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Should I be concerned?

Darter6 said:
Both are good ideas to start with.
Trust in the factory gauge is slight at best. My 63 factory gauge with a new sender,fresh coolant always shows high.
I run both gauges. The manual gauge shows right on the money.
Click to expand...
ALL of my Mopars with the original parts (and even with parts house replacement sending units) read on the low side....like right on the first line in the 'normal' range. They are were right around 180 and by the time the needle was showing straight up, the temp was around 200 and all the way over to the where the OP's gauge is showing was 220-230! Never had anything older than a 66...but even my mid 90's Dakotas read similar. My 97 2500 diesel actually has numbers on the gauge!! lol and when the gauge hits 190, it is 190! Usually I have a hard time getting it over 150-160 unless I block the radiator some....even in the summer time. And yeah, I've replaced t-stats to the point that I'm just going to block the radiator in that thing to get my operating temps up to par.
 
1966Belvert said:
In early June, I purchased a 66 Belvedere II convertible. Over the last 2 months, it's been at my mechanics undergoing some maintenance to make it more road worthy. The car is an older restoration and hadn't been driven much by the previous owner, so it needed a bit of TLC. I got it back today and took it for a nice drive. While cruising, the temp gauge stayed steadily in the middle of the normal range. When idling at a stop light, the temp would creep up to the very edge of the danger zone, as the attached photo shows. Should I be concerned? If so, should I start with a fan shroud or jump right into a new radiator? I expect to use this car in a lot of parades, so it's crucial that it stays cool in stop and go situations!

My apologies for such a newbie question. I owned a 66 Belvedere II hardtop in high school and college, but I sold it in 1991 and I don't remember what "normal" is for these cars.

Thanks!

-Steve

View attachment 1148540
Click to expand...
I have a 69 Coronet with a 440 putting out around 450 horse, and at the time had a regular radiator without a fan shroud. Yep, it ran very hot so on the advice of a mate, installed an aluminium radiator with a fan shroud and the difference was remarkable. If I recall, it was three core but can find out exactly if you need the info. I also installed an oil cooler but not sure if that helped or not.
 
My Charger (with 440) runs fine in winter or at speed, but with traffic in the summer it gets hot. Because I like to show it and the engine shows well, I didn't want to modify it. I picked up an aftermarket fan that easily sits infront of the radiator and stays in place with a bungee cord. I ran a set of alligator clips directly to the battery with a 8 foot cord and a toggle switch that I run into the passenger compartment (the cord easily fits in between the body panels). Perhaps not the most elegant solution but it works really really well, cost about $ 50 and takes less than 2 min to put in place or remove. I only need it a few times a year but it is good for about a 20-30 degree decrease in engine temps when in traffic. If you are putting your car in parades, might be a consideration. Just be sure to put a fuse in it as you don't wont to pinch a hot wire accidentally when you close the hood/door.
 
1966Belvert said:
In early June, I purchased a 66 Belvedere II convertible. Over the last 2 months, it's been at my mechanics undergoing some maintenance to make it more road worthy. The car is an older restoration and hadn't been driven much by the previous owner, so it needed a bit of TLC. I got it back today and took it for a nice drive. While cruising, the temp gauge stayed steadily in the middle of the normal range. When idling at a stop light, the temp would creep up to the very edge of the danger zone, as the attached photo shows. Should I be concerned? If so, should I start with a fan shroud or jump right into a new radiator? I expect to use this car in a lot of parades, so it's crucial that it stays cool in stop and go situations!

My apologies for such a newbie question. I owned a 66 Belvedere II hardtop in high school and college, but I sold it in 1991 and I don't remember what "normal" is for these cars.

Thanks!

-Steve

View attachment 1148540
Click to expand...
try te right fan shroud firts then have the radiator checked out by a good radiator shop it msy be bluged up 1 iad a 72 new yorker with a 440 in it we went through the same thing , on mine the oem radiator was shot i got s max cool one from summit (copper/brass) then i puta 160 hiogh flow mopar thermostatthayt took care on the over heating , on my car it jest a lihht . the guy i got the car from put a swap meet mechanical gauge & it wss bad . dso i put a high quality eletrical gauge & checked it with a non cantact thermometer
 
