thermostat(s). 59AB

Yes, needed in both heads and are quite necessary. My favorite thermostats are from a subaru justy. I have used them in 59ab and 8ba with great success. There are a few tricks for keeping them in place within the hose, such as a small wire or in my case a smaller piece of hose just above the thermostats. Some people use two hose clamps. Not really sure how Ford secured them, but I think originals were a different configuration. I'm hoping someone chimes in with the part # for those thermostats.
 
Gary, I don't have any pictures but my 38 zephyr had thermostats with fingers that ran along the the inside wall of the hose. These were clamped between the head and hose when the hose was clamped in place. Tim
 
GB SISSON said:
Yes, needed in both heads and are quite necessary. My favorite thermostats are from a subaru justy. I have used them in 59ab and 8ba with great success. There are a few tricks for keeping them in place within the hose, such as a small wire or in my case a smaller piece of hose just above the thermostats. Some people use two hose clamps. Not really sure how Ford secured them, but I think originals were a different configuration. I'm hoping someone chimes in with the part # for those thermostats.
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Original thermostats were slightly larger in outside diameter than the hoses inside diameter. Thus, the hose kept the thermostat in place.
 
GB SISSON said:
Yes, needed in both heads and are quite necessary. My favorite thermostats are from a subaru justy. I have used them in 59ab and 8ba with great success. There are a few tricks for keeping them in place within the hose, such as a small wire or in my case a smaller piece of hose just above the thermostats. Some people use two hose clamps. Not really sure how Ford secured them, but I think originals were a different configuration. I'm hoping someone chimes in with the part # for those thermostats.
Click to expand...

The part numbers are: MotoRad #2003-180 or Stant Super Stat #5203-180. The Stant seems slightly beefier, but they are essentially the same.

Originally, the stock hoses had a bell-type shape to the part the attaches to the head. When pushed down all the way, this upper "lip" held the stat in place. You can still find aftermarket hoses that are formed correctly. I think the Bob Drake ones are.

It's simple enough to drill small holes in the neck of the head, the rim of the t-stat and then run thin stainless wire to hold it down. The hose seals up the holes. For extra measure, I smeared some high temp epoxy over the holes.
 
any way that keeps them in place is good me i ditched the full length hose and went to stainless pipes and jammed the stat between the head and the pipe [they polished up great and who dosent like a bit of bling
 

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GB SISSON said:
Can't see them flipping over sideways with that solid wire loop.
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Would have to think they go in the long section of hose leading to the rad vs. just off of the outlet from the head. That loop appears to be too long to fit in the elbow leading off the head. Maybe I'm wrong, would need to measure.

I guess you could bend the loop a bit to fit the head.
 
This was described in an old forum. I bought a piece of straight rubber hose at NAPA having an outside diameter matching the inside diameter of my '47 radiator hoses, cut off two pieces about one inch long, coated outside of them with rubber cement and (making sure the radiator hoses were dry inside) inserted them into the bottom of the ford's radiator hoses so their bottom edge was recessed up in about one inch. After rubber cement dried I inserted thermostates into bottom of hose and slid the hose onto the head. That was about 10 years ago and they work fine.
 
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