1968 Firebird #3 Lucille Runs Hot, Radiator Flush, New Lug Nuts, Heater Core Leak, and Tach Install

I do all the stuff in the title.

[@ArrowheadGarage]

Good job on flushing out the system on your Bird!

[@ElrodsGarage]

Thanks Brian! I look forward to playing with it again in the Spring.

[@deltabravo5719]

Pretty cool ride... love IT! Other pontiac friends. When flushing your cooling system. Consider hard flushing three items directly with a garden hose. 1. The heater core( its a pass thru system that collects sediment) 2. The engine block (amazing sediment collecter) 3. The radiator... do that part close to how this vid host did his) Ps. Turning on the fan and vent door controls has nothing to do with the heater core or the constsnt flow of coolant from motor thru the core. Best wishes.

[@brettwhite8982]

It has been a year so I'm not sure what you have done to the car since then, but here are some things you can do to improve cooling on Pontiac engines. (1) One easy inexpensive thing to check is the clearance between the water pump impellor and the metal plate that covers the impellor before attaching to the timing cover. This makes a huge difference to Pontiac cooling efficiency. It will cost you some time, some more coolant, and a new water pump gasket. The clearance between the impellor and metal plate should be as small as possible, I'm talking 0.050" small. Sometimes, especially if the water pump has been replaced with an aftermarket unit with a stamped steel impellor, the gap can be as big as 0.250" or so. If the gap is too big, the metal plate can be shaped/hammered/adjusted to reduce the gap, and it needs to be as even as possible. FYI, the factory cast iron impellors are much better. There are also high-quality aftermarket units with machined aluminum impellors that are better than the cheap auto parts store brand stamped steel variety. (2) The 1968 and earlier Firebirds had 8-bolt water pumps and seemed to have a bigger issue with overheating (along with other Pontiac models). The 1969+ models had 11-bolt water pumps and were known to be better at cooling, so a lot of people convert to the 1969 style. You will require a new timing cover along with the pump if you go that route, and I think a new pulley. (3) Another thing to do is to add those horizontal plates that another commenter mentioned next to the hood latch. You need to direct the air to the radiator as much as possible. (4) On original 1968 Firebirds, there was also a small flexible air dam looking thing set back pretty far under the nose that directed additional air upwards. This is not the same as those large Camaro front air dams that some people like to add to Firebirds for "looks". (5) Another thing to check is that the fan is the proper size and is properly set in the fan shroud. I believe the proper fit is the fan blades should be half in and half out of the shroud as viewed from the side, and the fan should take up most of the shroud diameter (no huge gap between the outer edge of the fan blade and the shroud). (6) Finally, there is a mod that you can find on YT about ports on the back of the heads that can be tapped into that allow for better water flow through the heads. It seems to work pretty well for the people who have done it. I think it's pretty well known in the Pontiac world that the back of the driver's side head gets hotter than the passenger side. This is due to the water port back there going to the heater core only coming out of one side. The mod basically allows it to come out of both heads and that equalizes the temperature by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit based on what I've seen. You don’t need to waste money on electric fans and aluminum radiators that may or may not work before checking all of the above things first.

[@AndysDogHouse]

Hey Elrod. My 79 Firebird would overheat when I got stuck in heavy traffic. Even though it was 80 Degrees, I would turn my heater on high for a couple of minutes. I could see the temp. drop. Yes, It got hot in the car, but my car still ran.

[@ElrodsGarage]

Yeah, I turned the heater on and my windshield fogged up really bad. That was the first indication that my heater core was bad. I believe it was pushing coolant out and pulling air into the system causing the cooling issue. I'll dive into it in the spring.

[@michaelcwilichoski2359]

Hey Elrod, my 1968 F. Bird running hot fixes 1/. added an overflow and recovery tank with 1977 T/A radiator cap with stock spit & puke radiator. Still Hot so 2/. I had the carb rejetted from the stock Q jet # 70 Jets & 43 Metering Rods to 1974 - 455 SD Jets # 75 and 45 M. Rods. The garage told me that the stock Q jet was too lean and that the Q Jets needed to be tuned to run on unleaded fuel. Hope this helps. My stock radiator cools the 1968 Firebird 400 just fine. Mike

[@ElrodsGarage]

Hey Mike! Thanks for the comment. It seems to be running cooler now. I do want to add an overflow tank. I was wondering if tuning the carb would help. It runs good now, so I'll leave the carb alone.... for now. Cheers!

