I have an 85 el camino with a 454. I bought the truck about six months ago. I have been having the operating temperature running around 210 to 220. I replaced the water pump and the thermostat, and flushed the system, right now I have water in it and it runs around 210. Will it run cooler when I add the coolant? Do I need to rod the radiator or could it be the timing? Or did I miss something? Thanks for any help.......Merc

Sounds like you've done a good job. Using anti-freeze will not change the temperature it runs at. I use Red-Line Water Wetter and it does drop the temps about 15 degrees (important! mix according to directions). Four more things I would look at are 1. Radiator cap--just replace it to be sure, 2. If you have A/C--make sure condenser is not clogged (bugs, grass, etc.), 3. Check the fan clutch--if bad will run hot at low speeds, and 4. You have a 454 (YEA!!!) so the radiator may not be large enough to handle the extra engine. Is the radiator the original? If so it might be marginal for the 454. Do a search on here for ideas on radiators. Have fun and good luck!

x2, yep a little maint. never hurts...
first make sure the gauge is right...
check the temp. on the top hose at the motor with a temp. gun,,
any shop should be able to check it,,takes about a minute...
.
what temp is the t-stat.?
how wide is the rad.? how many rows of tubes? how wide are the tubes?:texas:

The fan clutch has been the culprit in a few cases with my cars.

The radiator has three rows of tubes, they look to be three eights to one half wide. The radiator is about four inches wide. No clutch, new electric. Thermostat is 180. I "think" it is the right radiator. I just installed the condenser. I can look down in the radiator and I can see some crud build up around the tubes. Thank you all for your help.....merc

check the gauge,,just to be sure but,
a three row 1/2" is kinda small for a bbc with a/c,,
every thing has to be right,,air flow,,clean,cap,and big/wide...
how wide is the core? im asking left to right,,from tank seam to tank seam,,usually like 27" wide...
a 85 never came with a bbc,,so it cant be right one..:poke:justkiddin.
u runnin 1 elec.fan or 2,,,check the cfm rating...
i would be shopping for a new 2 row with big tubes 1" to 1-1/4"...im in texas...:texas:its hot

And make sure the timing is advancing properly. I had a mechanical advance Mallory on my 502 and changed to a vacuum advance Mallory and it ran a lot cooler. Mech. wasn't advancing enough at highway speeds.

I believe retarded timing will increase the temp alright enough. Kills power too. JJLT1 is right about gauges. They lie sometimes. Having a build up of crud in the core will surely restrict the flow enough to increase temp. If you have a radiator shop in your area, pull it and get it cleaned before doing other type "fixes".

I'm out of town right now, but when I get back home next week I will measure the length and width of the radiator. I did put a vacuum gage on it yesterday, and it indicated that the timing might be retarded. It was holding at fifteen inches... Thanks for all the help, Merc

Problem Solved, Bought a new aluminum radiator.... thanks for all the advise. merc

I installed new aluminum radiator and coolant with water wetter, I drove it twenty five miles today and it never got over one ninety. When I got back I used my temperature gun on the upper hose, one seventy. I think maybe I'm finished with the cooling system, I hope.