All good advice. Start with the gauge and/or temp gun and I would always recommend a shroud. Next step bring it to a rad shop and have it checked, do a visible inspection (green staining). Unless your planning on increasing HP you don't need an aluminum radiator, since the stock radiator is not going to cut it for high HP applications but for a parade car stock is fine. Nate S hit on an important item. Unless you're really sure of the garage you brought it to recheck the timing. Some shops these days have no clue about setting proper timing (they need a computer to tell them what to do).
 
tnfastback said:
I would put a manual gauge on it and see what the temp really is.
Click to expand...
Could you also stick a thermometer in the radiator filler hole? Of course, you'd want do do this when the engine is cold and run the car up to operating temperature so you don't release the cap under pressure and scald yourself. (NOTE: This truly is a question and not a recommendation; I don't know if running the engine with the radiator cap off is a good or bad idea.)
 
My 1969 Roadrunner did same. I had radiator recored from radiator repair in Greenville NC. He added extra row. I also contacted Dante’s Mopar and they sell an OE fan shroud and side brackets that slide in very reasonably priced. Took about 20 minutes to install shroud and drop radiator back in. Also I updated to safety style thermostat so it does not close all the way and always allow water flow. Never overheats even when outside is 100.
 
1966Belvert said:
Thanks for all the replies! I realized that I should have given more info on the car. It's a 273 2V auto. It had a rotisserie restoration almost 20 years ago and hasn't been driven much since. I will discuss all of these suggestions with my mechanic, but it seems like a radiator flush and a fan shroud might be a good place to start.
Click to expand...

Yes the flush and a shroud are a good idea and check your ignition timing.....retarded timing will make it run warm or Hot. The factory gauges when working properly are ok if you know what the indicator marks vs. actual temps are.
 
Of all the advise I've read, the best one is simply to confirm the gauge is reading correctly. Laser thermometers are cheap and the best way to start solving your problem.
 
sarjag said:
Of all the advise I've read, the best one is simply to confirm the gauge is reading correctly. Laser thermometers are cheap and the best way to start solving your problem.
Click to expand...

It's not an overly complicated problem and you should be able to get yourself thru this issue ...you'll get some satisfaction from it.
Rob Jett said:
My Charger (with 440) runs fine in winter or at speed, but with traffic in the summer it gets hot. Because I like to show it and the engine shows well, I didn't want to modify it. I picked up an aftermarket fan that easily sits infront of the radiator and stays in place with a bungee cord. I ran a set of alligator clips directly to the battery with a 8 foot cord and a toggle switch that I run into the passenger compartment (the cord easily fits in between the body panels). Perhaps not the most elegant solution but it works really really well, cost about $ 50 and takes less than 2 min to put in place or remove. I only need it a few times a year but it is good for about a 20-30 degree decrease in engine temps when in traffic. If you are putting your car in parades, might be a consideration. Just be sure to put a fuse in it as you don't wont to pinch a hot wire accidentally when you close the hood/door.
Click to expand...

If I may.....Anyone who tries this should consider a relay and wiring of correct size as these fans draw a LOT of juice. Ive done this and spliced a factory type plug together connector for safety and ease of use.....not to mention not having to worry about it coming apart at the worst time. They liked so much that they ended up having me install it permanently and temperature controlled.
Darter6 said:
Both are good ideas to start with.
Trust in the factory gauge is slight at best. My 63 factory gauge with a new sender,fresh coolant always shows high.
I run both gauges. The manual gauge shows right on the money.
Click to expand...

Alot of the AfterMarket sending units are not as accurate as the OEM units...reading higher or lower. If you want the factory dash gauges to read as accurately as possible, stick with the factory sending units.
 
If you are still using a machanical belt-driven fan you ABSOLUTELY need the fan shroud and be sure the fanblade is positioned correctly in the shroud.
 
1966Belvert said:
In early June, I purchased a 66 Belvedere II convertible. Over the last 2 months, it's been at my mechanics undergoing some maintenance to make it more road worthy.
Click to expand...

Like you mentioned in a later post, flush the snot out of it because you have no idea when the last time it was done! How rusty the water is will tell you how neglected it's been treated!
Cooling systems are the most neglected system on a automobile, prove me wrong! Good Luck
 
i had a overheating issue on an AMC engine back in the 80s, so it was maybe only 15 years old........ anyway, the block was all jammed up with ****, we pulled the heads, freeze plugs, and drain plugs; and ran wire hangers through it to clean out all the ****. it was fine after that
 
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