Hi
I seam to be having a overheating problem with my 1933 Chevy Master. It gets up to 180 degrees in about 10 minutes idling. I have the thermostat out. In last years memorial day parade, it overheated after only traveling a mile. Any suggestions would be helpful.

180 idling isn't something to be concerned about I believe. What is the indication of overheating? Is it boiling over? Does the temp gauge peg out? When you fill the radiator do you fill it to the top? The reason I ask is, if it's boiling over and that's what you consider overheating, if you're filling the radiator to the top it's probably not overheating, just expelling the excess coolant. You don't fill unpressurized systems to the top since hot coolant expands and has to have somewhere to go. If, on the other hand, the temp gauge is pegging to hot you do indeed have an issue.

First Can you see thru the core looking from the back to the front? The core may be packed with 50 years of bugs and dirt. Use a garden hose with pressure to clean.

After that I would suggest removing both hoses and flush the core and block, \

I would also suggest using a radiator flush type acid but that item is difficult to find now days.

The water baffle behind the water pump may be defective.

going up tp to180 ater 10 minutes of idle is not too unusual. In prades I always put transmission in neutral and speed up the engine as often as possible. Speeding up the engine makes better water circulation and fan pushes more air thru the radiaor core....and better for the engine as gets the oil thrown around better for lubrication.

I agree that 180 while idling is not a concern.

Remember that a thermostat sets the minimum operating temperature of an engine. Once it is open it allows normal coolant flow.

My limited experience with not running a thermostat was disappointing especially on cooler days. The engine would hardly get to 140. It ran a lot better with a 160 thermostat. Typically the temperature gauge would read 170 which is normal. The rear of the head is hotter than at the thermostat housing.

As always, Gene's recommendations for simple fixes are great advice.

When the cooling system is clean the biggest restriction is the thermostat but isnt that much different to the radiator. I agree with Rusty about running without a thermostat.
Tony