The Serious Freshening
Go to <Last, Summary, Next>Cooling—A Modern Thermostat
 Lynn in Bugsby, September 5, 2005 |
Completed: 2006-04-25 — Started: 2005-12-30
 |
 |
 |
| MODERN THERMOSTAT: Using thick (1/16") gasket material, Lynn installs a modern thermostat in the top of the original thermostat housing. |
Work Completed:
When Lynn first received Bugsby, the car was routinely overheating. His first guess was that
the thermostat was stuck closed, but when he opened the housing he found that some previous owner
had removed the thermostat entirely.
Eventually Lynn gets the engine cooling problem more or less under control, but he
strongly feels that the engine should have a thermostat so that it quickly warms and spends most of the
time at its correct operating temperature.
Thankfully, the people at D & M Auto Parts allow Lynn to rummage through the modern thermostats that they have on the shelf. Eventually Lynn finds one that is of a perfect size to sit atop the old thermostat housing and also be captured under the rim of the top cap. Lynn happily buys the part. He later discovers after doing some online research that these thermostats have a 63mm base and fit an Allis Chalmers tractor, 1961 Chrysler 300G, 1960 Chrysler 300F, and 1995 Dodge Ram 3/4-ton pickup with Cummins turbodiesel.
Lynn has selected the 160°F thermostat for Bugsby, rationalizing that the 180°F unit is really designed to optimize the performance of interior air heaters, not engine performance. Here are cross references for two suitable thermostats.
| 160° | NAPA# 91, Gates# 33036, Stant# 13476 or 35476 | |
| 180° | NAPA# 191, Gates# 33038, Stant# 13478 or 35478 |
Lynn creates a small chamber to contain the thermostat using 1/16" thick gasket material. The thermostat is captured between the top of the of the thermostat housing and the bottom of the cap that connects to the radiator return hose.
Work Remaining:
None.
Contact
with your comments or questionsCopyright © 2018 Lynn Kissel
Last updated: May 24, 2009