Cooling the Burning Heart

Business has had me out of town for the past week.  It was a good trip, and rather affirming for me, but I did not feel productive.  In my current frame of mind, I doubt that anything I could do would feel productive.

Next Saturday, I'm scheduled to take Nell on her first parade.  I'm a little concerned about the overheating incident, so this weekend I decided to refresh the cooling system on the t-bird.  I drained and flushed the coolant, then opened up the thermostat housing.   I had a nagging suspicion that something was wrong with the thermostat... I was right.  I had installed it backwards!  This high-flow thermostat design isn't very strong when installed in the backwards direction. The first time I revved the engine, the water pressure acted like a gust of wind under an umbrella, and  separated the poppet from the frame.  I found the poppet rattling around inside the housing.  This unnerving, but I feel fortunate that it didn't block the upper hose completely!  Then instead of taking a little longer to warm up, Nell would have been really damaged by overheating!

The thermostat isn't supposed to be in two pieces!

 I ordered a replacement with next-day delivery.  The cooling system can't be put back together until I get it, which will probably be Tuesday. 

While the thermostat housing is apart, I decided to move the mechanical temperature gauge sensor from the bypass line to the engine side of the thermostat.  I started by stuffing a rag in the water side of the manifold, drilling a hole, and tapping it for the 3/8"  NPT sensor fitting.  It was then a simple thing to clean out the shavings in the manifold, and install the sensor.  This should give a more reliable temperature reading than the previous location in the thermostat bypass line.

The inexpensive electric fan that I ordered last week came while I was traveling.  I knew that I would have to take the grill out to install it, and that would take considerable effort.  I had some things I wanted to do for work this weekend, but I put them off in order to get the fan in this afternoon.  This was something I knew I could do, and I needed to feel that I had accomplished something.

I started by removing the bumper and the grille.  That didn't take long... putting it back will take longer

 The fan is designed to run in either direction, but is set up out of the box as a "puller".  Since I was putting the fan in front of the radiator as a helper for the existing fan, I had to remove and flip the fan wheel, then reverse the polarity to make the motor run the other direction.  This makes it a "pusher", which I successfully tested using a spare battery.  For 5 times what I paid, I could have got a kit specifically for the t-bird with fan, brackets, relays and wiring.  As it is, I was able to make brackets out of metal from my scrap bin, and I already had wire and relays.  Two satisfying hours from the time I started, the fan was installed.

Looking good!  I won't reinstall the grille until all of the wiring is working.

My plan is to wire up a dash switch and relay tomorrow evening, check for correct operation, then reinstall the grille.  Tuesday night or Friday I will install the new thermostat and fill the radiator with distilled water and DEI Radiator Relief.  Gotta love their video demonstration, using a '55 t-bird with almost identical engine modifications to Nell!

It's been a good weekend.  I feel optimistic that Nell will be ready for Saturday's parade.
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Today's sermon focused on the restorative power of love.  The young assistant pastor delivering the sermon related how several older men have stepped into his life, and provided the close, masculine, supportive, accountable relationship that was totally missing from his abusive father.  Needless to say, this resonated with me.  I talked to him after the service, and expressed how much I long for that kind of restoration!  Though therapy and through these men investing themselves in him, my pastor friend has come to terms with his father.  He still maintains boundaries, but now he has the self confidence to seek a relationship with him on healthy terms.

I like to think that I had reached that point with my own Dad before he died.  I also like to think that restoring Nell has opened meaningful relationships with other men, some of whom are nurturing and fathering me.  I am particularly grateful for the deeper relationship I now have with Uncle Packard and Uncle Cord.

Also, I am very grateful for Uncle Toronado, the WWII fighter pilot.  He called me just days after Dad died "just to see how I was doing", and to express how much he appreciated me being there for him when his dear wife died in January.  He is one of the few people that I can really open up to without reservation.  He has no agenda, no time schedule, no demand.  He doesn't blow his top, he isn't grouchy, and he loves to engage in meaningful conversation.  Most importantly, he has a way of letting me know that he cares about me, even when I am feeling inadequate or unproductive.  He cools my burning heart.  I think I need more men in my life like him.

And, you know what?  I want to be more like him.