[@g3garage]

Beautiful Firebird! But I cringed when you pulled it out into the snow lol!

[@ElrodsGarage]

Me too!

[@arthurporrata8882]

I had the same issue, the car ran hot so I install a fan clutch and I replaced the thermostat to 160 degrees , no more overheating issues. The car has no air conditioning but I found that these cars run a little hot in stop and go traffic. I also have a 1970 Tempest it also ran hot and I did the same thing that I did to my 1969 Firebird.

[@ElrodsGarage]

I added the radiator close out panels and it runs cooler now. I want to add a reservoir in the spring. She likes to mark her territory.

[@arthurporrata8882]

I also added a recovery reservoir to both of my cars. @@ElrodsGarage

[@MrFireman164]

Love it 😍

[@ElrodsGarage]

Thanks Rodger! I really like this car too. It's nice to have something to drive and enjoy while I build the Camaro.

[@MrFireman164]

@@ElrodsGarage absolutely great idea !

[@johnmilner7603]

When I flush the cooling system out of my 70 Z28 I also open the drain bolts from each head. You need that coolant all out of the block. Then I mix up my 50/50 and fill up the system and I know that I have a true 50/50 mix since the block was drained.

[@ElrodsGarage]

I heard about drain bolts, but I'm not sure where they are located. I'll be flushing the coolant again in the spring. I'll find them then.

[@rosewd2]

I used a 75% vinegar water mix to flush out the system, then refilled it with the mix again after getting uo to temp and i let that sit overnight. You need to pull out the block drain plugs and flush with regular water until it runs clear. Also i took of the heater cire hoses and flush that out in both directions with one of those cheap hose jets that lowes sells. Then you can used the premix antifreeze. Take out the thermostat while your flushing it to get max flow and flush until the water is clear. Really i dont think anything that only stays in the radiator for 10 min does much and those flushes are harsh on the pump seals.

[@ElrodsGarage]

Thanks for the comment! Next time I flush the cooling system I'll do it this way. It is running cooler now. Thanks a bunch!

[@TheHsan22]

The two horizontal panels in front of the radiator (next the hood latch) are not fitted. They aid in forcing air through the radiator when the car is moving.

[@ElrodsGarage]

Yeah, I'll get some and put them on this spring.

[@johnmilner7603]

14.26 that’s the factory resistor wire that gets connected to the + side of the coil when you run points. It didn’t come from the factory wrapped in tape. 😊 BTW, if someone wants your call they will use a tow truck. Hide a Tracker in the car. My heater core went on my car so I bought an inline connector with the correct 2 sizes on it from Canadian Tire. That’s a bitch of a job to swap the heater core. What was GM thinking? Couldn’t they had a removable panel on the engine side? That’s how I swapped the core in my 68 Beaumont, from the engine side back in ‘73. 😮

[@ElrodsGarage]

It was wrapped in tape when I got it. LOL I expected whoever changed the distributor to tie into those wires to power the HEI. I think the kill switch is funny and will stop someone from driving off with the car while I'm in Canadian Tire. (As long as they haven't seen this video) A GPS tracker is a great idea. Is there one you'd recommend? I don't think the heater core will be too bad, but that's Future Elrod's problem. LOL

[@dayslife]

you should replace the resistance cloth wire (points dist.) if it is ? , not a must but some say it reduces the spark output less then 12 volts, also had the same kind of kill switch system on it with that wire, and once after few brewskis forgot about the switch , so i cranked, and cranked , the wire got so hot, it soldered to the solenoid wire and started but only on the start position ... i figured it out what was wrong the next morning ...🤣

[@ElrodsGarage]

Ha ha ha That's a funny story. I forget about the kill switch sometimes, but not for long. It floods the engine.

[@skutahuniai4830]

Hey Elrod, have you taken a break from the Camaro?

[@ElrodsGarage]

Yeah, I bought Lucille at the end of June and pushed the Camaro aside for the rest of the summer. Now that winter is here I'll be back on it. Stay tuned......

[@RBOJCK]

add 180 degree thermostat. work on my 64 gto. also check ur fan clutch if u have one. if that doesnt work get an aluminum rad.

[@ElrodsGarage]

I don't have a fan clutch and I believe the thermostat is working just fine. The temp rises to 180 and holds for quite a while before rising again. I do have a new thermostat for it, but I want to try a couple things first.