But I've only owned it a month!

[Pluton]

What part of Socal are you in?...it's a big place. Sounds like it would be nice if you could find a shop to sort through these issues, if only to diagnose what's wrong, then you take it and do the labor if youwanted to...the kind of shop that lets you watch what they're doing and answers your technical questions.
The service shop at TLC(the place in Van Nuys that sells the $30K restored LC's) has a lot of experience with these cars and were helpful and forthcoming when I dealt with them on the phone once. They're so busy that you have to make an appointment something like two weeks ahead...but you could do that and meanwhile look for someplace closer to where you live.
Oh, like the others said, it's definitely a bad idea to drive it when the engine is overheating and losing power at the same time.

 

[sisukid1975]

... I asked if they burped the radiator, and he looked at me funny. As I left, he looked at the radiator and said "wow, that hose does seem to be above the filler neck, that'd be great if it just was an air bubble!" False hope? I man can dream can't he?

I don't claim to know waht the problem you are having is.... but I have to jump in here and tell you all a trick "the indians taught me." OK, it was really my dad, but he always used to say "here's a trick the indians taught me."

Drill a tiny little hole in your thermostat. It allows the air in the block to escape, even with the thermostat closed, thereby eliminating the possibility of air being stuck in the block. And since the hole is really small, you don't have to worry about overcooling the engine.

Fred

 

[Mountain Goat]

I've been through your situation.

It can be really difficult to work all the air out of your cooling system. My '60 used to be a quart low within a day of topping off the coolant. I couldn't figure it out. It was overheating but I couldn't tell because the temp gauge didn't work.

My problems turned out to be a combination of things. I had a small coolant leak at the oil cooler. The cooler is normally hot enough that any leakage evaporated before it dripped. That was a hard one to find. However the biggest leak was stupid simple. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it sooner. The radiator cap was worn out. I didn't find it until it was bad enough that I saw drips in a parking lot one day. The other thing was my fan clutch was bad.

To test it run the engine to full operating temp. Then shut off, jump out and try to spin the fan by hand. You should feel significant resistance. If not, your fan clutch may have leaked its goo. From experience - Don't buy a used fan clutch. Fork over the bucks for a new aftermarket. I went through four used clutches to get one I could live with. It is also possible to rebuild them if you have a core with a good shaft seal (this seems to be the part that fails). Replacement goo is available from Toyota.

A bit of a late entry in this thread, but I hope it helps.

 

[gillti]

Goat- It all helps. I really appreciate it.
sisukid- thanks , that is on my list of things to try
pluton--I live in Redlands California. I've taken it to import auto in glendora, they sealed everything when I first got it (main seal, rear main seal, transfer case, new powersteering pump) just don't have the cash right now, need to do it myself!
mcneil--the wife has been gracious, but there is a point in which she doesn't understand the "hobby" aspect of owning one of these vehicles.
Bradley--Heats up intermittently on short trips, but everytime I am on the freeway I can barely keep it below overheating, when I get off the freeway, it hit the red quick.

Bajaman. Any help will be appreciated and I will pm you when I start chasing this down.

60wag--I've really been thinking about the fan clutch myself. I"m going to do a test in the next couple of days as soon as I get some time.

Mike S-- You advice is always appreciated. I don't know if I ever thanked you for sending those vent covers. They worked out perfectly. Thanks bro.