The controversial thermo
 

At the risk of starting a firestorm, I thought I'd give an update on my 81A rebuild. After getting the motor in the car with my new Skips water pumps, I found I didn't have hoses that would allow me to utilize the Robert Shaw thermostats that were on the shelf. I went ahead and ran the car a hundred miles or so without stats. The motor would really never come up to temperature, so I decided to get a different hose setup and try the stats. I got a fancy stainless set from Speedway which I had to cut down to get them to fit. After testing in hot water and calculating expansion, I clamped them in the hose with adequate space below to open and gave then a run. The motor appears to come up to operating temp and hold. I've just driven it a little around town in cool weather, so it is not conclusive, but looks promising.

Re: The controversial thermo
 

Re: The controversial thermo
 

Yeah, I think this photo was before I was finished. Looks like a leak waiting to happen. I also added a clap to the thermo itself to keep it from moving.

Re: The controversial thermo
 

It has a clamp at the radiator, there is a glare there. Is that an aluminum radiator?

Re: The controversial thermo
 

Yes it's an aluminum radiator. My original was pretty bad and before I got the 81A rebuilt i was running a 59A motor that was constantly overheating. The $1K radiator didn't fix that either, but it's working well for me now. Also running a 6V fan and one of those 50 amp "Genernators" that a guy up the coast builds.
http://www.gener-nator.com/

Re: The controversial thermo
 

19Fordy. Calculating expansion was referring to how much the length of the thermostat increases when heated. By design the lower portion of the stat drops down when it gets hot allowing water to flow up through. If it is sitting directly on the head outlet this function may be restricted. It grew about 3/8" in length when hot.

Re: The controversial thermo