You can see coolant flow in the radiator with the cap off.  Might lose some coolant but it will be informative.

2 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

The dilemma is if you do fix the problem you might not know it because you've created another known overheating situation.

Care to elaborate?

1 minute ago, Zed Head said:

You can see coolant flow in the radiator with the cap off.  Might lose some coolant but it will be informative.

Like I said, the water in the radiator is stagnant (engine running) no flow.

I’m a rag stuffer when I open systems up like this. Did you accidentally  leave any in place?

Take the thermostat cover off and remove the thermostat.  Start the engine and see what happens.  If you get no flow you'll know the problem is between the pump and the T-stat housing.

Or just remove the thermostat and do the same.

5 minutes ago, JSM said:

I’m a rag stuffer when I open systems up like this. Did you accidentally  leave any in place?

Not a chance...

Initially when I was working on getting er running I replaced the rad, hoses and thermostat, that is it. I pulled it from the warehouse where I was working on it (couldn't run it inside) and drove it home, it drove fine, on the way I noticed that the temp gage was not working( got replaced and is working fine), when I got home (13 miles) I noticed it was hot..very hot. and the w/p was making noises. everything else came later.

2 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Take the thermostat cover off and remove the thermostat.  Start the engine and see what happens.  If you get no flow you'll know the problem is between the pump and the T-stat housing.

Or just remove the thermostat and do the same.

The thermostat has been removed long ago, I did replace it with an old thermostat body with the inners removed, basically just the flat plate with a hole in the middle to simulate an open thermostat.

Probably should have dug deeper when you had it apart.  There's not much to the system.  The pump moves water through the block, it pushes up past the cylinders, through the head gasket in to the head, then it flows out of the head at the thermostat housing.

Somebody recently left a cork in the lower radiator hose port.  Had a similar problem to yours.   Forgot about the cork and put everything together.

If you're really stuck, check each system separately.  Remove the lower radiator hose and be sure that coolant actually will come out of the radiator.  Remove the thermostat housing and be sure coolant will be pushed through and come out of the block and head.  You could even remove the bottom hose and the thermostat cover and everything should drain out of the head and block.  Stick a hose in the T-stat hole and see if water flows backward, down to the lower hose.

Redefine the problem as a coolant flow problem.  Your coolant is not moving through the block and head.  Why?  Where is the blockage?  Check for rags like JSM suggested.

At this point ....very few options left.

1. its possible that the block is cracked so I will need to perform the block test again, still does not explain the lack of circulation.

2. its possible that the water passages under the deck are clogged, I'm suspecting that because of the blockage behind the block drain plug.

Here is what I'm thinking:

1 reassemble the water pump and run another block test.

2. remove both rad hoses off the rad, build an adapter that clamps to the lower hose hooked to a garden hose and see if it comes out the upper hose.

No rags or corks were used to plug anything, I just had everything apart and inspected. I even cleaned the passage under the carbs.

Why do all that when a hose in the T-stat hole will tell the story?  There should be nothing between the T-stat hole and the pump inlet that will stop coolant flow.

Here's another experiment.  Remove the block drain plug, start the engine and see what happens.  If coolant blows out of the drain plug hole you'll know more.

Could be that somebody filled your block for racing.

Quote:

2 hours ago, Zed Head said:

Why do all that when a hose in the T-stat hole will tell the story?  There should be nothing between the T-stat hole and the pump inlet that will stop coolant flow.

I wanted to simulate the pressure build by the water pump going the correct direction, but perhaps you are right, easy enough to do.

Here's another experiment.  Remove the block drain plug, start the engine and see what happens.  If coolant blows out of the drain plug hole you'll know more.

I did, it just trickles out, , its really hairy behind the plug..solid mass.

2 hours ago, Zed Head said:

Could be that somebody filled your block for racing.

Nahh, I built the car in the early 90's, it was driven daily till parked in 98 or so, no one touched it since.