Hi Hugh!
When you have sorted the overheating problems, may I suggest ensuring that the lathe is level?
Forgive me if you already know the following!
Personally I don't worry about Headstock to Tailstock, (only important if you have a coolant system and need the coolant to flow back to the drain to tank) but am paranoid about levelling the bed so that it is without twist. (You won't turn true and parallel if there is any twist. Myford beds are not terribly strong in torsion)
The bed needs to be level, from front to back at both Headstock and Tailstock ends. I used a precision level on mine, and found that even a slight increase in torque on one of the holding down fixings would affect the leveI. It just needs the patience to keep going round and round until the level reads the same at both ends of the bed, or until your turned piece, (as per the Myford book) is the same size at both ends.
Some people advocate siting the level on the Cross slide, I have always used the bed.
You make your choice!
The other thing, if you intend to turn between centres, is to ensure that the Tailstock is in line with the Headstock. (If you want to taper turn, you offset the tailstockacross the bed, but it needs to be realigned afterwords to turn parallel between centres).
Ideally you use an Alignment Bar, but at £40+ new are a tad expensive.
You might be able to make your own, by clocking true in the 4 jaw, a piece of the largest diameter silver steel that you fit through the mandrel, and centre drilling it. Reverse and repeat, and you have a slender alignment bar, to fit between centres. Being slender do not overload the end load, or it will deflect, and give a higher reading in the middle than at the ends when you clock from end to end to check/adjust tailstock alignment with the headstock.
Howard