I've got mix and match parts from many years built into my slant six car/truck.

I know that half way up the temp gauge on my car indicates an overheating condition. I doubt that is how a factory correct system would look on the gauge. My trucks gauge barely makes it to the first mark unless I'm towing a heavy load, but I can't recall it ever getting very hot. Maybe that's why the gas mileage stinks so bad.

If you really want piece of mind, get a thermometer to compare real temptempuraturewhat the gauge says. This is something I've been meaning to do, but not until the new motor is installed.

If cooler was always better, the factory would not have installed a 180 thermostat, since the heater would blow hot at 160 or 180.

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1980 Aspen 225 super six

god damn he's good with that ascii art stuff eh?

you should have seen the dual choke picture he sent me...I think dan used to be one of those guys on a apple II that made pictures of dragons and stuff using only the ascii characters!

did ya guys miss me?

You believe what you read to much dan.

Not quite. Actually, it's just that I believe in sound science and demonstrable fact more than I believe in what Johnny Z baselessly considers a pretty place for the temp gauge needle to point.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Dan, just so you know.
My Dart just won the Chrysler Performance Mopar Spring Fling for 60-66 A-body.
This is the biggest Mopar event this side of the mississippi.

Until you top that with a car,your conversation is knoll & void.

Congratulations. I'm sure it's a very nice car. However, unless the judges disassembled your engine bay to check what temperature thermostat you have installed, or ordered you to run the engine to see whether the engine reaches full operating temperature, your having won the award you just won has exactly zero to do with the topic at hand.
"Knoll" means a small hill, usually grassy. Two fer one special on irrelevant remarks from Johnny Z! C'mon, Johnny, go for the hat trick: Make it a three-fer!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

According to direct connection, the Chrysler Corporation slant six high performance manual, I quote "for most high performance applications, a high engine temperature is undesirable. For these applications, install a 160 degree thermostat, PN 3514174, which will help the engine run cooler." (they might know a touch more about this subject than all of us).

Perhaps you're not talking high performance. My bad, I thought this was a high performance site.

I mentioned my car's award as validation that I know what I'm talking about. So perhaps it does have some relevance? Or maybe not. Either way sorry about the spelling mistakes. And, yes it is a nice car. Thanks.

They might, but we'd never know it from the huge number of errors contained in the book you quote, so...sorry, no sale.
And by the same token, I'll mention that I have a green stapler on my desk as validation that bananas cost 59¢ a pound at Safeway. Your car having been awarded the title of Purtiest Early A-body doesn't tell us anything about how much/how little you know about how and why engine thermostat temperatures are specified.

Your comments in this thread, however, indicate clearly that you really don't know what you're talking about here. You use a 160° thermostat. OK, why? Well, because it makes your temp gauge needle point closer to "C", and you think that's nifty and cool and keen and stuff. OK, groovy, but the very talented and knowledgeable engineers at Chrysler didn't spec the thermostat temperature based on what Johnny Z thinks is nifty and cool and keen and stuff, they specced it based on combustion dynamics, quenchout and technical things like that. In fact, they even calibrated the dashboard temp gauge so it would point to the middle of the normal range when the correct thermostat is used, and put helpful little lines on the temp gauge so that even an illiterate person can figure out that's where the needle should point.

Your response? "You believe too much of what you read!" followed by "I'm right because I read it in a book!" (make up your mind -- one way or the other.)

I'm not the only one who's pointed out that you're wrong, and told you why. But the only one who can choose to listen, who can admit that your advice was based on nothing of substance, who can replace your baseless guesses with sound science and proper knowledge is you. Nobody can do that for you.

We all like to feel authoritative, Johnny. We all like for others to take our advice; it makes us feel important. That's just human nature. It's why Slick-50 sells so well. But, please try to spare a thought for the guys who have no interest in helping Johnny Z. stroke his ego, and are asking what thermostat to use because they really need to know. If you're using a 160° thermostat and feel like saying "I use a 160° thermostat in my car and I'm satisfied with how it runs", great, go for it. Shout it out loud. USE ALL CAPS if you want to make sure we hear you.

But when it's pointed out that you haven't made the optimal choice, and the reasons are explained to you, be a good sport about it. Say "Thanks, I'll give that some thought", or "Thanks, I didn't know that", or "Thanks, but I'm satisfied with my setup as it is", or something along those lines—or just keep quiet and say nothing at all. But debating science and fact with "My car won a trophy!" is silly and ridiculous...

