opinions needed on this idea

i'm still curious if any other "technical" FABO readers have an opinion on the "no thermostat makes the car run cooler" debate.

however, i can say with some confidence that "old" V8's - like your 440 - DO NOT like "heat." in fact, all V8's from about 1958 to 1978 do not like heat. in the 1950's and 1960's, the majority of cars ran 100% "water" in their cooling systems. since water boils at 212 degrees, normal running temperatures were based on the 160 and 180 degree thermostats. it was not uncommon "back then" for cars to overheat on hot days or in traffic because engine temps would reach the 212 boiling point even with properly functioning thermostats. in the 1970's, "cooling antifreeze" came on the market and helped the overheating problems. by then, almost all cars were running some kind of "synthetic" liquid in the cooling systems, NOT just water. when air pollution and emissions laws got going, engine operating temps went up as a hotter engine burns off more emissions. today with synthentic oil and cooling liquids engines are designed to run hotter than in the past. i believe the average engine today runs around 200 degrees.

your 440 is going to be happy the "cooler" it can run. years ago in the late 60's and 70's when i was in high school and drag racing mopars, my cars were always faster in the fall and winter because of the air temp. in fact, there was a product back then called a "cool can" which i installed on a Roadrunner i had for a while. it was an alluminum can about the size of a regular coffee can that had a coiled copper tubing in it that you hooked your fuel line to. when you were going to race someone, you filled the can up with ice which cooled the fuel prior to entering the carb. a "cool can" was good for a couple of horsepower.

so i would do whatever you can to keep your big block cool - a larger radiator, electric fans, running your heater all the time ... you get the picture...