Hi all,

This is my first post here in several years (I've been away, playing with V8's ); I hope everyone is doing well.

I recently had to replace the radiator in my '67 Barracuda. I had Bob at Glen-Ray Radiators build me a new one, using identical top & bottom tanks as my old stock rad, and a standard, 2-row core. Before installing, I completely flushed out my motor, and filled the system with a 50/50 mixture of anti-freeze and water. I'm using a 180-degree thermostat.

I've driven it for several weeks now, and my temp gauge seems to be reading higher than it did before. Using a heat gun, I took some readings of the thermostat housing at various temperatures:

Outside Air Temp.....Housing temp
.....72............................188-189
.....80............................198-199
.....90............................205

The next time I drove it was on a hotter day, at least 95. Unfortunately, I didn't have the heat gun with me, so couldn't get a housing temp. But my temp gauge was sitting at the half-way mark (see below). I stopped and parked and, after about 10 minutes, the gauge was showing hotter. I know most Darts and Valiants don't come with temp gauges, but does this seem normal to you? I just want to make sure it's not overheating. Thanks for any input.

Roger

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All Darts and Valiants came with engine temperature gauges.

The reading shown in your pics is perfectly fine, not a thing wrong with it.

It's also normal to see the temp gauge spike high after engine shutdown—the water pump is no longer circulating the coolant, so the coolant in the block heats up extra-hot, and the hottest coolant rises to the top, where the temp sender is.

Doesn't sound like you have a problem to worry about here.

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