Reduce the operating temperature of your T-Bird by a

WATER PUMP REPLACEMENT

Sal Perrotta

Source Data:CTCI Early Bird Magazine and Casco Web-Site

Like many of you, I stored my 56 T-Bird in the garage for the winter. When I started the car in the spring the water pump was leaking. Water was shooting out of the breather vent which is an indication of a seal failure protecting the main bearing.

I contacted Stan and he jumped in to help replace the pump. Stan also advised that there is a “High Velocity Pump” available. I called Bob Ceraso and he ordered the updated style pump and the seals for me.

As many of you know, when it comes to the 55/56/57 Thunderbirds under certain driving conditions (parades & city driving) and excessive ambient temperature, the Thunderbirds were prone to run toward the hot side of normal. The primary reason for higher than normal operating temperature under these conditions was due to the design of the engine compartment. The small tight engine compartment did not allow for free air flow to carry out the hot air transferred from the radiator. Also, there is a basic design flaw in the water pump system. The T’Bird engines were the same engines used in thousands of Ford passenger cars and trucks, but the passenger cars and trucks did not have the same tendency to overheat.

The water pump for the Thunderbirds was the same as used on passenger cars and trucks. The timing cover for both the passenger car and Thunderbird were similar in design, both were built to accommodate the same water pump. The cavity for the water pump impeller was approximately 5/8" deep. The water pump impeller was approximately ½" thick. This combination worked fine in the passenger cars and trucks. When the same engine was used in a Thunderbird it was necessary to install a 1&1/8" spacer between the water pump and mounting cavity to accommodate belt alignments. When this spacer was installed the water pump impeller did not fill the extra one inch gap created by the water pump spacer. The results were a lesser volume of coolant being pumped through the engine. This lesser volume of coolant coupled with infrequent radiator flushes and coolant changes created an accumulation of solid rust around the rear cylinders of the block.

The above conditions cause overheating especially during city driving or parades. This problem can be overcome by installing a high volume water pump with an extended impeller can be installed. The extended impeller was developed by CASCO.

It is recommended that you also replace the thermostat with a larger opening, this is explained below.

There are at least two different size thermostats currently available four Thunderbirds. The one with a small opening is available in 160 and 180 degree and has an opening of .887 square inches. The other thermostat which is available in 170 degree has an opening 1.724 square inches, referred to in this document as the large thermostat.

I have included several pictures which highlight the differences in the pumps and thermostats:

Standard Water Pump with the old style impeller

New Water Pump with the Vein style impeller

Standard size and large opening Thermostat (Small 160 & 180 Degree, Large 170 Degree)

The effect of installing the High Velocity Pump lowered the operating temperature of my engine by 20 degrees. This is a significant improvement which benefits the engine and the comfort inside the car for the driver.

In my research of this topic I found a list of recommendationspublished by Gill of CTCI which will also reduce the heat issues with your cars.

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From CTCI

Other items that contribute to a cooler running engine are as follows.

  1. Head gaskets properly installed (square corner tab should be visible at the top front of the engine block) and are not leaking.
  2. Install a six blade fixed (nonflexible) fan. The edge of the fan should be out of the shroud approximately ¼".
  3. Install a full radiator fan shroud (including lower section).
  4. Insure the timing is properly set throughout the full range of power. The 1955/56 must be set in two places. The initial advance of 3-6 degrees and the vacuum advance for acceleration and cruise. The 1957 model must be set in three places, initial, centrifugal and vacuum for acceleration. The exact specifications can be found in the shop manual available for each year from CTCI.
  5. When installing a new water pump the clearance between the water pump housing and back side of the impeller should be checked for proper clearance (0.030-0.040). This information can be found in the shop manuals.
  6. Insure the heat riser on the right hand exhaust manifold is working properly. It should operate freely by hand and open during acceleration and cruise. The counter weight goes down as it opens. Better yet replace the valve with dummy (flapper removed) or a spacer.
  7. Install an electric fan, especially if equipped with air conditioning and the car is used in parades or extended slow city driving. I prefer a pusher mounted in front of the radiator between the air condition condenser and radiator.
  8. Insure the radiator hoses are in good condition and not spongy especially the lower hose. The lower hose has an internal anti-collapse spring.
  9. Radiator should be clean and have at least four rows of cooling tubes and 14 fins per inch. Heavy-duty radiators are available.
  10. Coolant additives are available that claim to increase cooling capacity and reduce boiling.
  11. A smaller diameter water pump pulley is available from Thunderbird parts dealers which will increase the speed of the water pump which may be beneficial in parades and slow city driving.