LT1 steam pipe cross over tube needs to be move from the back of heads to the front, The same holes that are in the back of the head are in the front and I have a LT1 distributor converted engine and it would be nice to put the two in the front instead of the back of the heads.

 

The purpose of the steam pipe is to remove air and steam bubbles trapped at the back of the heads. Moving the connections to the front would defeat that purpose. Cool water from the water pump enters the block and immediately flows upward to cool the heads. Connecting the steam pipe to the front could short circuit the flow and dump some of the cool water right back into the radiator. #7 and #8 are the hottest cylinders in the engine, and can generate steam bubbles that don't flow downwards to cool the cylinder walls. Remember the concept of the LT1’s “reverse flow” cooling.

 

Thanks Fred, this is my LT one set up I bought the car with the LT one installed and have been working for two years on everything bumper to bumper. During this two-year project I have driven the car frequently and the temperature has always remain good. When I was re-plumbing oil pressure gauge tubing in the back of the motor I found the crossover tube and whoever build the block and heads put the crossover tube on and then cut the outlet tube and braised it shut🤨
looks like I’ll have to pull the cast iron heads and replace the tube and run it to the radiator do you agree?

 

By the way Fred what is the brass fitting or maybe a pit **** for on the return line to the radiator from the water pump I circled it in red?

 

they are bleeder screws to get air out of the cooling system.

 

Pulling the heads is not going to help you and is work you don't need to do. The steam pipe needs to go on with the heads mounted. It would be near impossible to remove the heads, install the pipe to them and then try to mount both heads at the same time without ruining the pipe. If enough of the pipe that should go to the radiator was left, just connect to it with a rubber hose and bring it to a radiator inlet.

 

Thanks for the help would you check my flow diagram the red arrow goes to the top of the radiator blue arrow goes to the bottom of the radiator I believe the blue arrow is coolant that has been cooled returning to the water pump. The little green arrow is the crossover tube exit and I think I need to drill and tap stainless steel fitting for the return and complete the flow circuit? do you agree with the diagram and propose location for crossover tube re-entry into coolant system?

 

You have it backwards. There are flow diagrams on my website. ex. http://shbox.com/1/93-94_hoses.jpg You can see #14 in the diagram for a stock 93-94 hose that has a tee in it (was meant to go to the TB).

There are companies that make saddles that you can add to a hose to make steam pipe connections.

https://jagsthatrun.com/products/bra...83519b89&_ss=r

 

Wow thanks for the links on the hose connection and your help. Just to be clear I should connect the steam line into the hot return side of the cooling diagram on the link you sent.

My radiator is different the return hot line goes straight down to the bottom of driver side to my radiator that’s also the side where my fill cap is.
The cool side outlet is on the top of the passenger side of the radiator.
Does the water pump suck from the cold side or does it push hot water to the radiator. Just wondering the steam return line is under pressure and I can’t figure out if the hot return line to the radiator will evacuate the hot steam line? Seems like maybe the cooled Engine return side would draw off the steam out of the steam line from the heads?

 

Thanks for identifying those, I haven’t ever had to do this what would be the correct procedure? I only have the one valve on the cool return line to the thermostat?

 

The steam pipe goes to a line returning to the radiator (which is going to be hot) or directly to an upper port on the radiator (if there is one). That will keep it in the proper flow direction. If you need to add a tee, put it in the hose you have marked with the blue arrow.

 

In the F-Body factory setup there is a connection on the radiator passenger side end cap, below the fill cap, under the overflow hose and above the level sensor. This connection for the steam pipe return supposedly leads to an internal "air/water separator". But I have no idea what that device looks like,