4 core Vs. Expansion Tank

[Guest]

As I have seen in many posts, alot of these expansion tanks are prone to leaks. The filler neck on mine kinda broke right off. So my questions are:

would a 4 core be a better solution than replacing the expansion tank?

are there other tanks that are stronger than the Tbirds that would fit the 352?

If I'm gonna spend the money, I want to go with the best solution.

Thanks Guys!

[Alexander]

The 58-60 expansion tank is a poor design. The later ribbed ones are much better and fit exactly; they are just not correct for show. You can buy all of these tanks as reproductions.

[Alexander]

I see that Pat Wilson sells a Heavy Duty expansion tank. I'm not sure what it looks like.

http://www.wilsontbird.com/parts/7/?PHPSESSID=e01b91f84af694ccb4c5ebdfc21b679e

[Guest]

I have too many mods now to worry about showing, so this may work out well.

Pat's is usually where I go for the quick stuff. He's only about an hour from me, I can take a drive up and check out.

My guess is that route would be better than a 4core upgrade?

[Alexander]

The biggest problems these cars have is the four-blade fan, that was made made more for cost-cutting than cooling, and the lack of a fan shroud, another cost-cutting measure.

[byersmtrco]

Adding a 6 or 7 blade and the shrd will fix most/all of your problems. I went with a 7 blade flex, the Dearborn Classics Reprod shroud, a 4 row rad and a 62 style ribbed tank (Ok so I went overboard)
But . . . The only time she goes over 185 is sitting totally still (in gear) on a hot day. All I have to do is put it in Park and hold the R's up (fast idle) or even moving 5 mph and it cools right down.

It has never boiled over, or in the tank or dump coolant after shutoff like it used to, even on a couple of really hot days (once stuck in commute traffic for 45 min)

Alexander is right (like usual), for such a top of the line car (Ford's flagship in those years) and over all a very well built car, they really did cut some corners on certain things, like the cheezy Falcon 6 cyl fan blade. Those cable driven (vacuum) windshield wipers also come to mind

[Guest]

I have learned with these birds then more is never too much.

I like going overboard. I hate that nervous feeling when I get stuck in traffic and I see that Temp going, going way up.

I recently went with a 6 blade clutch fan(removed the 7 blade flex, not sure if that was smart), an 12 inch pusher fan on the front and an aftermarket shroud. Still have her get up to 220 on an average hot day in NJ. I had the expansion tank off and decided to put it back on, got her down to 200 and then the tank broke. So I am trying to figure if I should spend my money on a new tank or a 4core.

[Alexander]

The expansion tank was one of those inexpensive fixes for a problem that these cars with overheating. The lowness of these cars meant the radiator could not be high enough to adequately cool the car. The expansion tank helps in that it allows more coolant to be in the system.

[bcomo]

Which shround did you use? Was it the Dearborn Classics?

[Hawkrod]

I guess I am a little surprised in part of the responses here and and a general lack of understanding of the purpose of the expansion tank. The expansion tank does not provide any extra capacity or cooling. It is not there to help keep the car cooler. The only purpose of the expansion tank is to have the fill neck of the cooling system at the top and provide an air space above the top of the engine. As the hood lines f new Fords got lower the radiator was no longer above the engine level and the filler and air space must be so they used the tank. The tank was only a fix for a low radiator, not for any other purpose. On a car the top of the radiator higher than the engine, it works exactly the same but allows for a filler and an air space. Also, the lowness of the radiator has nothing to do with air flow. I often wonder when I see these posting why you guys are having trouble. These cars were not known for overheating when new and none of mine ever have. I live in the desert (it is over 100 right now) and I can cruise my bone stock 59 all day with no issues. If you are experiencing overheating, the first thing to do is the basics. Check the timing. This is the #1 culprit after a plugged radiator. Our cars have very thin harmonic balancers and the outer ring has a tendency to rotate. 6 degrees is enough to cause low speed overheating and yet the car will run fine. There are many causes of overheating but if the car did not overheat when it was driven off of the showroom floor it should not overheat now. Hawkrod

[tbird430]

It also acts as an overflow tank or a fluid "catch" reservoir. When the car's engine is stop (not running) fluid expansion occurs.

We should also only be filling these expansion tanks approx. 1/2 way. I run mine on the seem inside the tank (where the 2 halfs come together). This keeps a coolant mixture from "burping" out every time you kill the engine...

[tarps3]

Hawkrod - count me among the ignorant masses who are causing you consternation with our postings.

My '64 Galaxie didn't have the low-slung radiator like my TBird but it too had the expansion tank. The radiator for the Galaxie was also quite large - huge in fact. It seems that if the primary purpose of the tank was to elevate it above the engine, then there would have been no reason for adding it to the Galaxie.
Like most people on this board, I'm not a professional mechanic and won't pretend to be one, but my common sense tells me that the tank allows the system to hold more coolant than it would without it. That's gotta help somewhat.

The fact that so many of us have had better results with the addition of a different fan or a shroud can't be ignored. If it were an uncommon occurance, there probably wouldn't be so many postings about it.

You know, Ford also put drum brakes on these Birds as a cost-saving measure. I don't thnk many would disagree that the stopping power of these cars is sub-standard - as is the cooling. Just because it came from the factory that way doesn't make it optimal.

[frank58]

I had 3 sqbirds back between 1967 and 1970 overheating was never a problem for me either. It will be a long time before I even have to think about my '58 overheating, I'll let you know in a couple of years.
I'm afraid that I'm kind of a purist.... although I know everyone has different tastes and with 50 years of technology to work with it's no wonder so many want to "modernize" their rides .. brakes, ignition, cooling, carburation, etc, etc, but it does make me think that there are less and less original birds out there. But I am still fascinated by the wonderfull work (all of it) and all the love we all put into our birds.

[Alexander]

The Squarebirds with air-conditioning definitely overheated in traffic when new. I have spoken with several owners and mechanics who were there when the cars were new.

The engines and radiators of these car in the past 50 years have accumulated deposits on the walls, which prevents good heat transfer. This is one reason the cars are more prone to overheating now than when new.

[Hawkrod]

Hawkrod - count me among the ignorant masses who are causing you consternation with our postings.

My '64 Galaxie didn't have the low-slung radiator like my TBird but it too had the expansion tank. The radiator for the Galaxie was also quite large - huge in fact. It seems that if the primary purpose of the tank was to elevate it above the engine, then there would have been no reason for adding it to the Galaxie.
Like most people on this board, I'm not a professional mechanic and won't pretend to be one, but my common sense tells me that the tank allows the system to hold more coolant than it would without it. That's gotta help somewhat.

The fact that so many of us have had better results with the addition of a different fan or a shroud can't be ignored. If it were an uncommon occurance, there probably wouldn't be so many postings about it.

You know, Ford also put drum brakes on these Birds as a cost-saving measure. I don't thnk many would disagree that the stopping power of these cars is sub-standard - as is the cooling. Just because it came from the factory that way doesn't make it optimal.

You are mistaken about Galaxies. Next time you are standing next to a 64 Galaxie raise the hood and put a level on the radiator top. It is just above the front of the intake manifold. I have one here, the hose runs UP from the radiator to the expansion tank. Hawkrod