Well you all know we were going to go to the Bash and couldn't.
Some of us had major car troubles that would of cost us the trip if we had gone, me included. The wife and I decided to take a short trip (1200 round) up to Montana from Portland about 10 days ago in our 65 that has been rebuilt with new tranny, rearend the Shelby drop, 620 springs, mid leafs in the rear, PS conversion,AC, new 2 row 1" tubes rad with electric fan and shroud, and everything else except the engine. Still have 135K on it. here is how that played out. With the roads up to MT all at 70-80 mph the car was handling like it was on rails, ft and rr sway bars and 225x60 TAs, it was fun to drive.
With temps in the 80s on the way out. We used the new AC the whole trip. We ran hot at 220, I saw 230 on a short grade and stock gauge was almost pegged,  then 210 for the next 500 miles even the stock gauge was 3/4 hot  and we climbed the first 2 passes at 50 MPH so not to heat up. thought we lost a T stat 100 miles from the end of the 600 miles. So I replaced it with new 180 and drilled hole, in town the next day. Now in Helena MT for 8 days  we could not heat up to 160 yet the stock gauge was at a normal of almost midway. Then I discovered the mech temp gauge had broke off at the block adapter. Still having stock dash gauge so used it. Burned out one ft parking/turn lamp, and the tranny hose developed a crack, easy fixes. PS steering pump started to leak.
On the trip home we made it 100 miles into Missoula MT and discovered i was only cooling on the hwy and almost pegged the needle when we stopped for food. Found I had no fan. Check fuse and wires, when I turned on the over ride to the controler I heard the motor run with no blades. Pulled the derale electric fan and discovered the keeper had come off. Reinstalled it and used some SS tie wire on the clip.
This is where the story changes. Same temps of 76-82 with AC and 2 more mountain passes. We ran 72 mph, 65 up the passes and all the way home 500 more miles and I never saw the temp gauge go much more pass straight down. even when we would stop for fuel it barely when up until I would shut off, then as soon as we pulled away we were dropping back down to normal.  Going up the passes it ran just a freckle passed norm but never hot. Something I never seemed to be  able to do was idle for 15 minutes, let alone hours in a traffic jam without overheating, and we had 1+ hrs of 0-5 mph and never passed middle on the gauge.  I question if the Derale fan was part of my heating problem along with a faulty mech gauge from the start.
A side note to the temps all taken 1 mile off freeway and parked in garage after 600 mile trip
  
dif 155   Amsoil Synthetic
tranny at pan 190 Synthetic
block at intake 195 right after shut down in garage.
PS 300+ smells burn, smokes and leaks (borgeson conversion) 
Next morning checked oil, used 1/8" inch of oil on stick in 1200 miles  10-40 syn valvoline
Avg mpg 15 at 71-75 mph for trip w/AC on reg 87, 289 2 bl with dual exhaust, 2:79 gears

Last edited by Cab4word67 (7/06/2020 12:26 PM)