47-59 coolant overflow

[FAKKY]

Thinking of welding one up out of some scrap SS.

Anything special ? Just have the overflow hose from radiator enter at bottom ?
Vent somewhere.

[_Ogre]

that's basically what i did for truk. 3" ss exhaust tubing with caps welded on.
i flattened some tubing to cut the end caps and added a couple of straps to attach it to truk
my vent is a tube welded in the bottom that goes almost to the top

[joedoh]

depends on your rad cap and rad.

if you are pressurized you can either have an expansion system or a burp system. on a burp, you just need a catch can or let it hit the ground. on an expansion system, the coolant expands when heated and you need a reservoir tank that holds some coolant, tube in from the bottom and a vented cap and an optional overfill tube to the ground.

with a burp system, any excess air is expelled and you have to check the coolant once in a while to make sure its topped up. with an expansion system, any excess air is expelled as the cap vents to the expansion tank, then as it cools it pulls coolant back in. usually top tank rads are burp and side tank rads are expansion, but thats not a guaranteed thing.

some systems have a pressurized overflow tank, but those usually have no rad cap on the rad, just the extra plumbing to the tank.

I get a nice square s10 coolant overflow for my expansion systems at oreillys for liike 8 bucks, has mounting tabs and a vented cap.

[dsraven]

joedoh says it. figure out your system needs and go from there. check the rad top tank for size because that is the reservoir they built into the old stock type rads. anything beyond that would simply puke out on the ground. the rad cap would only have a seal on the end of the cap because it didn't have to seal past the filler neck or seal a system designed to draw coolant back into the rad. if you have a rad with the side tanks then the capacity to store more coolant in the rad is usually less so an overflow reservoir could be used. check your rad tank filler neck for depth, integrity of the seal surface for under the cap lid and overflow hose connection seal against the neck as these are important to seal with a closed system. then check to ensure you have the correct rad cap for the system you will run. the system that will recover excess coolant and draw it back in as needed will require a rad cap with dual sealing gaskets, one on the end of the cap that seals down in the bottom of the filler neck, and one that is right under the rad cap lid which will seal against the top of the filler neck. usually a modern system will hold 15 or 16 psi which means the system will start to get rid of excess coolant or air bubbles when it reaches that pressure. if using a stock heater core be sure to pressure test it to that pressure or it may become your weak link (and leave a mess on the floor of the cab). remember to use a recover/overflow tank that is big enough for your system. otherwise it will overfill, dump the excess on the ground, and leave your system low at some point.

[MiraclePieCo]

Question: Orge depicted a system where the hose enters the bottom of the expansion tank; I've always put mine in the top of the tank, making sure the end of the tube was submerged at the bottom. Does it make any difference? This one on my '28 Tudor was made from cyclone fenceposts and end caps:

[dsraven]

Shouldn't really matter. The tube is near the bottom in one scenario or at the bottom in the other. At the bottom may pick up debris or stuff off the bottom of the tank is all. If you keep a clean system no worries. If not you're gonna have problems sooner or later anyway so that would be the least of your worries.

[mr48chev]

The only debris in it would have come out of the cooling system.

I bought one of those under 20 buck stainless ones off Ebay for my 48. I may mount it in front of the core support out of sight though.

I'd say you are on the right track. one tube that just goes a little ways into the bottom of the tank to hook the hose to the radiator overflow on and a long tube that goes up close to the top of the tank as the vent tube. You might want to do something to steady the vent tube so it doesn't want to wiggle around.

[FAKKY]

Thanks Guys.
Was planning on doing something similar to ogre - either with spare 2.5" tubing or with some SS plate I have left over - probably the later.

I dont think my radiator cap vents ..... its just a stock 16lb lift to overflow (champion radiator) ... just no obverflow at moment.

So think I can just link it and let the overflow spill to ground if it ever needs via a tee at topm.

[gigamanx]

I drank mine, it was delicious!

