i recently purchased a 1966 Ford F-100 240 3.9L. The truck was running hot after sitting running in driveway 210 degrees roughly from what i could tell on the gauge thats in the truck. So I decided to put in a new thermostat a 160 degree stant. while i was at it i figured let me remove the water pump and check the status on that. Water pump seems to operate smoothly and quietly so i will put that back on. looks to be original, has C7AE-8505 FoMoCo stamped onto it could be rebuilt not sure. But why i started this thread was i decided while the radiator was out and the fan and shroud are off i might as well order new hoses for my radiator. after receiving the wrong hoses from summit racing for my application i started to do a little investigating. why won't the 1.5" hoses work, they are to small for my radiator. the upper hose fits at 1.5" and the fit on my thermostat housing 1.5" seems to be fine. the lower hoses are where the problem arose. the bottom flange on the radiator is 1.75" and the diameter of the water pump flange is 2". My lower hoses both look to be 2". I measured my radiator and the core is 26.25"x19.25"x2" with oil cooler. The part number on LMC truck that measures that is 43-3040 Radiator Heavy Duty. which says its for a 360 4WD F100 F250 68-71. Previous owner has obviously changed the radiator. the fan measures on 17.5 inches. Are there any issues with me continuing to use this radiator, should it have a bigger fan? Can i keep a truck like this from overheating in high traffic situations? Ive been afraid to drive into NYC because i don't want to overheat. how hot can this truck run before its dangerous to the block?

 

Look on the radiators top tank for a brass or copper plate that will be sweated on (like the front sight of a revolver). It will have the radiators ID engineering number stamped on it.

When the ID number is crossed to the Ford part number, then I can tell you if the radiator is the original, but if not, can tell you what it's from.

The thermostat you replaced, did it match the original or was it a different diameter?

1965, some 1966's have a 2 1/2" diameter t/stat. Some 1966's, 1967 and later t/stat will be 2 1/4" diameter.

1966 F100/250 2WD 240 I-6 with manual trans: The upper hose is 1 1/2" I.D. on both ends. The lower hose is 1 3/4" I.D. on one end, 1 7/8" I.D. on the other.

The water pump is a replacement since the ID engineering numbers prefix reflects 1967 (C7AE). A 1966 would not have a 1967 prefix...as original.

The temp gauge in these trucks is notorious for being inaccurate. Suggest installing a direct reading gauge.

 

however there are some raised letters and numbers on the top tank
08 TH FH1A
m 19 5 79
best i could read in the dark with a flashlight. hope i got those right.

when i took it all apart there were 2 hoses from the lower radiator to the water pump. a formed rubber from the water pump to an adapter which was hose clamped on. and the other side of that adapter was a flex hose to the radiator hose clamped on. Parts store is saying that should be a single hose.

it seems i could keep this radiator as its plenty big enough just need to find the right hoses.

 

i ordered a superstat 160 degree. it is the same exact diameter as the one i removed. however when i installed it it slipped out its groove on the thermostat housing. i cracked the flange and i'm waiting for my replacement. first time and i learned a valuable lesson.

 

The radiators ID number will be similar to this: C5TA-8005-AC

5 79 might refer to May 1979, but without the ID number, I'm just speculating. What the m and 19 refer to, I haven't a clue.

The multiple radiator hoses make no sense unless the engine was swapped from an F500. If this is the case, it would also explain the huge radiator...if it's really that huge.

The radiators used back then are much larger than are used today and most of today's radiators are cross flows.

I recall pulling the radiator from a 1954 Packard Caribbean, it was huge and weighed a ton, plus the core was copper with brass tanks.

I wish I still had it, as the price of scrap copper today would buy a tank of gas for the 'kiddie car' that I'm driving.

 

f500? that would make this a 300? not a 240? how can i be sure what i have under the hood? my vin tag tells me what i should have. my radiator is definitely oversized.but why?

 

It could be a 300, but the 240 was available in 1965/74 F100/350's and F500's, plus 1965/72 Galaxie/LTD, Econolines from 1965 thru 1974 and other series trucks.