...and a waste of time. Yours, mine, and everyone else's.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Whew! Exhausted from reading all that. Where to start?

You mentioned the "very talented and knowledgeable engineers at Chrysler" who decided the 180 degree t-stat was the one, don't recall this talented bunch saying anything about running a wire from your VR to your alternator, but you decided that was okay. Clearly, not the optimal choice. Can't have it both ways Danny. Make up you mind, one way or the other.

Regarding the "huge number of errors" in the manual. They are wrong because of course, you said so! Silly to assume the engineers at Chrysler R&D might know of what they speak. Or know more than you.

And, to clarity, I have been wrong and will be again. No doubts there. I know that my answers/opinions may not work for everyone, you however are of the belief that your opinion is the final answer. Others have pointed out their opinions with far more class. Until the site is called "dan's way or the highway.com", I'll continue to try to help my fellow slant sixers. I may not always be right, but then who is? Oh, that's right. YOU are.

Enjoy your green stapler and bananas from Safeway!

By the way, car runs great. Very happy with the set up.

Hey Dan, my needle sits just above the 2 mark on the temperature gauge. When cruising around town runnig the air conditioner it may edge over toward the middle. Does this mean that I have the incorrect thermostat? I'm still getting over 20 MPG but the oil in this car has a lit gassy smell to it though. Really have to get your nose close to pick it out.

Did V-8s have 160 or 180 degree units?

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82 D150-225/727
02 Dakota-3.9/5 speed
87 GMC C7000-8.2 Detroit Diesel/5+2

That might be a little on the low side, but it might not. Remember, those dash gauges are not precision units, they're "general ballpark" indicators. Still much better than idiot lights ("Hi, good to meet you! I'm the "TEMP" light. By the way, your engine's toast. Thought you might like to know, just FYI."). Next time you service your cooling system, maybe you want to take an extra half an hour and replace the thermostat just on general principles.
Well, all oil will smell of combustion after it's been run in an engine for awhile; that's normal. If you're curious to see if there's anything in the oil that shouldn't be (excessive fuel, metals, silica, etc.) oil analysis is inexpensive.
180° from at least as far back as '57 clear on up until emissions regulations created the need to run the engines hotter to cut down even further on quenchout; 190° stats began appearing in the very late '60s-early '70s, and 195° units in the mid '70s. That's really where this whole debate should probably be, is between 180° and 195° rather than between 160° and 180°.

The Factory Service Manuals for early cars/years that had 180° stats (also the Chrysler Industrial Engine manual) say you have to use a 160° stat if an alcohol-type antifreeze is used, because otherwise the alcohol evaporates and leaves no protection against freezing, but then go on to say that glycol-type antifreeze is the preferred type year round, and excessive fuel consumption and oil contamination can result from the use of a 160° thermostat. This language is in there because antifreeze formulations weren't yet standardized on glycol in the early '60s.

DS (the same manuals also strictly warn against using antifreeze compounds containing mineral oil, salt, sugar, honey or other substances. That's fun to think about; some charlatan must've been selling grape Kool-Aid as coolant...or maybe Koolant?...for that warning to have made it into the manual. As far as salt-based coolant goes: YIKES!)

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

The instrument panel gauge is not a precision measuring device. It isnt even graduated in degrees, for cryin' out loud. There are many factors, such as wrong type of thread sealant, PO repairs, aftermarket crap senders, or just plain entropy, that will throw the needle off. My gauge sits just on the cold side of halfway, but that doesnt mean a damn thing. If you want to know what your operating temperature is, you need to measure it properly. There are various ways to do that but for me they dont involve my gauge. I find it useful only in establishing a pattern of needle behaviour and only causes alarm for me if it deviates from where I am used to.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Here's another show winner.



Being the owner of a show winner does not make you an authority of any kind. I am not riding coattails here; I find this angle inane to the point of being offensive. Shows are breeding grounds for all kinds of disinformation. If I want to learn something useful about my car Im not going to do it by pulling up a lawnchair and sitting in a circle of stereotypical hotrodders trying to grandstand each other with half-truths and fishing stories. I bury my nose in a book, I suggest you do the same.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

steponmebbbboom you believe too much of what you read

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

From the looks of your car I suggest you read on.

Nice bug though.