Today I *finally* got my '55 back together from when I inadvertantly took the whole front of the motor apart while replacing the heater hoses yesterday 
anyway I was a little concerned as when I'd driven it last the temp. gauge seemed to like to sit about 3/4 of the way up the little white bar. Both gauge and sender were NOS recently. So I replaced the thermostat since I had the coolant drained, I took out what appears to be a 60s vintage 170 degree unit and put in a new 180 degree new unit (what was sitting on the shelf.) Runs even hotter now, almost to the top of the little bar!
OK, time to reality check... a candy thermometer in the radiator tank reads about 175 degrees. ???
Check shop manual... says stock thermostat begins to open at about *160* degrees... is that my problem? a '55 had a 160 stat and the gauge was reading high because it was running hotter than "normal?" Or IOW can someone confirm that with a 160 stat the gauge sits about mid scale? (judging from the change in needle position between the 170 and 180 stat that's not that farfetched. Of course it also means that it would be pointing straight at the "H" by the time it got over 200 degrees...)
Now another question. I'm tempted to just test the old 170 'stat and if it's OK put it back in, but I can get a 160 degree one if it's somehow desirable to do so. I have always thought that one should keep the oil temps over 200 degrees to keep the engine clean; I'm not a big fan of low temp thermostats, but if someone with more experience says get the colder one I'm willing to listen.
BTW the radiator looks fairly well used, but seems reasonably solid, and has a nice 3-row core with offset tubes. Is that stock or did someone do a nice job of a recore back in the day? Anyway once I determined where 175-180 degrees was on the gauge I found that even when sitting at stop lights etc. the engine did not heat up appreciably past that point. Now it did smoke like you wouldn't believe after sitting at a long light and then accelerating away... time to pull the valve covers and see what's under there...
NEXT QUESTION (actually a two parter
1) do the early (4-bolt thermostat housing) and late (2-bolt thermostat housing) V-8 water pump manifolds have the same size lower hose connection, or are they different?
2) do any of the early manifolds have a driver's side heater hose connection or boss, and if so is it all of them or just some?
Trying to figure out the best way to get rid of the flex hoses on my '55 coupe, is why I'm asking... I'm going back and forth between making an adapter plate to use the early thermostat housing on the late manifold, or swapping to an early manifold entirely. Problem is, I don't have an early manifold to look at...
FINALLY...
does anyone sell Alberta Blue in spray cans? A black engine in a black car just kind of looks monochromatic and blah...
nate
--
55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop
anyway I was a little concerned as when I'd driven it last the temp. gauge seemed to like to sit about 3/4 of the way up the little white bar. Both gauge and sender were NOS recently. So I replaced the thermostat since I had the coolant drained, I took out what appears to be a 60s vintage 170 degree unit and put in a new 180 degree new unit (what was sitting on the shelf.) Runs even hotter now, almost to the top of the little bar!OK, time to reality check... a candy thermometer in the radiator tank reads about 175 degrees. ???
Check shop manual... says stock thermostat begins to open at about *160* degrees... is that my problem? a '55 had a 160 stat and the gauge was reading high because it was running hotter than "normal?" Or IOW can someone confirm that with a 160 stat the gauge sits about mid scale? (judging from the change in needle position between the 170 and 180 stat that's not that farfetched. Of course it also means that it would be pointing straight at the "H" by the time it got over 200 degrees...)
Now another question. I'm tempted to just test the old 170 'stat and if it's OK put it back in, but I can get a 160 degree one if it's somehow desirable to do so. I have always thought that one should keep the oil temps over 200 degrees to keep the engine clean; I'm not a big fan of low temp thermostats, but if someone with more experience says get the colder one I'm willing to listen.
BTW the radiator looks fairly well used, but seems reasonably solid, and has a nice 3-row core with offset tubes. Is that stock or did someone do a nice job of a recore back in the day? Anyway once I determined where 175-180 degrees was on the gauge I found that even when sitting at stop lights etc. the engine did not heat up appreciably past that point. Now it did smoke like you wouldn't believe after sitting at a long light and then accelerating away... time to pull the valve covers and see what's under there...
NEXT QUESTION (actually a two parter
1) do the early (4-bolt thermostat housing) and late (2-bolt thermostat housing) V-8 water pump manifolds have the same size lower hose connection, or are they different?
2) do any of the early manifolds have a driver's side heater hose connection or boss, and if so is it all of them or just some?
Trying to figure out the best way to get rid of the flex hoses on my '55 coupe, is why I'm asking... I'm going back and forth between making an adapter plate to use the early thermostat housing on the late manifold, or swapping to an early manifold entirely. Problem is, I don't have an early manifold to look at...
FINALLY...
does anyone sell Alberta Blue in spray cans? A black engine in a black car just kind of looks monochromatic and blah...
nate
--
55 Commander Starlight
62 Daytona hardtop
), you're VERY good to go.
Besides, this is all a moot point because you've oriented where the gauge reads at an actual 175 degrees.
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