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I'm guessing the whole problem is the fact that the stock ammeter is still hooked up causing a drop in voltage across it  which would affect the regulator and the volt meter....right

Thanks guys !       I talked to a buddy today with the same car and he had the identical problem ( volt gauge reading high and went higher with increased revs) , took it to an electrical shop, and they said it was due to the regulator needing a relay in line with one of the wires going to it, so they installed it and it was fine after that!!??  Waddythink ?

I guess if that did it, it's great.

 I guess I'll find out tomorrow, eh !  Thanks again!

Thanks guys !       I talked to a buddy today with the same car and he had the identical problem ( volt gauge reading high and went higher with increased revs) , took it to an electrical shop, and they said it was due to the regulator needing a relay in line with one of the wires going to it, so they installed it and it was fine after that!!??  Waddythink ?

Are you sure the gauge is accurate?

I checked the voltage across the battery and it was about 13.8-14 and the gauge in the car read about 14-16 as close as I could see, but the stock ammeter is still hooked up ( it's a 69 Dart ) and it bounces around a lot. I've never had problems with Autometer gauges before but I guess it's possible. Does the regulator regulate the voltage before or after the battery? Wondering if the voltage is varying at the votmeter before the regulator then lowered at the battery

I'd say "vacation" is a good word for a trip away etc...it's getting you and the little woman away from the normal everyday stuff and to something diferent! True tho about the mobility stuff as we get older...so get on with it while you're young and able to !

I've had fairly good luck with Cars on line.com - it's $25 and runs til it sells. To me Hotrodhotline  really screwed themselves when they changed what was a great easy to use format for some reason to what it is now...a big pain in the * and a hassle to use.

What's the best way to wire a voltmeter to get a true reading?  My Autometer voltmeter seems to  be reading high ( 16 V) when the reading at the battery is actually about 13.8 -13. Right now I'm taking the power to it off the ignition switch.  Thanks!

I want to change the single master cylinder on my 36 Ford coupe to a dual one. It's a "survivor" so I'm staying with the 4 wheel juice drum brakes which are off a 48 Ford. What would be the best master cyl to use for this? I was thinking about the common 67-72 mustang that most use for disc / drum but would that work? Thanks!

Yes, but you will need a 10 psi residual valve in the front brake line. If you are mounting it under the car, I would use a 10 psi residual valve in the rear too. They make an adapter for that master cylinder that will bolt to what is there now.

Thanks! Do you know who makes the adapter off hand?

You want me to come install it too?  ECI makes a simple one, Chassis Engineering has a bit more sophisticated one.

Hey, that'd be great ....I have good Canadian beer, eh!  Just thought I'd ask and shorten the hunt!  Thanks again!

I want to change the single master cylinder on my 36 Ford coupe to a dual one. It's a "survivor" so I'm staying with the 4 wheel juice drum brakes which are off a 48 Ford. What would be the best master cyl to use for this? I was thinking about the common 67-72 mustang that most use for disc / drum but would that work? Thanks!

Yes, but you will need a 10 psi residual valve in the front brake line. If you are mounting it under the car, I would use a 10 psi residual valve in the rear too. They make an adapter for that master cylinder that will bolt to what is there now.

Thanks! Do you know who makes the adapter off hand?

I want to change the single master cylinder on my 36 Ford coupe to a dual one. It's a "survivor" so I'm staying with the 4 wheel juice drum brakes which are off a 48 Ford. What would be the best master cyl to use for this? I was thinking about the common 67-72 mustang that most use for disc / drum but would that work? Thanks!

The easiest way to provide constant power to your radio memory lead is to convert to a positive side (+) battery terminal disconnect, with an attached fused "pigtail" connected to the radio memory lead.  (See attached link:)

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/LIT3/ATD300BP/N0362.oap?ck=Search_N0362_-1_-1&pt=N0362&ppt=C0061

The fuse size required would be specified in your radio/stereo instruction manual; (they're typically a 3 amp fuse.......)

My understanding is that some racing organizations specify a negative side (-) battery cutoff switch, but for everyday vehicles, or street rods, positive side cutoff works just fine.

