From Way Cool, To , TOO COOL ?

[Flashback]

Way back when I first put my 53 together, it ran a little too hot in hot weather city traffic. Like sitting at traffic signals in August, 90 degree weather. Soo, when I tore it apart to rebuild it, I did everything I could to make it run cool the second go round. I went from a 259, to a R1 engine. So, I decided I need a better cooling radiator. One was built for it. Water pump impeller to housing tolerance was tightened up. Shroud was made to modified to not let as much air flow suck in from loose fit, a Flex-A-Lite 7 blade fan, a few other little things. I thought , THERE, now I should be ok. Well a friend of mines Wife said my car was "WAY COOL' when first built it. And, I thought: Well thanks, But it may be way cool looking, but it don't run way cool.... Fast forward from that time to now. I think it may run a little "TO COOL" now. I have got to dig out notes and see if I can find what thermostat I put in before winter comes. I may need to change it to a higher #. This photo was taken after driving about 90 miles at 70 mph, stopped filled up, and I had been sitting in traffic 20 minutes. August in Alabama, at 96 degrees. ?? It runs about 170 on highway.

[Flashback]

I have always liked 180 to 190 operating temp. I only get 170 0n the road. What y'all think?

[Cus63]

My Hawk has a standard 289 with a re-cored radiator, I'm in Australia & the temp where I live is most of the time 60-90 degrees, but can get hotter on the odd occasion in summer,
my car runs at about 160-175 on the road & on a hotter day in traffic at 180, but yet to test it on a 100 plus day,

regards, Cus

[bensherb]

My R1 Hawk with a 180 thermostat can idle all day long in 95F temps and never go over 200F. On the road it will run around 185 F when ambient temp is around 90F. But when the ambient temp gets to 100F or more it can go to 220+. The temp here runs 95-110F, about six months of the year. I've done all sorts of things to keep temp down and haven't seen it over 218F(digital gauges) this year; I didn't drive it when it got to 112F ambient though.