For a daily driven 292 in FL. Gonna have a mild cam and running a 450CFM Holley

William



1957 Ford Fairlane 500

292 Bored .30 over

Fordomatic

NAPA #6 - Wide opening, 170 degree. I use this in both my Y Blocks.

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

Okay, will do unless i get different suggestions..lol

William



1957 Ford Fairlane 500

292 Bored .30 over

Fordomatic

If you can run a 16# radiator cap, and 50/50 coolant, you should be good with a 195* HI-FLOW stat.  Get a good electric cooling fan, too.  It will pay for itself because it doesn't run all the time (unless you have the A/C on).

If your iron heads can't transfer heat fast enough, you will hear pinging and knocking.  Sometimes wrong ignition timing or lean jetting will cause excessive heat.  So will a stuck heat riser valve on your exhaust manifold (you don't need one if you live in FL). If you can't rid the knock, drop down to a 180* stat.

Properly set up, the higher you run your engine temp, the more complete burn your fuel will get, and the longer your engine will last.

Look at today's cars.  They all last 2-300k miles and they all have 195* stats.  They also have aluminum heads (which transfers heat second to copper), moly rings, and some engines use hyper-eutectic alloy pistons (which send heat through the rings).

Hope this helps.  -  Dave Dare

Royal Oak, Michigan (Four miles north of Detroit, and 12 miles NORTH of Windsor, Canada).  That's right, we're north of Canada.

Ford 292 Y-Block major overhaul by simplyconnected

Original radiator with a 16lb cap??? Carry plenty of spare hoses ???? And maybe some freeze plugs as well ???? I'll stick with 57 Kustom ,stay around 7 lb . You can also drill a few small holes in the thermostat to act as a bypass .

Lon

yblocksdownunder

The car or radiator you’re dealing with is a consideration in regards to the pressure rating on the cap being used.  If the radiator has a large tank on its top, then the 7 lb. rated cap is more desirable as the tanks on the mid Fifties radiators are prone to separating at the soldered seam if going for the larger rated caps.  But I’ve had good luck with the 195° thermostats with the 7 lb. cap if the cooling system is in good condition.  The higher temperature on the thermostat is good for both fuel economy and a reduction in engine wear.  I’m also an advocate of the coolant recovery systems being used on these older vehicles also.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Got a 180 :-) they didn't have a 170 :'(

William



1957 Ford Fairlane 500

292 Bored .30 over

Fordomatic

What size of water flow passage did you end up with?

Some of the common thermostats use the itty bitty hole for a scrub motor - and then surround it with sheet metal to make it fit the larger port and hoses of the Y. The NAPA 170° #6 mentioned earlier has the 1-1/2 poppet size - many of the others have the 1 inch poppet. 

The one on the left flows way less than the one on the right.

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

The coefficient of friction between iron and aluminum is lowest somewhere around 210 degrees F. Cylinder wear will be lower and power will be higher with a 195. Also, water vapor will be cooked out of the oil faster and more completely with a higher temp t-stat. I'd look for a RobertShaw thermostat.



Does anybody know how the silicon content of aluminum effects friction? My first guess is that it would reduce the friction, but that's a guess. (I'm thinking that hypereutectic pistons would have less friction.)



While we're on the subject, water has a specific heat of 4.2, but anti-freeze has a specific heat of just .58. But, because anti-freeze has a boiling point of 386 degrees F, it raises the boiling point of the mixture. Optimum mixture is 30% ethylene glycol.



Water boils at 230 degrees when it's under 7 pounds of pressure.

Best regards,



Paul Menten

Meridian, Idaho

Some things to consider:



Mr. Gasket #4367 180deg. (Summit?) opening looks to be about double #6 NAPA.



Propylene antifreeze (more $) won't ruin your bearings if head gasket leaks. Maker recommends 70% for max. efficiency (temp. differential?). Propylene also has self-sealing tendencies.



Warmed-over motors in Fla. running original radiators will likely see 190+ degrees anyway. Oversized thermostat might provide margin of safety?

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA