Need some HELP

[Steffan]

It's been awhile since I have had any issues with the 60T. I wanted to call it "Whitey" (because it is Corinthian White) but it may not be well received. Any how I need some info on a couple of things. Number one is the speedometer. It reads about 10 mph higher than my GPS but yet I checked the gears and they appear to be correct. My tires are a 70 series 14" and I wouldn't think there would be that much difference to throw the speedo out. Also when the speedo gets up to about 55 mph the needle starts to bounce and gets worse when you get to 65 and higher. I had it up to 115 mph and it seems to level out ( hey that's only 105!). Is there any service that can be performed on the speedo head? I had someone tell me there were magnets that control the movement in the needle.

Issue number two; I just ordered a fan shroud and I hope this helps with my cooling problem. I am good on the highway, runs about 180 but when I get into a idling situation or stop and go trying to get into a car show I watch my (aftermarket temp gauge) go up to 212 degrees. If I slip it into neutral and increase my revs the temp gauge goes down right away so here's hoping the shroud helps. What do you think?

Issue number three; my new exhaust manifold cracked on the drivers side on two ears and a big chunk came out of the casting. I've always had a problem on the drivers side with leaking no matter what I do. I tried no-blow gaskets but I think this may have caused the death of the manifold. The gaskets are to soft and its hard to get a good feel for how tight the bolts are. I have tried other gaskets, copper sealant, no luck. I have an old drivers side manifold that had a crack and my neighbour is brazing it up then I will pay the $130.00 bucks to have both the manifolds planed down again. Does any one have a sure fire solution to fixing this problem? I am also considering going to a grade 10 Socket Head Cap Screw so I can get an allen socket on them. Its hard to get on some of the Hex Head Screws with a socket and you have to use a wrench.

Lots of issues - need lots of help.

Not all bad news though. I won Best Ford at one show, top 20 at a Michigan show and the Queens Cup (first place) at another.

Really shouldn't be complaining about the car I might hurt its feelings.

Thanks

[jopizz]

In my experience a bouncing speedo needle is usually due to lack of lubrication or the ends of the cable are slightly rounded off.

John

[Tbird1044]

I agree with John. A bouncing speedo is usually the cable. You can pull the speedo out and then pull the cable out of the housing. Coat the cable with a good grease and push it back into the housing.
As for the speed difference, greasing the cable won't help that. If you have 70 series tires and the originals were 75 series, you have a smaller profile tire with a smaller circumference. I think there is only about a 5% difference, but is the 10 MPH difference at 30 MPH or 105 MPH? You are a braver man than I am to get these old birds up to that speed.
I put one of the aftermarket shrouds on my car, but don't have drive time on it to see if it really helps. Have you tried to install a flex fan? I had one on my car and it really pulled a lot more air, especially at idle, but I couldn't get the shroud to fit with flex fan, so I put the factory 5 blade back on. In all honesty, I wouldn't worry about 212F, as long as you have a good 50/50 mix of antifreeze.
Can't really help with the manifold problem. I had my manifolds decked (surface ground flat) and never had a problem after that.
I didn't look, but do you have any pics of your car posted. Eventually I will end up with a plain Jane Corinthian white car. ;-)
Nyles

[scumdog]

I have found a tooth-paste looking heat-proof product works wonders at sealing exhaust manifold surfaces, better than any gasket.

San't remember its name but will find out if you want.

And that orange heat-resistant RTV also works but can look messy if you use too much and it oozes out.

[DKheld]

Congrats on the show wins....

Been there done that on the manifolds. Have them machined and put them back as they did at the factory - no gaskets. I ordered a set of new bolts, washers and locks. Not sure what brand etc - was just supposed to be better than new.

Browse this thread on the manifolds.

http://www.squarebirds.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=16727&highlight=manifold&page=2

If I remember correctly a 50/50 anti-freze mix will not boil until 250 deg with a 13lb cap. I'm sure the experts will check me on that (I hope anyway).
My temp gauge is normally just above the E in normal driving then rises to just above the M at about 75 mph on the interstate. Will park just above the M in hot stop and go traffic but hasn't boiled over since I installed the new radiator.
I'm sure the shroud will make a difference - I don't have one.

http://www.squarebirds.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=15883&highlight=radiator

On the speedo - might just need to be cleaned and a drop of oil (specific oil for instruments not just the regular stuff) but no guess other than tire size on the calibration.
Mine is off too but I'm running 225/75/14's.
I hit a short entrance ramp the other day with a guy right on my tail - semi on the left that couldn't move over and running out of entrance ramp fast. Nailed it rather than have the guy slam into my rear end. I was going by folks pretty fast and thought.....man these peeps around here drive slow..... then I looked at the speedo......about the same as you 105 ish.

Oh...... so that's why I was passing everyone.......

Good luck - keep us posted.
Eric

[simplyconnected]

These guys are telling it straight, your speedometer gear will be off by a percentage of your speed. Look into buying another gear with one more tooth. There are speedometer companies that sell a 'box' that they can dial-in. Your speedometer will be right on the nose afterward. Your tires may be shorter than the originals. Get with a good tire company and see if they have tires that match your original tire heights.

Exhaust manifold bolts are 3/8" diameter. Buy stainless steel socket-head cap screws and lock washers. Going to a harder bolt will not help because your exhaust manifolds get cherry red hot. That anneals carbon steel, drawing the carbon out which makes the bolts soft again. 18-8 stainless does not have a carbon case harden. If you cannot find bolts in your area, check eBay.

Exhaust manifolds don't cost a hundred bucks to machine, here in Detroit. (I just bought a pair of FE manifolds for $100.) These manifolds had NO gasket when your car left the factory. Flat manifolds need no gaskets. When you tighten exhaust manifold bolts, they feel solid, not spongy. - Dave

[Steffan]

pics

I agree with John. A bouncing speedo is usually the cable. You can pull the speedo out and then pull the cable out of the housing. Coat the cable with a good grease and push it back into the housing.
As for the speed difference, greasing the cable won't help that. If you have 70 series tires and the originals were 75 series, you have a smaller profile tire with a smaller circumference. I think there is only about a 5% difference, but is the 10 MPH difference at 30 MPH or 105 MPH? You are a braver man than I am to get these old birds up to that speed.
I put one of the aftermarket shrouds on my car, but don't have drive time on it to see if it really helps. Have you tried to install a flex fan? I had one on my car and it really pulled a lot more air, especially at idle, but I couldn't get the shroud to fit with flex fan, so I put the factory 5 blade back on. In all honesty, I wouldn't worry about 212F, as long as you have a good 50/50 mix of antifreeze.
Can't really help with the manifold problem. I had my manifolds decked (surface ground flat) and never had a problem after that.
I didn't look, but do you have any pics of your car posted. Eventually I will end up with a plain Jane Corinthian white car. ;-)
Nyles

I do have pictures of the car but not sure on how to post them. As for the overheating, I have had a lot of problems with my expansion tank. I have had it re-soldered on the lid and then this past year a small pin hole in the lower portion of the tank was soldered. I see Pat Wilsons has used tanks that are pressure checked for $100.00 or new tanks for $200.00. Not sure which way to go. Also after driving for about 45 min to an hour I open the hood and notice a white residue on the side of the expansion tank from the rad hose back toward the engine and also some sort of residue on the underside of the hood, almost an oil colour. Any one with this problem? Could it be from the oil filler cap?

[Steffan]

manifold machining

These guys are telling it straight, your speedometer gear will be off by a percentage of your speed. Look into buying another gear with one more tooth. There are speedometer companies that sell a 'box' that they can dial-in. Your speedometer will be right on the nose afterward. Your tires may be shorter than the originals. Get with a good tire company and see if they have tires that match your original tire heights.

Exhaust manifold bolts are 3/8" diameter. Buy stainless steel socket-head cap screws and lock washers. Going to a harder bolt will not help because your exhaust manifolds get cherry red hot. That anneals carbon steel, drawing the carbon out which makes the bolts soft again. 18-8 stainless does not have a carbon case harden. If you cannot find bolts in your area, check eBay.

Exhaust manifolds don't cost a hundred bucks to machine, here in Detroit. (I just bought a pair of FE manifolds for $100.) These manifolds had NO gasket when your car left the factory. Flat manifolds need no gaskets. When you tighten exhaust manifold bolts, they feel solid, not spongy. - Dave

Our shops here are demanding anywhere between $60 and $70 bucks per manifold. I figured that I may as well get them both done at the same time. As for the bolts when it comes time to torque them it will either be a two man job. Can you let me know what it may cost to have the manifolds machined in your area or somewhere near Port Huron as that is closer for me. Also what do you think of using the copper Permatex in-between the heads and the exhaust manifold?

[Steffan]

sealant

I have found a tooth-paste looking heat-proof product works wonders at sealing exhaust manifold surfaces, better than any gasket.

San't remember its name but will find out if you want.

And that orange heat-resistant RTV also works but can look messy if you use too much and it oozes out.

Any thing you can find out would be greatly appreciated!

OK, here's my favourites, I tested then both on my hot-rod '55 F100 with tuned 429 Ford.

The headers on it have one badly warped exhaust port flange on each side (warped enough to drop a penny between the head and the flange!)

So I used these two: CRC "MANISEAL", it's the white paste type sealer that expands and goes hard when the exhaust heat 'cures' it.

Pros: Easy to put on using your finger to smooth it and easy to wash off your hands (and other places) before it goes hard, easy to scrape off exhaust port, flange etc when you take off and refit the headers/manifold.
Cons: Not flexible once set so any loosenes, movement may cause it to flake off.

AND: CRC Gasket 340, it's the orange/red RTC type stuff.

Pros: Easy to apply by squeezing out of the tube, easier than the above stuff to make a 'bead' around the header flange, remains flexible even after setting.
Cons: Messy to clean up and easy to get where you don't want! Is very obvious due to its colour.

I used one on each header, MANISEAL on drivers side and GASKET 340 on passenger side and both worked well at sealing that gap I mentioned.

Hope this helps.

PS: Sorry Stefan, I don't know what happened but my post 'ate' yours when I meant to quote it - maybe Ray or anothe rmod can fix it?

[DKheld]

Here's an antifreeze/boil chart.
The Tbird capacity (with heater) is 21 quarts.
At 60% solution and 15 lb cap it shouldn't boil until 270 deg F



And I know what you mean on those manifold bolts.
It was such a PITA I pulled my engine to replace mine.

Eric