Thermostat choice?

[LEMOOREACE]

Ok, so my car came originally from New Hampshire 318 2bbl with a solid mount 5 blade fan.  Everything outside of the battery, belts and hoses is pretty much OEM under the hood (car literally has less than 30k miles, no bs). 

So now it lives in California, and I took her for a spin today with the A/C on and started to see my temps climb up to 220s for the first time.  Most of my driving is local cruising stop and go.  I'd like to be able to cruise her a little further from home with no worries (not that 220 is super crazy, but its early summer and  temps here will only get worse).

So I went and purchased a 7 blade fan with a clutch originally from a 340 setup/car which should help.  I have no idea what thermostat I have in there (yet) but regardless, plan to do a flush, thermostat change and then add the fan.

So in California weather, where I plan to run my A/C often and I expect temps as high as in the 100's, and this new fan setup...  what do you think I should drop in for a fresh thermostat? 

[HP_Cuda]

Get a 180 degree stat, the best atomization of fuel is right at 190 degrees.

[74 challenge]

My car came with a 160 t-stat but it kept overheating so I swapped to a 180 with a new rad, not a single issue. Unless I get stuck in traffic since I have yet to pick up a correct 22 inch fan shroud.

[JayBee]

Back in the 90's, flushing my 18 inch rad made a huge improvement in lowering the car's operating temp. Since then the whole setup has been changed to a 22' rad, fan shroud & 7 blade fixed fan.
Oh, look into a fan shroud too.

[LEMOOREACE]

Thanks all...   180 was what I was thinking too. 

18" 7 blade fan w/clutch is on the way...  have the shroud..  I'll let you know the results when I wrap up the flush/installs. 

[cudabob496]

inexpensive aluminum radiators from Summit are the way to go!
will give you an avg drop of 20 degrees!
also, make sure you have a good shroud.
having a TS open earlier, will not solve an overheating problem.
If you are slow in traffic, with A/C on, and its above 100 degrees outside, then
an aluminum radiator is almost a must!

also, the aluminum MOPAR high flow water pump is very effective, when combined
with the alum radiator.

I bought a $200 HOWE alum radiator 10 years ago, and for an extra $50 they welded the inlet and outlets and side tank in the
right locations for me.

[cudabob496]

I took about a 6 inch by 55 inch piece of sheetmetal, and attached  it to the lower front valance
of my Cuda, to make a spoiler. Not only does it help minimize air drag under the car, and keep the nose
from floating up at high speed, but it  forces more air through the radiator for better cooling when moving.

Also, if you can vent your engine compartment any way, like hood vents, or remove inner splash guards near front wheels,
that allows more air to pass through the radiator, and actually helps your car be faster by reducing drag at high speed. Racers use to crack the rear of their
hoods about 2 or 3 inches up, and gain a couple of tenths in the quarter mile. Helps make your car less of a big air brake due to drag.

[LEMOOREACE]

I took about a 6 inch by 55 inch piece of sheetmetal, and attached  it to the lower front valance
of my Cuda, to make a spoiler. Not only does it help minimize air drag under the car, and keep the nose
from floating up at high speed, but it  forces more air through the radiator for better cooling when moving.

Also, if you can vent your engine compartment any way, like hood vents, or remove inner splash guards near front wheels,
that allows more air to pass through the radiator, and actually helps your car be faster by reducing drag at high speed. Racers use to crack the rear of their
hoods about 2 or 3 inches up, and gain a couple of tenths in the quarter mile. Helps make your car less of a big air brake due to drag.

This is great stuff, and thanks, but I think you have a little higher expectation as to my intent and current HP output.  I'm just cruisin' and trying to keep this lil ole low mileage stock 318 2bbl a little bit cooler....   

[cudabob496]

This is great stuff, and thanks, but I think you have a little higher expectation as to my intent and current HP output.  I'm just cruisin' and trying to keep this lil ole low mileage stock 318 2bbl a little bit cooler....

no problem, ya, I kinda take a "faster and more power the better" approach.

[high perf mopar]

this is what i use,,,160 degree high flow unit from milodon..generally,a 160 will in warmer weather warm up to 180 and vary between depending on demand,,if it goes to 200+ u need to take a hard look at your cooling system if its a lower perf/horsepower motor...

 http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-16405/overview/make/plymouth

[cudabob496]

use to run 160, but went to 180 to keep the aluminum heads happy, as
too cool will lower cylinder pressure.
they seemed to like it.

I think they make alum rads now that look stock.

But I painted the top of mine black, and thats good enough for me.

[LEMOOREACE]

Did the clutch fan (7 blade) and saw no difference.  Added the 180 degree thermostat and made a whopping difference.  Sits about 180-185...   Will creep to 190+ at a long red light....  drive away and back down to 185 in no time...

Better than hanging at 200-210, I was lucky to be at 195 when moving before the changes...  keeping it in the radiator longer sure did help.

[CUDA8U]

Did the clutch fan (7 blade) and saw no difference.  Added the 180 degree thermostat and made a whopping difference.  Sits about 180-185...   Will creep to 190+ at a long red light....  drive away and back down to 185 in no time...

Better than hanging at 200-210, I was lucky to be at 195 when moving before the changes...  keeping it in the radiator longer sure did help.

i added a 3 core champion rad and dropped 25-30 degrees on highway,you could do this and ad a high volume water pump and alum housing from hughes and drop it too

[7212Mopar]

That looks like a 26 inch AC radiator. I have the same. I drained my system and found a lot of calcium and silicate build up inside a 40 plus years old radiator. I flushed and decalcified it twice already but doubt that all came off (will find out in a few weeks and see how it goes). May be going with a new radiator is the right way to make sure the car does not overheat. I am sure Dodge is good on the coolant flow and pump sizing so it boils down to the change in fouling of the heat transfer surfaces beyond what was accounted for originally.