Ward,
Congratulations on getting your '76 officially on the road! Congrats
also on getting your wife behind the wheel; I have to coerce my mate just to
get her in the passenger seat.
Your 3000 RPM @ 50 MPH appears right on; mine is about the same, and the
book figure says 3000 should be 50.4 MPH. Overdrive reduces that about 20%,
so 50 MPH in OD needs about 2400 - a nice reduction. However, all those
figures do seem quite high when compared with our modern cars which cruise
at highway speeds with RPM's in the 2000-2500 range.
It sounds like you did everything right to your cooling system. Other
than clogged passages in the block, I'd suspect the gauge itself or (more
likely) a fritzy voltage stabilizer - the little 1&1/2" x 3/4" box that's
screwed to the back of the speedometer and reduces the voltage to the fuel &
temp gauges (Q: how is the fuel gauge reading?) The voltage stabilizer from
my parts car doesn't look pretty, and I don't know if it's functional or
not; however, if you'd like to try it to test your temp reading, feel free
to check with me off-list.
Cheers, Ree G.
----- Original Message -----
From: Pettis, Ward (NIH/NIDCD) <pettisw@ms.nidcd.nih.gov>
To: <spitfires@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 13:26 PM
Subject: Cooling System
> Hello everybody,
>
> I drove my '76 legally for the first time two weeks ago with new MD tags
> after 2 and half years! It was a thrill to finally go on the roads,
albeit
> scary with larger cars all around. Then while I was on travel last week,
my
> wife drove it a couple of times after receiving instructions on the manual
> choke!
>
> Question for you all: (and I do note the Ken's recent suggestion to use
> Zerex Racing Super Coolant, but we have freezing temp around here. It
snowed
> yesterday!)
>
> My engine temperature gauge hovers well above the 3/4 mark, looks like
9/10
> from where I sit. I have new water pump, new thermostat (180), new
> temperature sensor/transmitter. I did clean out some of the crud from
> inside the head when I had it off last year. Radiator is the larger one
> that fully fills the support frame. Radiator has been cleaned and
repaired.
> All the driving had been in relatively cool weather ranging from 45 to 70
> degrees. Any suggestions? This car has Weber carb and 4-1 header.
>
> One other thing, I wish I had an overdrive or a fifth gear in this car.
At
> about 50 MPH, the RPM at 3000 in fourth. Yours similar??
>
> Ward
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