no steam holes for the street

squeeezer · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 7:42 pm Post subject: no steam holes for the street

406 sbc plugged steam holes in the blocks deck
I assume it will overheat on the street,and be fine at the track
I am right...........right?????

Paul P · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 11:03 pm Post subject:

Should be fine. Idling is where steam holes are really needed. When water is not flowing to quickly and pressure is low they build steam pockets but not are higher rpms so you are fine.

squeeezer · Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 3:28 pm Post subject:

When i rewired my car i added a circuit for an electric water pump.if i implement an electric water pump could i then "idle"????

Paul P · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:02 am Post subject:

Yeah you will be fine. Those holes are for street driven with crank driven water pump sitting in traffic.

Big Dave · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:29 pm Post subject:

A better solution in my opinion is a Stewart Stage III water pump with a CNC machined stainless steel impeller that moves three times the volume of water with half the horsepower required to turn a stock pump. The Stwewart is a true water pump designed to pump water the same way a Gould or a Wayne water pump is built with a machined aluminum housing containing the scroll and the previously described impeller to positively move water from the inlet to the outlet.

The stock water pump is half of a water wheel with nothing on the back to keep the water from recirculating inside the pump (an Edelebrock pump is similar to a stock pump only cast out of light weight aluminum with a fully enclosed squirrel cage water wheel for better flow at less parasitic loss of power). All a stock water pump does is to churn the water inside the pump and hope it beats it into submission.

Big Dave

af2 · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:31 pm Post subject:

A water pump at 12lbs of pressure at X gpm is going to flow more than a water pump at 0 lbs no matter what pump you use. On a closed system, Correct?

squeeezer · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:17 pm Post subject:

Adam,do you still have the steam holes in your 377????

af2 · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:24 pm Post subject:

Yep, but the gasket and head has them plugged.

squeeezer · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:29 pm Post subject:

how much idleing do you do?

af2 · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:04 pm Post subject:

Skunkworkx · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 9:16 pm Post subject:

Mine were plugged also...4500 stall and not much idling at lights or stop signs...no slow ass parade driving.
No issues.

Now IF this will see any of that low RPM stuff....drill them.

squeeezer · Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:05 pm Post subject:

Decided to leave the plugs in the block.
the only time i see stop n go traffic is when car craft comes to the st paul fairgrounds for the summer nats.1 or two days a year.i can wait for the traffic to leave for that matter

jeep_406 · Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 1:39 am Post subject:

I run a 408 that uses the Stewart pump, that Big Dave mentioned, plus a Griffin radiator with a couple of fans I bought from Skip White on E-bay. Even with an air conditioning condense in front of the radiator, the engine stays at 150 degrees as long as the fans are on. I run a 160 thermostat and run a 19 pound pressure cap. I can make a half dozen passes in an hour at the track with no rise in temp. The only reason I limit it to 6 passes is because the trans temp starts climbing.

I love the Stewart pump !!

Skunkworkx · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 9:26 pm Post subject:

Find the biggest tranny cooler you can fit and bypass the radiator completely. Really works for me...I don't think you can over cool an auto tranny in the 48 states.

squeeezer · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:30 am Post subject:

Already bypassed

Since this post....the block has a "full fill" it is possible still for me to street drive but my cooling system will be tested