Car heats up in traffic or when sitting on warmer days. 86' ranger shell. 68' 289. coolant is fresh and topped up, no air in the system. Has Belt driven fan. what could the problem be?
If your lower radiator hose is a lot colder than the upper after the car warms up it could be stuck, or could be sticking and not opening till too high of a temp. Thermostats with a new o-ring are easy/cheap to replace.
150 dollar pressure tester kit or 12 for a new cap...lol i would install a new 160 degree thermostat a new cap and drive and see if good....if not water pump swap. non of it is that expensive nor hard to do. after that i would suspect rad may be plugged.