Spray periodically with contact cleaner (CRC or eq.) whether new or old it'll happen again.

tire, if it's current, will have a max. load and psig rating on it(req'd).

Try this one.

Attach file:

---

WCFB.pdf Size: 516.85 KB; Hits: 22

Those are the patent numbers and are meaningless for identification.

Look at the file "carter AFB#s" below showing location of where the model numbers should be on your carb. Either on a tag which could be missing or stamped on the base.

Exactly what is your car's year, model, engine, and is it original or has it been modified or parts changed? (Aids looking part numbers up.) I think you said '53. Those are early units and low production.
The exploded diagram is probably not exact for what you have but the internal AFB parts don't change.
Indicate which ones are missing by number. If you don't know you might have to disassemble and check for them.
If I don't have, I can tell you who may have them. Edelbrock is still making some of these in larger sizes. Many old carb suppliers in US. '53 era would be small bore.

ps: I couldn't find my P carb list file but I think I posted on here. I show from interchange for '53 #s- 784S, 928S, 985, 2084, 2103, 2142, 5400-5401. They have S at end of the number if I didn't. They're just later versions of the same thing. They were improving these yearly or faster back then so lots of # changes.
Looks like someone blasted that piece pretty heavy and could have particulates inside.

Attach file:

---

carterAFB#s.pdf Size: 483.69 KB; Hits: 18
diagram.pdf Size: 725.99 KB; Hits: 10

I'll get the exploded diagram, post, and you can mark it up what you need, and I'll see if I have any. I'm about to get busy right now.

Where?
most of the common ones are still available at the local parts places or go online, like lightbulbs.com or 1000bulbs, etc. and search.
I'd stick to name brand new, even if they're asian than something from ebay, etc. that's old or used. But can't always get what you want. Amazon is too highly price conscious than quality in my experience. I've had to "buy over" too many times there - waste of resource but OK otherwise.
I can't find who I've used, because it's on the other computer.

Hope this clears up the confusion. What is common for me, is not generally widely known. Ask questions. Ok, to email if response is needed quicker. I don't visit much anymore.

The air "dams" are the sheet metal around the radiator that direct the air flow from the grill through the fins. missing(bad) or all there(good)? Rusty doesn't apply here unless rotted through/holely/bypassing.

Sludge in the cooling system has to come from somewhere as it starts off clean from the factory. Usually, without sabotage/failure, it's a combination of what has been added and what develops over time from corrosion, etc. Some of that sticks to or builds up on the surface and is known as "fouling", a 'film' over the surface. When film is retarding heat transfer, it necessitates cleaning and/or purging coolant periodically. In boilers, it would be called "blow down".
If you use DI/distilled water to mix antifreeze, then the inhibitor is more available as few minerals to complex from the water. Tap water minerals will remove some of the effective inhibitor level - ie; won't last as long. I've lived in places where the tap water would fill a 40 gal hot water tank in 5+ years or less with calcium and short out the heater. If you have "soft" water, less than 300 ppm TDS, fine to use. I'm on well water here, and don't trust. Don't use straight "zero-ohm" aka RO water w/o antifreeze or inhibitor added, as mentioned, as it will enhance metal ion dissolution. Requires change of materials or greater inhibition.
Also ethylene glycol is an alcohol. Alcohols oxidize(hydrolyze) over time to their respective organic acids, and acid will complex the metal. Acidity increases the rate of hydrolysis(breakdown), also. You can actually test for that. It's competing with metal oxidation for air. So antifreeze more or less needs to be changed at some point, but it's a slow process without much air in the system. I've found 5 years to be very adequate, as prescribed, and not so fast as to be wasteful. If I was selling antifreeze, you'd hear a shorter interval...

When I rebuilt the water pump on the Cad, the cast disc impellor was in "rough" shape and no longer made. I had to adapt to a modern open style impellor which required some machining. So if your impellor has been in there since new, it's subject to cavitation and rust and will reduce it's dimensions/edges and not be as effective as an impellor, flow rate will diminish over time - less cooling. Maybe not critical, but won't be optimum. (ChemEs(me) do pumps of all kinds all the time, both design, spec, and maintain.)
But not possible to know what you car is like from 'a verge of overheat' condition. I can only speculate causes. I think the altitude is your main issue, more than fouling(guess). Otherwise, I would not have mentioned. One has to know the heat transfer coefficients of the various modes in an auto, and the water side, even fouled, is many times higher than the radiator fin to air mode. So that's altitude likely causative too as the air density lowers with altitude. Same flow volume with less mass to pick up heat. aka; double whammy. BP and mass lower.

