thermostat installation

I always put thermo. between water outlet neck on top of engine head and top of radiator inlet. I use the temp. probe pipe in middle of hose for mounting temp gauge unit. Have fun modelAtony tony white Lafayette, LA
 
I think the question is to locate the thermostat closer to the engine end of the radiator hose instead of the radiator end. I have mine on the engine end of the hose and I have it held in place with a hose clamp.
 
teedog said:
I am talking upper hose ,close to radiator neck. I thought the water flowed into the radiator
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On Minerva, I just slipped it in the top of the top hose & it was invisible & worked FINE. It was the type with a sleeve spot welded on to it.
Bill W.
 
I would assume that the closer to the engine the better. Mind you if the thermostat has one or more small bypass holes in it it may not matter.
 
There must be some reason modern cars have them installed on or close-to the block. However, I've had no problems with the thermostat located anywhere in the upper hose. If you don't clamp it, it will work it's way up the hose until it hits the radiator intake. Theoretically, mounting close to the block gives better temperature control in the block, rather than temperature control in the upper hose, which will require the motor to run at least a bit hotter than the stat's rated control temperature. However, if you are using the popular 160-degree stat, running a bit higher might be a good thing, especially if you're using antifreeze (higher boiling point than water).
 
I have found using a thermo/housing from Vintage Precision Inc. makes this a snap. It has the thermostat inside and has predrilled holes for a temp gauge and heater hose connection. Their phone is 800-486-0021. I have these on 2 of my A's and they work perfect. I got tired of breaking the originals. Good Luck!
 
partridgekelley said:
I have found using a thermo/housing from Vintage Precision Inc. makes this a snap. It has the thermostat inside and has predrilled holes for a temp gauge and heater hose connection. Their phone is 800-486-0021. I have these on 2 of my A's and they work perfect. I got tired of breaking the originals. Good Luck!
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Same here!
 

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i need to keep my cars stock looking so the nice thermostat housing that Carl and many others use is not an option for my application. also using an external hose clamp is also not an option.
i cut an old lower hose and place the piece inside the upper which fits perfectly to stop the stat from moving upwards..
Tom also posted something similar he uses a pvc fitting to hold his in place..
both are invisible from the outside
 
I will go to home depot and see if I can get pvc pipe the same o.d. as the i.d. of the hose. thanks, mike
 
My post is about the temperature at which a thermostat opens. I have a temperature gauge with mine and it seems that it starts opening where it should at about 160 degrees, but is not fully open until the water temperature reaches about 190 degrees. Has anyone else notice this sort of behavior?

It is the type of thermostat that is attached to a cylindrical sleeve so that it will stay straight in the hose and can be clamped in place using a hose clamp on the outside of the hose. I am sure that I bought it from either Bratton's or Snyder's.
 
Richard Lorenz said:
My post is about the temperature at which a thermostat opens. I have a temperature gauge with mine and it seems that it starts opening where it should at about 160 degrees, but is not fully open until the water temperature reaches about 190 degrees. Has anyone else notice this sort of behavior?

It is the type of thermostat that is attached to a cylindrical sleeve so that it will stay straight in the hose and can be clamped in place using a hose clamp on the outside of the hose. I am sure that I bought it from either Bratton's or Snyder's.
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it should open fully at 160.... how can you see it inside the hose?
 
I installed a 160F thermostat on the advice of Mitch and others and placed it in the upper hose with an 3rd hold drilled in it... In testing I see ~180F at the base of the neck... I figure I'm likely to lose ~20F where the 160F thermostat is installed due to cooling of the fan on the upper hose and distance from the block... So far in ~2 months my car runs better, has not overheated and is running 50/50 coolant. How well other cars might run with a set up like this is likely all depends on the wellness of their radiator... (a newbie opinion).

(see end of the video )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFqgDPzEau4
 
Why complicate it? A sleeved thermostat in the upper end of the upper hose will stay put & nobody knows it's there. Water travels UP & heat travels UP, so what's the BIG DEAL? Don't worry about when the thermostat opens/closes, it'll just do what it's designed to do & it's constantly "hunting" & cycling! DON'T go drillin' HOLES in it, LEAVE IT ALONE! Would you try to RE_DESIGN an EGG or a SQUIRREL?
Bill W.
 
Richard Lorenz said:
My post is about the temperature at which a thermostat opens. I have a temperature gauge with mine and it seems that it starts opening where it should at about 160 degrees, but is not fully open until the water temperature reaches about 190 degrees. Has anyone else notice this sort of behavior?

It is the type of thermostat that is attached to a cylindrical sleeve so that it will stay straight in the hose and can be clamped in place using a hose clamp on the outside of the hose. I am sure that I bought it from either Bratton's or Snyder's.
Click to expand...

Hi, Richard. Yes mine 'hunts' like that at first when the engine is cold until it 'finds' it's temperature. I am assuming it is because the thermostat is designed to be slow reacting. My temperature will usually rise to ~180°F then fall to ~150°F. It will over shoot the 'set point' a couple of cycles then settle in at 160°F. Then we're off on our adventure... :cool::cool:
 
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