[jonboyusmc]

I've got a 94 Mustang that I bought from a young kid as an unfinished project. It's got a mild built 429 in it. I've finally got it running good, but it overheats constantly. Yesterday in about 3-4 miles the temp hit 240*. I didn't assemble the motor, and I'm starting to think he got the head gaskets on wrong. (Everything else was bass-ackwards) What do you guys think? I really don't want to tear the top end off, but in my eyes it looks like thats the problem. Here's some info on the motor:

all stock 429 short block
ported D0OE-R heads
CompCam 270H cam running 12* advance on timing
Weiand Stealth Intake with 750 Speed Demon
2 stages of nitrous (not hooked up yet, haven't got that far)
Pro-Comp electric water pump with no thermostat
dual row alum radiator with a 25 X 17 core
2-12" pusher fans 2500 CFM total

 

[jonboyusmc]

on closer inspection, I can see the rectangular tab of the gasket sticking out from the front on the drivers side, but the passenger side has the rounded side sticking out from the front. Should the rect. tab be sticking out on both sides?

 

[ants84olds]

you should be running some kind of restrictor if your not running a thermostat. the water wont stay in the radiator long enough to cool if you dont.

 

[GGrahn]

Try putting in a thermostat or using the electric pump in cycles. That water has to stay in the engine for a tiny bit in order to cool it.

 

[mudbogtom]

on closer inspection, I can see the rectangular tab of the gasket sticking out from the front on the drivers side, but the passenger side has the rounded side sticking out from the front. Should the rect. tab be sticking out on both sides?

I believe that they should.
Tom

 

[460Skywalker]

gaskets wrong?

I think you can pull the valve covers and look down the oil drains in heads. if they are on wrong i beleive they would be blocked..., ED

 

[jonboyusmc]

I popped the valve cover off and both of the oil return passages are open. I did notice a mis-match in the holes though. Maybe 3/32"-1/8" offset to one side on both returns. Could somebody sneek a peek under their hood and see which tab is sticking out on the passenger side? I surely would appreciate it. I'm also going to stick the thermostat back in and try that, although it was running hot before I took it out. Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[Frank Merkl]

the square tab needs to be at the front on both side normally it says front on it also
Frank

 

[jonboyusmc]

Thanks Frank and everyone else that replied. I'll be starting the tear-down tomorrow night. This is the LAST time I buy someone elses unfinished project. The whole thing has been 2 steps forward 3 steps back.

 

[bigblok86ranger]

Do you know what the vintage of the short block is? The only pistons I know of for the 429 are 11+ compression and perhaps you are detonating some to cause overheating. I would pull the plugs and check for aluminum specs on the porcelin before pulling it apart.

 

[pullinpower]

don't for get about timing

if you're running retarded.... giggity.... that can cause a heat problem too.

sean

 

[jonboyusmc]

I've been running retarded most of my life. Just ask my ex-wife. I'm running12-14* advanced per Barry Grants carb set-up advice. I also twisted and contorted myself to find out that I have a D1VE block. So this makes this a CJ/SCJ motor with I am assuming 11:1 CR. Should I try running some 100+ octane in it? Thanks again for all the help.

 

[SLOWnSTEADY]

I am surprised no one has mentioned the ProComp electric pump being part of the problem..

 

[jonboyusmc]

Whats wrong with the ProComp waterpump? I've got a filler cap inline in the upper radiator hose, since the radiator sits quite a bit lower than the top of the motor. I can open the cap with the pump running and it has good flow.

 

[SLOWnSTEADY]

Whats wrong with the ProComp waterpump? I've got a filler cap inline in the upper radiator hose, since the radiator sits quite a bit lower than the top of the motor. I can open the cap with the pump running and it has good flow.

#1... "this site" told me for a daily driver/street car that a mechanical pump would be much better.

#2... Everyone hates ProComp, "cheap for a reason" is what I hear a lot.

 

[crittersf1]

Pro-Comps are prone to leaking, if it's not leaking it should be fine. Is it pumping in the right direction?

 

[jonboyusmc]

Tha pump leaked like a sieve when I got the car. It had been installed with no gaskets. I've got it all sealed up now, and its pushing alot of coolant in the right direction. I've got an inline filler cap in the top hose, so I can stick my finger in and check it. I'm picking up new head gaskets tomorrow, and I'm going to pull the top end off over the weekend. I read in another post here that the tabs should facing the same on both heads and mine aren't.

 

[1989 notch]

I had a problem with my car overheating and 2 weeks ago I moved my radiator forward to
make room for a taurus fan (puller) that had a built in shroud that I only had to modify a little to get it to fit real nice, now it stays at 160* if I leave the fan on. The taurus fans pull a lot of air, and the shroud makes sure it has to pull all that air through the radiator.

 

[jonboyusmc]

Just got home with the new head gaskets. My passenger side is 100% for sure on backwards. The end with square tab is marked FRONT on both sides. I hope this is at least the majority of the problem. Unfortunately I don't have enough room to move the radiator forward and put a puller fan with a shroud. I've only got about 3" to spare before I hit the water pump.Thanks again everyone.

 

[jonboyusmc]

Well, I got the head gasket changed over the weekend, and it seemed to help with the overheating problem. I also added a 1" restrictor in the thermostat housing. I'm still getting up to around 210-220*. A friend of mine that races late model suggested going with a 5/8" restrictor to slow down the coolant flow. What do you guys think? I'm running a Champion 2 row radiator. Should I consider going to a 3 or 4 row? Any input would be appreciated.