Cooling system I don't believe that year of Mav came stock with a shroud (unless I'm mistaken) and while I intend to get one put on thanks to the good advice in this thread, this car was almost completely stock/original when I got it so it's not surprising that it didn't have one added or anything else really done yet. The upside to that is, almost anything at this point is an upgrade! (If it's done right first time, that is) Talked to the Dealership and he said he's going to keep the car over the weekend and call me monday when he has a price/estimate for recoring the radiator instead of replacing it since he can't find a replacement, and will do a engine flush with a VC9 iron cleaner that they use for bigger/older engines. If his estimate sounds a bit too big (recoring looks pricey as it is), I might end up using this neat little classic restoration place nearby instead since I've already been planning to visit and toss ideas around. (it's where I'd get the shroud done anyway) Have to wait for monday! Might call the resto place now and toss the issue of the radiator at them now, see what they think of recoring instead trying to find a replacement or similar/mod. I'm open to suggestions as well, of course, though I don't want to hijack this thread from the original poster. Everything already posted by you guys sounds good though, and been mentioned to the dealer service dude. EDIT: Whoops, missed the resto place by 30 minutes, heh. I did search up a radiator repair shop after though and called, talked a bit about radiator options. Time to think on things and wait for Monday!
an observation Jeff, Tim and myself witnessed at Summit. a guy put the water wetter in his truck in the parking lot... he fired the truck up and blew a rad. hose. went in got another bottle, put it in and went to move his truck to another parking spot and blew the new hose off. fixed that and put it on a trailer and took it home. now Tim was cracking on the guy for wasting 2 bottles of the stuff. Tim had bought a bottle also and had put it in his car while sitting in the parking lot. well when he left Summit to go home, when he got to the end of the on ramp to the interstate he blew a rad. hose off also... just saying...
check with Advance Auto about a radiator. I would stay away from...resto. shops and the dealership...JMO http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...8-p?navigationPath=L1*14922|L2*15022|L3*15952
Radiator! Hey 71gold, thanks for the link. I've been looking at radiators online and had decided earlier that I'm pretty sure I'm gonna just get the estimate from the dealership then take the car straight to the radiator specialist I spoke with today to have the flushes done first before anything else. I mean, getting the flushes done was what I'd wanted anyway when I went in, and the guy comes back with recoring what isn't even an original radiator (it looks fairly new) anyway! So yeah... not enthused right now but getting things figured out bit by bit. My boyfriend pushed for me to take it to the dealership, not me. I didn't really get much help from a ford dealership in Cali with my last Maverick so I was wary but figured it didn't hurt to try this dealership out at least to see what they suggest. And suggest, they certainly have! Not sure about this recoring being necessary but entertaining the idea as I consider options. Bleh. Anyway, my issue about buying a radiator myself is not knowing what specifications to look for. I had a Ford Maverick manual for my '74 but from what I've read, there is no Ford Maverick specific manual for the '71 Mavericks. I intend to pick up one of those general '71 ford auto manuals that includes a section on the Mavericks but in the mean time, do you know offhand what specifications I'd need for a new radiator? Are the specifications for the radiator you linked the right specs for my Maverick? Thanks for your time. Tough to know what to look for without a manual. EDIT: ooh, just noticed the 'part fitting' tool on the page.. hot diggity! Says it's an exact fit. Guess I'll use it's specs after all!
the...heater core...will also be an issue... hopefully they can flush it when doing the motor. as above, good chance the freeze plugs will start leaking....what you are doing is basically a...patch job... is your car...automatic...A/C?
lol.. if that's the case.. then all my rides must have those super silicone turbo hoses that resisted/still resist blowout. the stuff works well and has been used MANY millions of times since it was introduced many years ago. Many other companies have followed suit and also have similar products now.
Shroud and a Message! Whoops, sorry Simple, I must have forgot to mention it's not a V8 302 like the OP's vehicle. I was just interested in the overheating tips/advice in this thread and figured most of it might still apply in a general sense to my I6 250. So yeah, no shroud stock on mine but would probably be a minor improvement in efficiency if one was simply added. It wouldn't actually fix what's causing my overheating though so that is where I'm focused at the moment. Gonna have the engine and radiator flushed with whatever the strongest cleaner they have is come Monday and see where things go from there. Also, the mechanic who helped me previously to get back on the road when my car overheated had said then that my water pump pulley was bent but was unlikely to be the culprit causing the overheating because the belt was still fine and held in place. Well he just called and left me a message that his '65 Comet (I6 200, IIRC) had a water pump in good condition that he had switched out when he was upgrading everything under the hood and he's willing to give it to me. Do you guys think it'd be compatible enough for my '71 Mav (I6 250)? Hmmm!
