olds 455 heating up

[pontiacgp]

If this was not the case, running an engine with no t-stat would make the most sense....yet anyone who has tried that will tell you it has the exact opposite effect.

Bill,

I do agree that the thermostat does help the car warm up faster but I don't agree with the fact that a low temp or no thermostat will make the car run hotter. From a thermodynamic point of view it's all about the amount of coolant moved and the car will not run hotter without a thermostat installed. Once the car is up to temp, the thermostat is probably opened more than it's closed; especially with some of the older engine designs. That's my two cents..

with no thermostat you cannot trust the the temperature of the coolant to know what the temperature of the engine is. With no thermostat the coolant flows too quickly for it to pick up heat from the engine so your coolant temperature may seem ok but you could be frying the engine. Also water will dissipate heat from the block whereas antifreeze does not and that is why running straight distilled water with water wetter or an equivalent with a thermostat will cool the engine best.

 

[foxtrot]

Some valid points PontiacGp but when most people decide to run without the thermostat, this is why they install some type of restricter in place to the thermostat..

 

[pontiacgp]

running with no thermostat and running with a restrictor are two different things..many race cars use a restictor instead of a thermostat cause they are worried the thermostat will seize

 

[olds307 and 403]

The rad you see is a no name 2 core rad, too wide to properly fit the cradle and too tall. It cools better than the Champion but leaks between the cores. It is 3" thick too.

 

[78oldsmobliecutlass2]

Well I'm swapping from a 260 to the 455 monster with a 400 transmission and I would like to know what kind of power could I expect to get out of it. How should I pay for the swap