Ok, fun stuff comin your way. I have a 1978 Ford Thunderbird with a 351M. As soon as it got hot outside, this thing started running seriously hot. Temperature gauge stays ok around R or M of normal in the midday heat, but as soon as you shut it off, leave it for a little bit, come back out and start it up, its buried in H, and takes awhile to come back down. It has an edelbrock intake and 600 cfm carb, a new 3 core radiator and high flow waterpump, holding pressure and circulating. Just got a new change of oil with stabilizer, plugs, wires and so on are good. Got new main bearings last year because they got cooked. This engine pretty much runs without emission controls, has pcv valve, air pump disconnected, hollow cats. A note on that, it ran hot before the emission controls as well, and with the stock intake and carb, in fact, ran hotter. Anyway, I can't get this thing to run cool no matter what I do. Run it for a awhile, open the hood, blast of heat(during the summer, aka now, NJ). Can't touch a thing. I've tried both advancing the timing and retarding it with no effect on the car accept killing performance. While you've got that in your heads, just so I can double check everything, can someone give me the idle speeds for neutral and while in gear so I can make sure I've got that right, and what the timing is supposed to be on this engine. I have to get to work on this thing before the heat decides to kill something else I dont' have the money for. >< Thanks guys...

 

Sounds normal to me. When the vehicle is not moving and the engine is off there is no circulation or ventilation and everything gets hot.

 

You may try a cooler thermostat say in the 175-180 region. However, I would start with replacing the temp sensor or adding a good temp guage with it's own sensor. Other than that, you will need an electric water pump and rad fan and some type of timer to keep the coolant cooling after shutdown.

 

I can understand that, but I'd still like those numbers to check up against what I have already set. Idle speeds and timing.

 

Sorry I do not have any manuals that cover cars and even if I did they do not publish it, they all say "information on the sticker". Otherwise I would guess idle speed around 600 and timing 10-12BTDC. Without EGR the vacuum advance will be incorrect and the engine will ping.

 

Is there any way to compensate for the egr ping? My manifold has no provision for it, so I cannot add it in. Even if I could add it in, if it required a spacer I most likely would not be able to close the hood. Do i have any options?

 

Idle speed=650rpm with Auto trans, Base Timing=12BTDC, these #'s were taken from a Chilton auto repair manual for '72-'79. I hope this helps. Have you run premium fuel for the pinging? I'm not sure what the EGR valve has to do with the vaccuum advance......