427so overheating

[houston snake]

I have a 427SO. Its in a Lone Star kit car. It heats up in traffic. It has a fluidyne radiator that tilts back at an angle. I have a 1800 pusher fan on the front and a shrouded 2300 puller fan on the back. The engine has two fours (600s), a tunnel wedge manifold, and port and polished aluminum heads. It idles in the driveway at about 200+ degrees...indefinitely. When I take it out in traffic the temp gradually rises. I bring it back home at about 220. I raise the hood and it drops back to 200+. I need to get the temp under control, I can't enjoy the car. Any suggestion on what to do?

[brettco]

check the gauge- mine was way off.

[Excaliber]

My guage is (remains) off about 7 degrees celsius on the high side, that quite a lot. It's worth verifying your actual temp.

[392cobra]

The VDO guage in my LSC runs 12-15* high.Even with new sender.

[Lew Ledyard]

Check your pulley sizes. Don't use underdrive pulleys. They don't move the water fast enough.

[mr0077]

Make sure the lower hose isn't collapsing when the engine revs...otherwise it sounds like an airflow or shrouding problem.

[vettestr]

Do not forget the oil. Do you have an oil cooler and is it controled by a T-stat? Engine oil runs about 40 to 60 degrees hotter than coolant temp so if at 220* coolant and oil can be 40 plus degrees hotter then the recomended max of 260 * may be an issue. You want oil to reach 210 so contaminates are vaporized.
I bet you have a 200* coolant T-stat I would drop to a 180* unit and folllow the other good ideas already mentioned here on this thread.