[68-bb]

Hello

Wondering what temp thermostat to get for my 68 that has a mild 454 installed. No AC, manual trans, stock shroud and radiator. Also are the failsafe units worth getting? Any suggestions welcome

thanks

[71350SS]

Yup, failsafe stats IMO are worth the couple extra dollars they cost,stuck open is much better than stuck closed. I use the 180* failsafe from stant but I think they call them "Superstats" or something like that.

[ChevelleFan70]

I would agree, 180* is a good choice. My personal opinion is that 160 is too cold (for a street car) and 195 is too hot for performance, 180 becomes a nice compromise.

-Dave

[Kirk's67SS]

Here is my 2 cents

The purpose of the Thermostat is to keep the engine temp at a certain minimumal # eg. 180*
and for winter driving to keep you warm, my 67 doesnot see the snow .

In the early 80s I raced my street/daily driver a 65 GTO with a 4 core copper/metal rad
with NO thermostat for years from Spring to Fall, then put her away for the winter !
She would run 170* on the hwy and 180* in town/at the track with no problems .

My 454/468 I cruz in and race now has a 2 core Aluminum Rad with a 180* thermostat,
she started to run to hot (200*-220*) in the warm spring/early summer last year at the track after a couple of back to back runs.

Solution was to take the thermostat out, she then ran 180* - 190* after a couple of back to back runs on the hottest days.

My thoughts are why run a thermostat, if the engine temp without one is 170* when cruzin & higher when pushing her harder !

Just my opinion and what I have done with my car's cooling of the engine temps.

[the heckler]

run a mr.gasket 160deg in my 67ss chevelle. motor is a 10.7:1 - 496 with aluminum heads. have found that it pings a lot less with the 160 thermo than the 180 thermo. run the 180 deg during the "winter" we have here.

[ChevelleFan70]

Originally Posted by Kirk's67SS

Here is my 2 cents

The purpose of the Thermostat is to keep the engine temp at a certain minimumal # eg. 180*
and for winter driving to keep you warm, my 67 doesnot see the snow .

In the early 80s I raced my street/daily driver a 65 GTO with a 4 core copper/metal rad
with NO thermostat for years from Spring to Fall, then put her away for the winter !
She would run 170* on the hwy and 180* in town/at the track with no problems .

My 454/468 I cruz in and race now has a 2 core Aluminum Rad with a 180* thermostat,
she started to run to hot (200*-220*) in the warm spring/early summer last year at the track after a couple of back to back runs.

Solution was to take the thermostat out, she then ran 180* - 190* after a couple of back to back runs on the hottest days.

My thoughts are why run a thermostat, if the engine temp without one is 170* when cruzin & higher when pushing her harder !

Just my opinion and what I have done with my car's cooling of the engine temps.

A Thermostat also helps get the engine up to operating temperature quicker by keeping water in the engine till it gets up to temperature, which is a good thing. If running with no thermostat works for you, I won't argue it. But IMO, it should be a last resort, not a starting point (for the original poster)

-Dave

[68-bb]

Thank you everyone. I'll start with a 180 degree failsafe unit

[El Guapo]

Also, no matter, dont use a regular stamped steel unit. Get a Stainless Steel unit, and drill a 3/8 hole as a bypass.

I used to have a old corroded and caved in "new" regular steel thermostat that I took out of my GTO, when it started overheating. Replaced it with a Super-Stat, and problem was solved. When I sold parts, I used that old 'stat as "proof" of the stuff I was selling at a local parts store.

[Kirk's67SS]

Originally Posted by ChevelleFan70

A Thermostat also helps get the engine up to operating temperature quicker by keeping water in the engine till it gets up to temperature, which is a good thing. If running with no thermostat works for you, I won't argue it. But IMO, it should be a last resort, not a starting point (for the original poster)

-Dave

I idel/warm my engine up (rad fluide & engine oil) to 150* - 170* in my driveway
for a minute to 2 minutes, to insure all guages are reading what they should
"a green light to go" before driving onto the street,
then drive at lest 3 blocks before getting onto a street that I can speed up to 70km an hour
then another 2 miles with 3 sets of lights before I can drive 80km an hour

my car or any car without a thermostat is/would be/should be at
operating temp by the time they would get near/onto any major hwy !

Unless someone doesnot even bother to warmup their car before hitting the road !

Just a thought
How many or what percentage of Road/Drag Race Car engines have a thermostat in them ?

[james a larson]

A few months a go I saw a chart that showed the wear on various internal parts depending up engine temp. Indicated that the correct temp for a chevy bbc was 190-195 for the least amount of friction/wear.