225 running a bit warm!!!

I know you said the hoses looked good, but you need to make sure one of them isn't collapsing. A 180 thermostat is ok, but if it is stuck it would cause your problem. I've had many new ones that did not work properly, so now I test them in hot water to see if they function before installing them. Did you do anything else to this car we don't know about? Like maybe advance the timing too far?