[jwhotrod]

the purpose of a overflow or "puke tank" is to allow the radiator to remain full and not have air space in the top tank. the tanks we use in streetrods have the hose from the radiator in the bottom of the tank with a short extension into the tank. this allows the coolant to push up into the tank and fill the tank from the bottom up as the radiator heats and the coolant expands. but it also allows the coolant to be sucked back into the radiator when it cools. the actual overflow tube has a long extension up ito the tank to allow the tank to vent when it gets too full. this way the coolant level in the radiator stays at the top of the tank and does not allow air into the system. once the system in my 35 chevy reached balance i have not added any coolant for almost a year. i check it regularly but its full snd needs no service. which brings me to the whole reason for this. in a vertical flow radiator with the tank on top and bottom will stop flowing coolant thru the core if the level falls below the top of the core. the air in the system causes the corrosion in and sdiment in the system, my system is as clean today as it was 4 years ago when i filled it.

[FAKKY]

Originally Posted by gigamanx

I drank mine, it was delicious!

that is literally AWESOME.
No way I would do it tho ...... lol

[dsraven]

coolant also "wears out" meaning it's PH level can change. it is part of the reason it is suggested to flush cooling systems every few years. there are test strips to dip into the coolant to test this. I have personally seen a hole eaten through an aluminum water pump housing.

[nvrdone]

joedoh: where do you mount the s10 overflow tank?

[dsraven]

a quick read on ph levels in coolants and the basic differences of regular and long life. also mentions electrolysis developed from high ph levels and how that can eat up aluminum parts and/or cause coolant leaks.

https://www.cartechbooks.com/techtips/antifreeze


I always recommend to size the coolant reservoir appropriately and mount it as close to the rad as possible simply to make the connecting tubing as short as possible. the connecting tube should also have a clamp to seal it at the rad neck and be deep enough in the reservoir, or be tapped in from the bottom of the reservoir, so the hose doesn't "run dry" and it can draw as much coolant as possible back if required (or basically all the coolant, minus a small bit so the hose doesn't touch bottom and will leave behind any debris in the bottom of the tank, like sediment). I also fill and bleed the system as good as possible, pressure test to the rad cap pressure specs for 15 minutes minimum when filling or topping off, then run the engine to operating temp. allow to cool completely and then remove the rad cap and fill the system again when it is cold, topping off the reservoir as well. this allows the engine to boil out any bubbles and draw back clear fluid from the reservoir. the next time the engine is run to temp it may puke some coolant out of the reservoir as needed but then the system should stay good after this, assuming there are no leaks, the rad cap is operational and the reservoir is sized appropriately. if having trouble bleeding the system rev the engine a few times, to about 3k. this gets the water pump moving coolant quicker through the system so bubbles can be pushed through if possible. it's a good idea to road test for this reason as well. coolant can slosh around from cornering or acceleration/braking and this action can get bubbles moving as well.
jus what works for me. hope that helps somebody.

[Black_Sheep]

I took a cheapo aluminum catch can and soldered a tube in the inlet fitting to convert it to a recovery system.

[Tempest67]

on my 51 AD truck I mounted the overflow jug under the inner fender.

[dsraven]

If looking for a recovery tank possibly check with your local rad shop. Sometimes looking for something out of the ordinary is a welcomed break for the counter guy and he/she will gladly spend some time looking. Another place to look would be an equipment parts place like back homes or tractors. Some of those units use a simple square box style and have metal frames around them. Similar to tempest's last post.

[dsraven]

sorry, auto correct gets me sometimes (like daily). I meant back hoes, not back homes.

[57tailgater]

Originally Posted by Black_Sheep

I took a cheapo aluminum catch can and soldered a tube in the inlet fitting to convert it to a recovery system.

Turned picture around so I don't hurt my neck looking at the very nice install!

[Black_Sheep]

Originally Posted by 57tailgater

Turned picture around so I don't hurt my neck looking at the very nice install!

Thanks

[whitedog76]

On a similar note as the whiskey bottle. My buddies truck has an old wine bottle.