The temperature gauge just kept climbing...383 in a Monte Carlo SS

With all chevy rebuilds / heads off ect. I'm going to go over the head bolts and retorque them",after driving car/ truck several miles ( 40) people out there buying special bolts studs , but a good retightening is insurence"! you want to get dirty check them bolts 3 times with a torque wrench after say ( 80 miles) then you can say there tight and right .it's events" like yours that make one carefull of the relationship you might get by on one torque-ing but if you don't you heard it here thanks'...
 
that's considered too hot in an over the road diesel application and those are as durable as they come..
 
Can I use those while the block is still in the vehicle? I'm not familiar with feeler gauges.

Yes. In a very simple explanation, after thorougly cleaning the deck surface, you use the straightedge on edge diagonally arross it and see if it's flat by looking for light and/or using feeler gauges to check for gaps,

Here's a link that came up on a quick googling https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/impp-1007-cylinder-head-distortion-check/

Feeler gauges....
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What a Drag Man!
I, too, have a BluePrint 383. I get worried when mine hits 210/220. (I have LS1 fans now, so much better) Hopefully nothing else is seriously wrong with the engine. But if it were me, I would want to look at everything. I wouldn't be able to trust it after 300 degrees.

Unless the rubber you smell is coming from the rear tires, it's always a good idea to, at the very least, make sure if it is your car you're smelling.
Good Luck. Keep us updated.
 
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210/220 coolant temps are nothing to worry about. GM has several references where up to 235 degree coolant is just fine for stock junk. In fact, that's probably where most OEM cars with 195 thermostats usually run anyway. After the stat opens, you're left with the capacity of fans (air flow) and coolant system capacity/efficiency.
 
300 degree oil is fine, I do it all the time in my Camaro and so does everyone I race with.
Never seen that. Maybe it’s your oil. At 300+ I’ve never seen a clean bearing come out of a motor. Perhaps the OP’s is fine.

The proof would be in the guides if he were to pull the valves while the heads are off.
 
Never seen that. Maybe it’s your oil. At 300+ I’ve never seen a clean bearing come out of a motor. Perhaps the OP’s is fine.

The proof would be in the guides if he were to pull the valves while the heads are off.

I had a set of heads redone after 8 seasons of me running them and only needed exhaust seats cut. We do it all over the country on any given weekend. I understand the oil is thin and supposedly the metal in the bearings weakens above 260, but we all run ignorantly hot and generally aren't losing engines left and right.
 
Thank all of you for your insight. I'll be taking the heads to the machine shop this week. Unfortunately I'm fighting another "crisis" with my Regal so I put this one on the back burner.
 

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