator, use the proper ratio of coolant-to-water, flush the radiator regularly, ALWAYS use reverse osmosis mineral free water (because our tap water in the desert here is chocked full of nasty contaminants and minerals), and go to an auto parts store and get some of that red-line coolant additive that is guaranteed to drop you temperature by at least 10 degrees...it worked on the GTO and I will put it in the Chevelle now that I just forked out a lot of $$$ to put aluminum Eldebrock heads and intake on the car. You can never be too careful. P.S. Spend the money and get a good gauge kit if your car has idiot lights. Bulbs burn out. Steve -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Tim Moebes Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2002 1:06 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Chevelle-List] Operating temperature Gents, I'm changing the subject of this thread because I had my main question answered and because I suspect my sub-question will continue to be debated. Smitty, I appreciate your input, but I simply can't believe that anything over 200 is dangerous. Perhaps you were running straight water with a low pressure cap. I drove my Elky down from Seattle to Tucson in May with just the warning light, and it came on once while stuck in Las Vegas traffic. It was hot that afternoon. I never lost coolant with the pressure cap (16 lb) and I do not have a cracked head or blown head gasket. The car ran fine cruising on the highway and it still does (great with the HEI distributor I put in down here.) When I arrived in Tucson, I put the gauge in and noted that in the heat of the day it would run at 230, way too hot, and more when stopped at a light. But that experience told me that the warning light probably didn't come on until 240 or 245. Why would it: you won't begin to lose coolant until what, 250? I never did. The aluminum crossflow rad I installed brought temps down 20 or more degrees. I agree that sustained high-speed driving at elevated temperatures is hard on the engine. I simply want input on what that point is. Perhaps more directly, I suppose I need information from other desert dwellers how hot their vehicles run under load in the heat of the day. This information will let me decide whether I need a high-flow water pump or other improvements. I haven't had the chance to seek out the local car clubs, but that is probably where I should look. Finally, I simply refuse to believe given my experience that the venerable 283 is as delicate as Smitty warns. A 20-degree operating range is absurd for an engine rebuilt with late-80s head gasket technology. Or so I hope. :-) Respectfully, Tim Moebes 66 El Camino -----Original Message----- Dan and Tom. I've owned many a chevelle and the 283 called for a 180 degree Thermostat. If your temp goes over 200 you could have boiling and steam, this a warning to stop and let your enigine cool down. We use to leave the engine running and spray water into the front of the Radiator until she cooled down enough to get the Rad. cap off (NEVER add water to a HOT engine with the motor turned OFF, This will surely crack you block), covering the cap to keep from getting yourself burnt, then we would add water to top her off. You reach the 220 mark and you've cooked the head gasket and probably cracked a head as well. Hope this will help, Smitty in SC ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.426 / Virus Database: 239 - Release Date: 12/2/2002 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.426 / Virus Database: 239 - Release Date: 12/2/2002 ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
