67 Dart 383 high temperature question

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Blair Harris

Blair Harris

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Hi i have been reading some of the posts on how hot i can run my Dart without causing a failure. Can you tell me what is an exceptable high temperature i can run a 67 Dart with 383,it only runs hot when stuck in traffic idling. Also what temperature thermostat should i use ?
I am running a 4core after market alum Rad and an electric fan as a back up.
 
I recomend a 160 thermostat. I get nervous when they hit 190 plus. I know that is still acceptable to most but, every car (OLD MOPAR) runs horrible when hot. 180 range is great.
 
How hot is it running?

And 190 is not even remotely close to getting hot. If my car ran 190 all the time I wouldn't even think about it or care.
 
I've run 180's in my BB's for years with no problems and don't get excited till it hits 210. Your actual boiling point is also dependent on the psi setting ot the rad cap that you're using.
 
My daily driver '68 Dart ( 383ci bored .060 over - 3.91 gears ) runs 200 -210F all day long, and has done so since we built in in 2005.

No problem.

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Unless you are trying to get the maximum HP out of your engine, do not run a 160 degree thermostat.

Engine wear DECREASES as temperatures rise, an engine running at 160 degrees will have four times as much wear as one running at 180. Clearly if an engine becomes too hot can lead to serious problems, but for the most part anything under 200 degrees is acceptable, some new cars are designed to run at 210.

Personally, I put 185 thermostats in all my cars, temperature will fluctuate between 180 and 190 all day long as the thermostat opens and closes. In traffic it will stay right at 190 and not climb, this shows that your fan is adequate to pull sufficient air through the radiator at idle. If I pull a long hill the thermostat may climb to 200 degrees, at I've only seen it hit 210 once and I shut off the A/C which immediately brought the temp back down to 180-190.

Finally, be dubious of temperature gauges. They should be used as a reference only. For example, if the temp gauge shows that the car is running hot, and you pull over open the hood and the motor isn't radiating a ton of heat, you might have a gauge that reads high. Get an instant read temp gun and point it various parts of the engine to confirm just how hot the motor is. For example, read both the top and bottom of the radiator, read both the left and right exhaust manifold (they should be about the same). This will give you a good indication of how hot the car is actually running.

Regards,

Joe Dokes
 
Ok guys thanks for all your help, i rarely get over 190- 200 even then that is when i am in traffic idling i felt that was a bit to hot. Will chech the thermostat and put a heat gun on the engine when it is showing 190 200 and see what it says compared to the gauge.
Thanks again
 
That is nowhere near too hot. Matter of fact, that is perfect operating temperatures. As long as you are running antifreeze/coolant, your boiling point should be over 235 degrees (if properly mixed).
 
My 383 gts temp gauge was running higher than normal so I grabbed the IR gun and measured the back of the water pump it was fine. I also took out the small hole thermostat that was installed in the engine after it was rebuilt and put back in the high flow design thermostat that had always been in the engine. I also changed out the voltage regulator for the gauges since they were suspect. I think it's the original sensor.

It was fine until lately when it runs 210 or sometimes 219 on warm days. Then the next day it's fine again or if I stop it and restart it after 10 minutes it will go from 220 to 209. Not sure what is going on here. 180 thermostat thats less than a year old. Funky thermostat maybe??

I've alwasy run a 180 stat and it would heat up some in warm weather when stopped in traffic but would cool back down when you got moving. I ordered a 160 figuring I dont' drive it in the winter so I don't need to worry about heat in the car with very cold air. Maybe 160 it a bad idea and I should try another thermostat.

So today I went to work in the Dart and it was fine going there. Left work and it was fine and made a stop for 10 minutes. After the stop it started indicating higher running temp probably around 219 didn't have my IR gun with me.
 
So I found my problem was the radiator needed to be recored. Anyone know what shroud will fit a 22" 1967 gts radiator?
 
Well the original radiator shroud for a A-body 273 4bbl or 383 in 67 is 2785312. If you don't have the original radiator then I wouldn't worry about it. That shroud is one of Mopars hardest parts to find. It took almost 2 years to find mine.
buck351 said:
So I found my problem was the radiator needed to be recored. Anyone know what shroud will fit a 22" 1967 gts radiator?
Click to expand...
 
If a engine is going to run at 210 or 220 degrees what thermostat you put in there wont make any difference. T'stat can open at 160, 180, 190, whatever, engine still runs the same 210, 220.
That 312 shroud number is brand new to me. I would like to see the details like bolt spacing, fan diameter, fan offset, just for comparison to the 67 LA shroud and 67 slant 6 shrouds I have. These 2 have the fan offset exactly opposite one another so the only different place the big block offset could go is centered.
 
I do believe that fan shroud is correct 2785312 and it did come with the 273 or 383 engine in 67 on the dart or cuda. I have one I can measure any of the dimesions on it if you want Redfish.

Carl
 
buck351 said:
My 383 gts temp gauge was running higher than normal so I grabbed the IR gun and measured the back of the water pump it was fine. I also took out the small hole thermostat that was installed in the engine after it was rebuilt and put back in the high flow design thermostat that had always been in the engine. I also changed out the voltage regulator for the gauges since they were suspect. I think it's the original sensor.

It was fine until lately when it runs 210 or sometimes 219 on warm days. Then the next day it's fine again or if I stop it and restart it after 10 minutes it will go from 220 to 209. Not sure what is going on here. 180 thermostat thats less than a year old. Funky thermostat maybe??

I've alwasy run a 180 stat and it would heat up some in warm weather when stopped in traffic but would cool back down when you got moving. I ordered a 160 figuring I dont' drive it in the winter so I don't need to worry about heat in the car with very cold air. Maybe 160 it a bad idea and I should try another thermostat.

So today I went to work in the Dart and it was fine going there. Left work and it was fine and made a stop for 10 minutes. After the stop it started indicating higher running temp probably around 219 didn't have my IR gun with me.
Click to expand...

The variations in temperature readings could just be the thermo-mechanical gauge voltage regulator acting up- common MOPAR issue that I've learned to ignore. If your gauge regulator is the silver can type (i.e., not built into the gas gauge), there is a fix that involves replacing the regulator innards with an all-electronic voltage regulator. If needed, I can pull the how-to article from an old issue of a MOPAR enthusiast magazine. Author claimed the gauge readings were absolutely steady with the new regulator.

BTW- it's not just your 383. The 273 in my '67 also wants to run at 200-210 with a 180 thermostat (SunPro aftermarket gauge).
 
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