During these colder months my car runs at about 170-175 with the fan constantly on(hooked to a switch). The one 70-75 degree day it decided to stay at 220. Sitting in traffic or on the freeway didn't matter. I like to run at about 170-185 which is comfortable for me.

I have a 165 degree thermostat I believe and small holes cut out just in case it fails! One electric fan hooked up to a switch, on the back of the box it recommends two. Also I don't have that lower air dam or whatever it's called as that's how I bought it and I need to find where I can buy one from as I'm sure not having one isn't helping. I'm not overheating, just running a little warmer than I'm comfortable with and I'm sure the summer months it's going to run a bit hotter. So what upgrades do you guys suggest?

Also can timing affect the cars operating temp? If so which extreme affects it? Advanced or retarded?

 

mine usually runs ~195,can get up around 220 on the highway on a hot day if i crank the speed up-i suspect the air dam is folding back some.My cooling system is basicly stock-('82 TA aluminum radiator/clutch fan/195 thermo)though an oil cooler has been added.Since you said the fan box recommended 2 fans, i presume the fan you are using is 12 or 14"aftermarket-those can be pretty iffy for cooling a v8 properly.If you can't find an original air dam,could make one out of stiff plastic, decently thick aluminum,an old truck mud flap or the like.Retarded Timing can cause a heating tendency,timing too far advanced can cause pinging which will also cause to run hot.For your car,could get or make an air dam to see if it runs cool enough at speed and if it does,upgrade the fan if it heats at low speed.

 

That sounds like a good idea! Do you have a picture of the factory air dam so I have some sort of clue of what to go for? I'm thinking dual fans and the airdam should put me right where I want to be

 

I run 4th gen dual fan set up with a 4th gen TA lower air dam. The TA dam is lower and grabs more air.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cool...n-air-dam.html

 

With a 160 stat, I'm seldom over 165 when cruising. Being a Sport Coupe I don't have the air dam issue to deal with. On the hottest summer days, prior to the implementation of full manifold vacuum rather than ported vacuum, idle temps would creep up to 190 and beyond. With the additional idle advance provided by the full manifold vacuum source, temps at idle are down about 20 degrees. This is all with a 3" Griffen rad and a single OEM electric fan run via a switch in the right side cylinder head. I believe the setting is on at 195, off at 180 or so. This off season I'll be incorporating a Dakota Digital fan controller which will run parallel to the temp gauge in the left side cylinder head. I can program the set point to whatever I want and also use the manual function to keep the fan running should I want to such as the days when I'm at the strip.

 

My car runs 195* all day long on the hottest summer days. My car has a built 406 and I use a 2 row Griffin universal aluminum radiator with the 4th gen fan setup using a Flexalite fan controller that works very well and you can tailor your on and off temps. You will definitely want the air deflector that bolts under the front to keep the air from blowing right under the car, my car would get hot every time without it.

 

160* with a 160 thermostat and hypertech fan switch to match. A few years ago I was having a cooling issue. I replaced the hoses, thermostat, and had the cooling system flushed. No problems since. Although I did a HPDE event last summer and the temp creeped up to 220* and stayed there through the entire run. It was warm that day but not hot and the car was running ***** to the wall for 20min at a time. I was surprised the car couldn't stay cool, especially with the high speeds.