Model T vs Nevada Heat
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Topic author - Posts: 37
- Joined: Sat May 16, 2020 6:23 pm
- First Name: John
- Last Name: Crespo
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: None! (For now...)
- Location: Henderson, NV
Model T vs Nevada Heat
I have always heard of the Model T's cooling system but I have never heard about how it fares in mid-summer Nevada weather (up to 115 F). How would Lizzie fare in those conditions?
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- Posts: 1922
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:23 am
- First Name: Rich
- Last Name: Bingham
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1913 runabout
- Location: Blackfoot, Idaho
Re: Model T vs Nevada Heat
Assuming (!) the cooling system is in good condition, jes' fine.
There are variables, however - such as the extremes of temperature (big difference between 90f and 105f) and the load on Lizzie, such as payload weight, speed, level ground or steep grade. Lizzie's working parameters are modest. If five passengers in a touring car exceeds about 800 pounds, if one insists on driving at 45-50 mph, you can expect overheating in hot weather.
There are variables, however - such as the extremes of temperature (big difference between 90f and 105f) and the load on Lizzie, such as payload weight, speed, level ground or steep grade. Lizzie's working parameters are modest. If five passengers in a touring car exceeds about 800 pounds, if one insists on driving at 45-50 mph, you can expect overheating in hot weather.
"Get a horse !"
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- Posts: 186
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:25 pm
- First Name: Jeff
- Last Name: Hood
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1915 Touring, 1923 Fordor, 1924 Martin Parry Canopy Express, 1925 Coupe
- Location: Long Beach, CA.
- MTFCA Number: 25636
Re: Model T vs Nevada Heat
If the inside of the engine is clean, not a lot of rust scale, so that the heat can transfer from the iron to the water, and the radiator is in good condition with the fins soldered to the tubes, again so that the heat can transfer from the water to the tubes and then to the fins themselves, and there are no flow restrictions in the radiator, then you should have no problems under normal driving conditions. Your engine is running at about 190 degrees, so there is a 75 degree difference between the air and the radiator, more than enough to absorb the heat from the radiator. In the short time that it takes the air to pass through the radiator, it can only absorb so much heat, no matter what the temperature is. It's really a matter of how much heat is being added to the water by the engine. If it is working hard, pulling a heavy load or climbing a long hill, and adding more heat than the radiator can dissipate, overheating will occur. You can overheat on a 40 degree day too. The answer for this is a larger dissipation area, larger radiator with more surface area.Your Model T should be fine if everything is in good order.
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- Posts: 1069
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 12:18 pm
- First Name: John
- Last Name: Warren
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 14 Roadster, 25 Pickup , 26 Canadian Touring , and a 24-28 TA race car
- Location: Henderson, Nevada
Re: Model T vs Nevada Heat
In addition to what Jeff said. The only thing that you will need to pay attention to here is the water level. They will continue to loose water after they find their sweet spot. I run my race car ( Model A engine) without a water pump and even it does ok if I keep an eye on the water level. One thing that I did with my 26 was to put a over flow tank on it. I will do this on my race car as soon as I come up with a suitable tank. You do need to seal the radiator cap with an o-ring or such. This is a match made in heaven.
Last edited by John Warren on Thu Nov 05, 2020 12:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
24-28 TA race car, 26 Canadian touring, 25 Roadster pickup, 14 Roadster, and 11AB Maxwell runabout
Keep it simple and keep a good junk pile if you want to invent something
Keep it simple and keep a good junk pile if you want to invent something
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- Posts: 1554
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:16 am
- First Name: Don
- Last Name: Allen
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1924 Touring
- Location: Houston, TX
- MTFCA Number: 50001
Re: Model T vs Nevada Heat
My engine was refreshed last year and a new Berg's radiator added to the mix.
I've driven it in the peak of the Houston heat and it handled it just fine. I know the Nevada heat is a bit more intense and more dry, but my experience in 105 degree Texas heat, sitting at stoplights, etc is noteworthy.
I've driven it in the peak of the Houston heat and it handled it just fine. I know the Nevada heat is a bit more intense and more dry, but my experience in 105 degree Texas heat, sitting at stoplights, etc is noteworthy.
1924 Touring
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- First Name: Jeff
- Last Name: Humble
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Canadian built coupe, 1924 TT C-cab, survivor 1924 roadster
- Location: Charlevoix, Mi
- MTFCA Number: 28034
- Board Member Since: 2006
Re: Model T vs Nevada Heat
My T worked fine in south Texas in the summer with a stock set up, 75 rear old radiator, no water pump, no thermostat, no water wetter, just plain 50/50 antifreeze.
Last edited by Humblej on Thu Nov 05, 2020 3:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Posts: 6463
- Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:37 pm
- First Name: Steve
- Last Name: Jelf
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1923 touring and a few projects
- Location: Parkerfield, Kansas
- MTFCA Number: 16175
- MTFCI Number: 14758
- Board Member Since: 2007
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Re: Model T vs Nevada Heat
If it is working hard, pulling a heavy load or climbing a long hill, and adding more heat than the radiator can dissipate, overheating will occur.
After a certain age, everything reminds you of something else. Those words take me back seventy years to Oatman grade on old US 66. On a broiling summer day over 100º F you would crawl along in a long line of cars behind a big truck toiling toward the summit. At every turnout there would be a steaming car with its hood up as the driver waited for it to cool down enough to drive on up the mountain. Being modern cars with water pumps didn't save them from overheating.
The inevitable often happens.
1915 Runabout
1923 Touring
1915 Runabout
1923 Touring