The 4th digit of the VIN (A) decodes to a 240, your truck was assembled in Kansas City MO

The first two digits of the DSO code (64) decodes to the New Orleans Ford district sales office. Originally...your truck was a looong way from New Jersey.

The following 4 digits of the DSO code refers to the fact that your truck was a Domestic Special Order, so it was ordered from the dealer by the original purchaser, not bought off the lot.

Something was installed on this truck that was not an RPO (Regular Production Order).

What it was, there's no way to know today, because Ford THREW AWAY all the records for these trucks decades ago.

The radiator looks to be about the same size as the 1965 F100 352 radiator that my truck came with. And I know the radiator was the original, as I bought this truck new.

Oh and the left fender emblem is from a 1965, 1966 is different.

 

thanks for your insight Bill and your wealth of information. i actually bought the truck while i was shooting a TV show in New Orleans Louisiana this past year. The truck has 4000 miles on the odometer. just based on the condition of the truck i'm assuming its 104,000. could be 204,000 but there is little to no damage, dents, dings and the bed is straight as an arrow. truck didn't hall much cargo. so i'm surprised that the radiator is a frankenstein. and one with a shroud. looked like it was all original. couple small areas of rust.

 

I didn't notice the fan shroud in the pic...well that's not original...unless the truck has factory installed A/C along with an xtra cooling radiator.

The 'hang-on' A/C bezel is the same as 1962/65 Fairlane, 1963/65 Falcon and 1965/66 Mustang.

Chrome steel with 4 round plastic chromed registers, one additional on each side. Painted on its face either argent or dark charcoal (if it's the same as 1966 Mustang).

This A/C is a recirculating unit, the bezel also contains the blower motor and expansion valve.

But if there's no evidence of factory A/C (most were dealer installed), look at the upper left corner of the fan shroud for its ID number, post what it is.

ID number could be similar or the same as this: C8TA-8146-S or C8TA-S or D3TA-DA or D3TA-8146-DA.

I know this ID numbered shroud will work, even though it's for a 1968/76 F100/350 360/390 without the Super Cooling radiator.

1981: I installed a 4 row radiator in my '65 F100 352, and I wanted to install a fan shroud.

Back then I worked at Crenshaw Motors Ford in LA LA Land that had the 2nd largest stock of Ford parts in the world (the largest was a NYC dealer).

I took some measurements then went upstairs where we kept a gazillion different fan shrouds and began opening boxes.

The 3rd box I opened: D3TZ-8146-C .. Fan Shroud fit like it was made for it.

This shroud replaced C8TZ-8146-K and is either marked D3TA-DA or D3TA-8146-DA or C8TA-S or C8TA-8146-S

'Course it could have different markings, so it won't be the same shroud as above...but I'll wait and see what you come up with.

 

Is the engine really overheating, or is it just a gauge indication problem? 180° or even 195° stat is what you want regardless, 160° was used back before glycol "permanent" antifreeze came into wide use. Engine sludge will buildup, oil contamination, and excessive cylinder bore wear. It's important that any engine gets up to normal operating temperature right away. And your heater won't work worth a damn in the cold.

Sent from my iPhone using IB AutoGroup

 

For what it's worth, that doesn't appear to be an OE fan either.

 

That's an aftermarket flex fan. No truck of this vintage was available w/a flex fan, but Granada I-6's with dealer installed A/C were, and they are the same size as the original 4 blade truck fan.

I installed one of these fans in my '65 F100 after installing the 4 row radiator and fan shroud.

 

Like Tedster says, it might not be overheating. 210*F is not really too hot, especially if the rad cap is holding pressure. If it is overheating it will barf coolant or blow off steam.
I use a 195* t-stat year-round without issue. Heater works great!
Eric

 

i assume that the lower hose abomination is because the radiator outlet is on the drivers side and water pump intake is on the passenger side. Stock hose for my application and my stock radiator is considerably shorter then this hodgepodge of hoses. no identification numbers on the shroud Bill sorry. also this is the pic of my broken outlet pipe from thermostat.