Can driving an older car in extreme heat cause problems?

What is your question?

I did a lot of driving today in extreme heat. I was in a lot of stop and go traffic and the fan kept coming on because I would be sitting in traffic for a long period of time. My car is old but it was running fine in the morning when the heat wasn't that bad yet. By the afternoon my car started to give a loud clunking sound when I would drive, specifically when I tried to accelerate. My car was extremely hot and my car does tend to burn oil. Thank goodness, I made it home and now I am letting the car get completely cool, for maybe 4 hours or so. Hopefully the car will be okay once its been cooled down. Any ideas on what might be triggering the clunking noise would be greatly appreciated.