I have been having loads fun trying to keep the 66 from overheating. Especially sitting in traffic, on a 90° day. I decided to throw a few parts at the car and see if that fixed the issue. I purchased a new water pump (AC Delco), a new thermostat, upper and lower radiator hoses, and some 50/50 prestone antifreeze. The manual calls for a 169°F thermostat, but the lowest temperature I could find was a 180°. I also purchased some Red Line WaterWetter, it is a chemical that breaks down the surface tension of water so more of the water is “touching” the metal surfaces of the radiator. The pump is very easy to replace, just make sure none of the o-rings pop out of place. Use some o-ring lube on the o-rings if you have some. I had to remove the radiator, but it is only held in with two bolts. After doing all of this it still gets hot, but not as bad. The car does have an electric fan in front of the radiator, that does help a LOT. You can tell by the photo that my real issue is the radiator, it looks like there was a wreck at some point and the radiator contacted the moving fixed blade fan. There are some aftermarket, 3 core, radiators on eBay; I may get one of those maybe next summer.
Products used:
- AC Delco Water Pump
- Upper radiator hose
- Lower radiator hose
- 180°F thermostat
- 2 Gallons of Prestone 50/50 antifreeze
- 1 Bottle of Red Line WaterWetter
