170 engine questions

[bkaiser]

Hey guys. Have a few questions and issues hopefully you can shed some light on:

I have a '66 170 with a '70 large log head engine I dropped into my 67 bronco this year. The engine I bought off of a forum member here a few years back. It has approx 30k on it. I went ahead and installed my Autolite 1100 carb in the log via a homemade adapter plate I had a friend machine. This was due to the carb bolt spacing being different on the '70 head.

The engine runs well, but also runs hot, or what I call hot. 200 at idle, and can get as hot as 220 on the interstate. It also emits a grey/blue smoke upon acceleration. I have:

Pertronix points replacement
Brand new 192 degree t-stat
Running distilled water with water wetter
Radiator was just leak and flow tested and was fine
Just rebuild my carb too

One thing to note: because I had to make a base plate for my carb, my engine's PCV valve is not hooked up. Can this cause issues? My cap has no vent tube on it, the PCV port is at the back of the valve cover FYI. I see a threaded port on the intake log that has a cap on it, should I put a fitting in there and vent that way?

So I am wondering about a few things. First, is the AL 1100 sufficient to keep up with that 200 head? If so, what else could cause the engine to run hot?

Also, did ford ever make a carb plate for the 200 that had the 1.75" carb hole, and coolant flow thru on the side? I have this spacer for my original 170, but it is 1.50" and the bolts dont line up on the head obviously...

 

[bubba22349]

If you have enough height on your spacer you could drill and tap it for a fitting to hookup the PVC. How much base timing do you have? Is the radiator an old one?

 

[rbohm]

8) as to your so called heating issue, with a 192 degree thermostat, 200 degrees is about right at idle, and 220 is fine for running down the interstate. i wouldnt worry until the temp needle climbs above 230 or so. this assumes your gauge is accurate and has real numbers on it and you are not using the factory gauge.

to your carb issue, the autolite carb is plenty for a basically stock 170, though if you step up to a large carter yf you should gain a bit of power as well as a bit more efficiency.

as to your pcv question, you can use any manifold vacuum source to run the system, just remember to keep the pcv valve clean to operate properly.

as to your carb plate question, you may be able to modify your stock one to fit the later head by elongating the mounting holes, and since your carb was designed for the carb adapter, there would be no issues in using it on the later head.