Something tells me it a no-brainer that antifreeze is best for any car's radiator, especially when it comes to rust. But growing up, all my Dad ever did was put water in the radiator of his old 52 Chevy. Do the classics like antifreeze or water the best?

 

Antifreeze!!!! use the standard green stuff.

 

50/50 mixture

 

They didn't have antifreeze in the early days so they didn't use it. Not sure when it came about but I guarantee you if it was available they would have used it. X3

 

Me4

This got me wondering what they did use before so I went to the Prestone site and found out.
They used to use honey, sugar, molasses and, the most popular, methyl alcohol.
The anti-freeze as we know it came out in the 1920's.

 

As Ralphie's fathet says in A Christmas Story:

"That son of a bitch would freeze up in the middle of summer on the equator!"

 

I see Arizona in your address. You must have grown up there if you dad never used antifreeze. A lot of us probably remember Prestone coming in the square can. I never heard of honey, sugar and molasses. That had to really be good for the cooling system.

 

haha, you really like that movie eh? I do too...I was about 8 when it came out and have pretty much watched it every year since then

 

The cars of the 60's and befor over heated quite a bit remember going up whiteface mountain in NY there was a 55 gallon drum filled with water every quarter mile or so hehe.

 

40% anti freeze, 60% distilled water, and 1 quart of No Rosion.

Lasts 5 years.

 

Yes definitely distilled water.

 

I'm putting extended life (red) when my engine gets back from the engine shop. Just try and stop me....

 

I have to run water. Nobody likes the guy who antifreezes the track up.
In the winter, 50/50 green stuff/distilled water.

 

Ok folks, 1/2 antifreeze 1/2 water distilled looks like the winner! (Actually my Dad was from PA and I think he always used water!!)
Thanks again to all for your comments.
Dan

 

On second thought, 100% antifreeze sounds best to me for the classic car. However, the guy who had the car before me used both water and antifreeze as I can see both separated at the radiator opening (along with a little rust floating around). Antifreeze and water don't seem to mix well (nor does the rust). It makes me wonder if that's significant to the issue.
Dan