As to "weeping", that's a small crack or pore(pit) in the solder or interface or fin base metal, that's been thinned, rotted, or undermined, likely pitting, crevice, dissimilar corrosion at work - from lack of inhibitor. Leaking for short periods, like to get home or postpone repair, then a "Stop leak" addition is common. Effective, they aren't the best as can plug other small spaces equally. But I've used them a bit and successfully. Corrosion is one of the things the inhibitor is supposed to take care of, so I suspect with inattentive maintenance, they left 'spent' antifreeze in it, and it slowly worsened. Mechanical vibration can be enhanced with age from the isolator getting stiff. There's a piece of rubber under radiator bolt that dampens vibrations.
If it was a pressure system, it'd probably be leaking worse. Metal expands as it heats, so the opening gets bigger and shrinks when cooled causing the intermittent flow. Usually an indication that it's time for a recore. I had similar on the '49 P and had mine recored. Getting very expensive now and the original cores are no longer available, so you have to use what's out there. A good radiator shop is a must.

Just so happens I have the drawings for these if needed.

Water and vehicles don't mix. I'd be vary wary of the wiring and anything you can't see or take for granted, as OK, when this happens. Recall capillary action. They generally total 'flood cars', if that's any indication of the cost - don't take it lightly.
There's always someone shady trying to pass them off, too. Beware of that P for sale soon! One way to tell is take the door panel off and look at the back for water damage/marks.

All for the vanity of a few pix? Pick a shady flat spot next time - you say? Not necessarily!
I was fishn competition in NY state. After 4 AM, pulled into a paved gas station lot (dry land) to pick up my partner for the day. There was just a slight down slope to shed water away from the building and was aimed for the exit. I shut the truck off, left in gear, put the E-brake on(stick), and went into the boat to get ready. Some guy arrives unexpectedly, with all that room, picks to pull up in front of and in line with me, maybe 50-75 foot away. For lack of a better explanation, the gravity between the two vehicles and me wiggling in the boat started my truck to roll. They eventually recalled those E-brakes. I replaced 3 mechanisms before they straightened them out. The guy had opened his hatchback and was standing there. I yelled and jumped down and before I could get in and stop it, we collided. Not much brake travel without it running and one leg out on the ground while moving. Explain that to your insurance man! I leave it running with the door open at all time at or near launch since. I'm automatic now.
I witnessed one while friend went to get trailer, I waited on the lake. Someone forgot to tether his rather sizeble runabout to the trailer on a very steep ramp. I think it was one of those easy-launch types with the rollers, not bunks. He pulled up, got it out of the water, but the boat slid off as he continued up the ramp and landed high and dry on the concrete. Talk about an expensive day...
There's an internet video of a guy launching his bass boat behind a Class A motorhome($400K?). I have it on the other computer. His dog was left inside. He got out to launch and the motorhome and boat rolls back and almost completely submerge. Apparently did something wrong, but blamed his dog! How low will humans go?
I had to help a guy one day, the water was low and he rolled in deep to float off and his trailer wheels went off the end of ramp in the "wash" hole and his pick up wasn't powerful enuff, tires were in water, to pull it out. But I didn't arrive until he was completely soaked, exhausted, and cold from trying to push it. One reason, I towed w/ a diesel 4x4 while living on the big river. Snow was second.
Same ramp, an older gent (now my age) launched with his rear open, so he could see better, missed his stop, panicked, hit the gas(in R) and went in over the bumper and got a wave of water inside his suburban. He didn't fish that day. Never saw him again.

There's a "parts cross-reference" tab on the left that has most of the available new service replacements listed. May not be 100% up to date but good place to start.

My standard recommendation is anything more than 30 years old should have the wiring thoroughly checked/replaced all or as needed. This era used the cloth wrap over rubber insulation and it cracks first then deteriorates flakes off, plus the exposed copper will corrode unseen, increase resistance and cause heat and lead to fires. I had a horn wire catch fire on the CAD, melted the relay, when the paper insulator on the horn rim degraded and slowly shorted. The old slow fuses won't blow with a drain like that. Lucky I caught in time. Many have lost valuable cars from trying to "maintain" factory originality. Don't be foolish, if your already seeing wiring issues.
My '49 wiring was pretty much stripped clean by field mice and insectia.

I think you have to adapt to modern maintenance standards and materials in the context of the old ways. What was recommended in 1950 probably doesn't exist today and certainly won't be cost effective. Even the fuels have change alot. Two camps; originalists and the smart. Boy that should get 'em going!