I got the cheapy, too. $20 model made by Rosehill.

So, everyone says get the thermometer. Now is the advice, ".... but you can't trust it?" LOL!!!!

What do you recommend I do to confirm whether I am running too hot or the gauge is not right?

Finally, my thermometer arrived. I got the temp of the car up and measured.

Top of radiator is showing about 220 F at its highest. 209 seemed to be a common number around the top. Around the middle it will be in the 170's - 180's.

What does this mean in terms of whether I am running hot or not? Over 200 sounds hot to me.

Bobby, it is not a new radiator. My friends, who were helping me during the restoration, took the radiator to a radiator shop after I told them the car ran hot. I assume at the shop, they did whatever was needed to insure the radiator was fine. There was no word that it was not okay.

I don't know about the cap. You mentioned I might have the wrong cap or a bad cap. Assuming I change the cap, if there is such a thing as the "right" cap, which cap do I need? 56 Clipper Sedan.

The coolant was new when I left the shop. Can't say if it was overfilled or not, since I did not fill it. After I broke down, I noticed coolant came out. I assume it wasn't overfilled because my friends know a bit about cars more than me, but I would not rule it out.

Quote:

When I broke down 2 weeks ago, there was not steam and all, but coolant did overflow.

You think this is something that can occur without overheating? If so, point me to the small, cheap laser pointer thing. I am not sure what exactly this is. A link to a product would be great.

Thanks.

The hoses do not kink when it heats up. A handful of possibilities have been suggested. I need to start taking one thing at a time.

First thing I'd like to point out, which I think is important is this:

When I was going down the freeway in 100-degree weather, it got pretty hot after about 15 - 20 minutes (as in needle was way way up there). A few minutes later, it cooled down quite quickly, as if the T-stat opened right at that moment. It was pretty obvious how quickly it cooled down. Then, after 10 more minutes, it was back up to very hot again. At this point, I was close to home, and that is when the fuel pump pin came out and I died. When I popped the hood, I noticed coolant had bubbled out.

So, first item up for order:

Will T-stats fail to open and close properly (at the right temps), or are their malfunctions limited to either working right or not at all?

But I already boiled over, so I know I am too hot.

I am definitely running hot. After idling in the driveway for 10 minutes and then going on a 10 minute drive, she is hot-hot!

I am pretty sure at this point I must have a 5W in there. I will go to 15W since it might tend to resolved the propensity for tappet better with less need to overfill as much.

Thanks, Bobby. The thing about adding an extra quart is a known issue. There was a design failure with the oil pump. For that reason, tappet is an issue. The oil pump could be replaced with an Olds pump as I recall, but I remember seeing a number of posts on the topic with people saying just add a quart. It turned out that adding a quart did the trick.

My oil is thin. I don't know my oils in terms of what the numbers mean. But I think I heard 5W is thinner than 10W is thinner than 20W. Maybe I need to go to 20W next oil change.

Do I understand the numbers right?

I need to start learning the parts of the cooling system. Isn't the sending unit the device that sends current to the gauge when there is heat? If so, I assume mine is working fine since I actually overheat. It doesn't just appear hot. It is hot.