408 running hot

[340 swinger]

Running my swinger easy about 50 - 55 mph the guage on the rallye dash seemed to be about 2/3 toward the hot side, which was fine by me, but when I rolled it up to about 70 - 75 mph it would sneek towards the hot side, not boiling but real close. So today I took out the thermostat and went for a good hard run on the hwy. The guage barley moved at all, somewhere between zero and the first notch, (pretending its a gas guage, it was at about the 1/8th mark. Car ran a lot better and seemed to like it. After running it hard for 45 minutes on the hwy, I pulled in to a gas station and popped the hood and could hold my hand on the rad and cap with ease. Before it would probably leave some skin from my hand on there. So my question is, was that a good move to remove the thermostat, or should there be one in there? Am I doing any harm running the car that cold without a thermostat? Having the factory guage, I really had no idea what the temp was, so when I got back home I put a hand held laser temp reader on it and at the water neck it read 140 degrees.
Any input would be a great help as I don't want to hurt the old girl.

 

[doktor_x]

I used to hang out with some circle track guys that ran either a gutted thermostat or a large washer that fit the housing. In any case, something to slow down the coolant flow to maintain a reasonable temperature. Then again, those cars were always driven like they were despised.

What kind of thermostat is/was it? Your setup may do well with a high-flow unit from Milodon or something similar.

 

[mopar head]

The engineers figured most engines should run at least 180/200 just to burn off condensation and contaminates, that occur with every heat and cool cycle. Try a 180 high flow. And a good mechanical temp gauge would be a good investment. good luck

 

[Grinder]

Though it may feel better to you,you are hurting your HP and fuel economy by not running a T stat. Did you do a boil test to see if the T Stat is functioning properly? Also what is the advertised temp on the T stat 180? 195?

 

[Grinder]

Always run a quality T Stat as well. I run Napa GOLD T Stats in my cars.Constructed of stainless steel,and is a progressive T Stat.Which means it opens and closes in stages instead of like a lot of cheap T Stats which are either open or closed.Worth the extra 5 bux and made in the USA to boot.