thermostat or no thermostat

[krazykyle]

what better running a thermostat or not.the motor i bought off my buddy ran no thermostat,he had it set up for the track but ran it mostly on the street.he had one of those reducers in the thermostat housing and when i took it apart the reducers was no long there.it wore out so much it was almost completely gone.I'm going to run the motor on the street with an electric fan and a HD water pump.so is this going to be enough to keep it cool.

 

[Bonnewagon]

You need a thermostat. The motor requires a certain amount of heat to expand to it's operating tolerances. Also fuel needs to stay atomised and not fall out on cold surfaces. Oil needs to evaporate moisture out so sludge doesn't form. Don't compare racing with street. A racing motor can use a calibrated restrictor disc to slow down the water flow, and is ran at high speed continually so cool air flows over the radiator naturally, and they don't sit in traffic. The water needs a ceratain amount of time to remain in the radiator to give it a chance to give up it's heat, or else it just goes back to the motor hot. That's why motors running no thermostat actually run hotter. A correct thermostat and adaquate radiator and fan will keep the motor at peak efficiency and it will operate better and last longer.

 

[madmaxstyle]

The only reason not to run one would be if you were in the middle of nowhere (really far in nowhere land where there are no chevy thermostats) and the existing one was sticking causing massive overheating problems.

I ran without one for a year and a half. The motor never warmed up enough to move the temp guage the entire time (running 4 core rad). I put a thermostat in and I think I got better gas mileage after that as well as other improvements that makes it more drivable (such as a good heater in the winter, knowing exactly WHEN your engine is warmed up....)

IMO it wasn't worth the $5 to not have one. My truck sees snow and ice 5 months out of every year though.

 

[krazykyle]

what's a good temp to start with.the car will see the road a lot this spring and summer.to i just get a stock temp or go with something different.i'm running a 350 chevy 10 1/2 with a 8 inch converter with 456 gears.just ordered a higher flower water pump and will be adding an electric fan but no fan hooked up to the water pump.

 

[Minion1186]

well personally,for my engine (355 olds,full drag race)it'll run hot with the stock radiator,i plan on running a water restrictor,i think i'll run a 1 inch hole or one size smaller.I have been told it'll run the least hottest with a new radiator and a water restrictor that replaces the 180 degree thermostat.I do have the option of running a 160 stant thermostat.I personally would run a 160,thats if it's not as highly moded as my engine.

 

[FE3X CLONE]

I usually run a 180* thermostat. It's a pretty good all around temp. I found the 160* thermostat's to just be too cold for my tastes. Although if your only running it in the summer, it might be okay. I just know that when I put a 160* in the 307 years ago, It took for ever to get any heat out of the vents in the winter and even then, it wasn't the greatest.

 

[krazykyle]

well i'm not looking for any heat just want the car to run at peak performance.