Steve, you've put considerable thought into all of this stuff. Up until the other night I have never had a problem and I had sat in that traffic for an hour and probably didn't move 100 yards. It was just a mess. Thanks for your input ... seems you have a handle on this.

Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL

Steve--   Try Casco's water pump with the big propellers.  Have the alum. one from John and Frank, but Casco's cools better!!  I am going to send my polished pump to casco and they will put the large propeller on --  then have best of both worlds..   Try it you'll like it..      Eddie

Eddie

Lake Forest, Ca. 92630

I'm changin' radiators because mine is leakin' and has ever since I got it. I put some gook in it and slowed things down for awhile but all of that idling at the cruise at Turkey Run did it in.

Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL

A new radiator is not going to solve your problem, and 190 degrees is no big deal. If you are replacing your radiator because it reached 190 degrees and vapor locked, you are wasting your money.



Get some rubber hose, slit it lengthwise and put it over any steel line that is near a heat source (engine). Rework any lines that are less than an inch away from the engine.

54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

The electric pump at the tank is the best final answer for a persistent vapor lock situation (my personal opinion). It pressurizes the long (now) suction line to the tank - and that pressure drives down the fuel percolation possibilities by a huge amount. If the pressure line goes clear to the carb inlet - that avoids the mechanical fuel pump becoming a heater. 

This is how the bird has ended up for now - rubber jumper from the frame and steel everywhere else, right to the carb bowl. The big GF62 fuel filter makes everything slow down and cook (or should) I know, but the temp doesn't seem to rise from "in" to  "out" so....

According to my infared temp gun -the big jump in fuel temperature occurs at the mechanical fuel pump and then doesn't change much (at least on the exterior of the steel lines) all the way to the carb. Once at the carb, the fuel seems to cool down to match the throttle body/bowl temperature - the intake air drives this temp down and the isolator tends to help it out. In any case the equilibrium running temperature of the carburetor is quite a bit lower than the rest of the engine. I remember some (yesteryear) guys that used to put multiple gaskets and aluminum foil under the fuel pump to isolate it from the block a bit. If the pump temp went down a few degrees (maybe even cover it with a radiator air shield too) there might be some progress. I am trying to maintain the use of a mechanical pump on my outfit - easier to fix on the road.

I'm thinking that a better intake air set-up (like a pan that seals the air cleaner to the hood) or maybe a ducted dual snorkel set-up like SpeedPro56 - would drive the carb body temperature down a bit more. Cold air and fuel makes a good stiff torque band - even with the stocker cam. This is a driver car - and I plan to take it for a considerable drive some day.

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

Thanks guys, Yeah back in the day it was the clothes pin thing, I don't think it did anything but that's what they said. Yeah, I think it was true vapor lock. Once it cooled down a little it worked fine. I recognize this from back in the 70's with that old 352 in my truck. I've got to get a new radiator first and then work on the vapor lock. If it comes to it I'll put an electric pump on it. That fixed my '67, but I crammed a 429 in it too at the same time and it didn't work very hard pullin' that old '67 around. I think I'll try the rubber gas line first, that's easy and cheap! I did work hard though bending that steel one so it would look pretty. Maybe pretty and functional doesn't match? And yeah I've got a 1" spacer under the carb. Didn't block the heat risers but wish I had just to preserve the paint.I have a '59 distributor with a Mallory electronic module in it. 8 degree initial advance...Thanks again ..

Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL

Everytime I've ever got a "real" vapor lock it turned out to be caused on the suction side of the pump. On the pressure side its a little harder to boil the fuel.  

An old tank line - crusty/kinked? A spot where it can be "radiated on" by mufflers or tail pipes? A combination of the two often turns out to be the culprit.

Do you have blocked (or limited) heat riser ports on the intake manifold? Spacer or heat shield under the carb?

How about idle spark advance? Using manifold vacuum? Ported manifold vacuum causes my outfit to go nuts real quick.

Large opening thermostat/six blade fan? Fan shroud?

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

My dad in the old old days used to wrap the line with aluminum foil for vapor lock. Why I dont know. He also usd to put a clothespen on the line. I think the only thing he didnt do was to put a VOODOO curse on it. But I rerouted my line so it wouldnt be coming up over the engine. I ran it up the fender and shot it straight across at the brake booster. I used the steel line and it never locked again. If it is a true vapor lock rubber line should work or a heat shield in the original position.

55Birdman  Hickory NC

Well I think this has been covered before but my old radiator gave up the ghost while cruisin' Atlantic BL at Daytona Beach the other night. It got up to about 190 degrees and the old gal vapor locked. It died right in the middle of things. I got her off the road and let it cool down and put some mix in the radiator and things were fine then but my cruise was over with. Anybody know about a "reasonable" radiator? What can be done about this vapor lock? I had a '67 Ford truck that used to vapor lock in the mountains of CO and I put an electric fuel pump on it and fixed that. My son says all I have to do is get rid of the steel fuel line from the fuel pump to the carb. At the Turkey Run over the weekend of 4500 cars Old Vicky was the only Customline Victoria there ... !!

Doing Fords for 45 years. '56 Customline Victoria

E.J. in Havana FL