351C overheat...Help!!!

Thanks Tom, thats the first time i have ever heard of a cleveland specific thermostat. if that is the cause of the uncontrollable overheat, it is a wonder that it isn't more common knowledge that it can overheat that easily by using the wrong one....I'll let you know the results! thanks again

Is your Air/Fuel ratio correct?
If it is too lean it will run hot!

Sorry to hear but my moneys on the head gaskets where put on back wards when it was rebuilt cleveland have front stamped on the gasket when put on backwards you ll never stop them over heating it most likely got hot and the oil lost viscosity and thats why its run a bearing either that or the heat caused it to detonate and its lost the top off a piston.

if its not head gaskets when you pull it apart try running a bypass line from the block to the top of the thermostat housing i build alot of clevos from street to race and never have any problems with overheating i put one on a friends street clevo which would always overheat and now we have trouble getting it up to temp have to leave fans off even in summer hope this helps if your not sure what i mean i can email you some pic s of the bypass set up

Some Cleveland owners are using the reverse flow method of cooling the engine. This method diverts the flow thu the cylinder heads first. Everone has mentioned the thin wall problem. I fill the block to the freeze plug holes to give the cylinders some additional support. This is alos used to increase flow to the top end of the block where the temps are much higher.

Also, make sure the radiator is not filled with debris. Many times the top sections will flow fine, however the lower portions are clogged with rust and scale that have been flushed from the cylinder block. Scan the radiator with a infa-red temp gun ( $49 @ Pep Boy's) to verify that the temps are even from top to bottom. Also look for temp. drops acrossed the radiator core. Adding some of the "water-wetter" poducts. Some guy's claim 20 degree drop in operating temps.

Finally, what your ooil temps! if you do alot of steet driving, you may consider an oil cooler. Engine oil is not just a lubricator, it also cools the internal engine parts.

EPYON is my 90 SUPERCOUPE with a 460 . My car doesn't overheat and I live in a desert. Electric fans is all I use in all my cars. But you need 2,100 cfm for big FORD's and 3,000 cfm if you have A-C . Go to jegs or a stock car/racing shop and get a aluminum radiator for $150.00 . I had a Lincoln I raced .At first the fan did'nt work because of voltage . That car ran cool after I got the system right, I failed the smog because it ran too rich with the A-C on and 105 degrees outside, but it ran at 175 all day.

how do you get the reverwse flow now ??? i will be running aluminum heads and i definetly want cooler heads-

Thanks for all the responses...i have taken the cleveland apart and found #7 con brg failed......cranks toast, and there was scoring on cyl walls too... i have since found a original bore clevland that is at the machine shop getting measured up and checked over... i'll keep all in touch...thanks again