That's the exact switch I'm using, but it specified to put it on the negative side so that's what I did. the terminal hole is also a lot smaller so it will only fit the neg termainal. So you're saying I should change it to the pos side and hook the radio wire up to that fuse wire?

I have a disconnect switch on the negative termainal on my battery ( crank the knob back to cut the power) and I'm wiring in a stereo now. There's a wire that is supposed to go to a constant power source to keep the station presets etc  when the power is off. What's the best way to wire this in?  Thanks!    Larry

FYI...

i worry that it did not open in 200f water... what temp is stamped into the bottom of the brass bulb???

160F, 180F, 192F  or is it metric.. a 192F will be marked 95C..  or something like that..

when a thermostat is severally overheated..  it can open far enough that it moves the rod all the way out..  and the wax is still expanding and it pushes past the crimped area and escapes.    this prevents the thermostat from working again as there is not enough wax left to overpower the spring..


with a 160 or sometimes with a 180 thermostat  you can reach radiator temps that exceed the turn on temp of the thermostatic fan clutch if equipped.. this causes a runaway cooling system ..

if your radiator cap does not hold pressure..  you will have cooling system problems.  check the disc in the middle of the cap.. if its spring loaded to the rubber seal. thats good.. there are a few cap part numbers out there that have a loose center disc that requires coolant to push and hold it closed..  these cause so many overheating issues i cannot possibly count the ones i have had to perform major repairs because of the cap spec..

dodge V8s have an almost question mark shaped coolant bypass hose.  some replacement bypass hoses have a straight bend..instead of the question mark shape.. these usually end up with a KINK that blocks coolant bypass flow..  

in a normal system.. the thermostat is closed.. coolant flows from the water pump.. into the block.. around the cylinder walls.. up thru the back of the block and into the heads.. where it goes forward picking up more heat until it goes into the crossover where its blocked by the closed thermostat.. the mechanical pressure created by the water pump on the coolant in the engine will push it all the way thru the heater hoses and also push it thru the bypass hose where it will go around and around until it picks up enough heat to open the thermostat...

at that point the hot coolant will exchange with the cooler coolant in the radiator..   the cooler coolant will close the thermostat and start the  flow thru the bypass and heater core again..

the hot coolant in the radiator will if equipped turn on the thermostatic  fan clutch..  when the air flow thru the radiator cools off below 170F. the fan clutch freewheels again..

this is the cooling system operation..

if you don't have a big enough radiator.. or too small blade size on the fan..  you won't cool the radiator before the thermostat opens again.

when this happens the thermostat opens and does not close. the coolant circulates so fast thru the radiator that it cannot be cooled..

if you have the wrong radiator cap as i described above.. you won't have the additional 13 or 16 pounds of cooling system pressure.

each pound of pressure increases the boiling point 3F..  15 pounds = 45 degrees..

the mechanical pressure created by the water pump and blocked by the mostly closed thermostat creates pressure above cooling system cap pressure in the block and heads to keep the hottest spots around the exhaust ports, exhaust valve seats and exhaust valve guide from exceeding the 250 to 265 boiling point of the cooling system under heavy load.

i have not measured the pressure. but it must be significant..  without a thermostat and the top hose off.. you can rev the motor and throw water out at least 10 or 15 feet..

It was a 180. I got a buddy to test it after I did just to make sure and it wouldn't open for him either.  I took it back and wound up getting a "Super Stant" 180 because I liked the idea that if they fail they automatically fail open which I thought was a good idea.  I run a stock clutch fan and a 7#  rad cap. Seems to work fine so far but I'm wondering if it might boil easy with that cap on a road trip where it's hot ?  Thanks, great info on how it all works!

Which would be the best and most accurate power source to attach the wire from the voltmeter to? I was told to go right to a terminal on the firewall where a direct lead from the pos side of the battery attaches to for the best reading, but this would mean the voltmeter would be on all the time. Possibly a drain?

the hotter you can run the engine without overheating, the more horsepower you get, and the better the fuel mileage becomes. So a thermostat increases horsepower to a certain extent.

I like Robert Shaw thermostats available from Summit and others.

That's the type I had in there except it was from Mr Gasket. I tested it twice yesterday and it wouldn't work. So, they can go bad after next to no time in the car.  Best to check 'em before they go in, but even then you never know cuz they're probably all made in china!