ok i need to cover up part of the radiator. question is how much and whats a good material to use to do it. mounting suggestions would be helpfull. temps about 32 degrees out side so my car don't stay warm driving down the interstate or a highway. temp drops 130 ish i think. stays there during highway driving.

 

last year I took a piece of cardboard and cut it down to the size of the radiator, then cut a square hole half the size of the fan directly behind where the fan is, so if the car does need to pull air, it can... I used this method for the entire winter season too... it isn't a fantastic fix, but it works, and is cheap and easy, and if you mess it up, you just get another piece of cardboard...

 

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but if your thermostat is working correctly, you shouldn't have to block of part of the radiator to keep the motor warm. Not only does the thermostat keep you from overheating by opening to let water flow through the radiator, it closes when at a minimum temperature to keep water in the block which keeps you above that minimum temperature.

I drove across Utah in the winter at below zero temps with a thermostat stuck open and it was miserable. The temperature gauge barely moved off the first mark and it was all I could do to keep the windshield defrosted. Replaced the t-stat and all was well in the same temps.

 

87 with a stock 350 thing normally stays around 150f no matter where im driving... i try to keep it aorund 180..... is this okay?

 

I drove my Camaro in -10 F your will be fine if everything is running right. thermostat, fluids, ect.

 

thermostat is working fine comes up to temp at idle and the fan will kick on.
just driving down the highway at 55 makes the temp rapidly drop. to much cold air going through the radiator cooling it off to fast. stupid air dams work to well at times.. and not enough other times. the colder it gets the transfer of heat from hot to cold is faster than when its 70 degrees out.

 

With those symptoms, you've pretty much confirmed to me that your thermostat has failed open (the preferred way when it fails). With it open, all of your coolant flows through the block and radiator at all times. At idle, teperature rises because there's no air flow through the rdiator until your fan kicks on and brings the temperature down (like it's supposed to). While moving, there's always air flow, and lower outside temperatures will bring the coolant temp down faster.

 

guess i will have to change the stat...now to find some where inside.. where its warm...

 

Could take off the air deflector thing thats mounted below the radiator. Then it won't also act as a snow scooper in deep snow or have the possibility of being ripped off by snow/ice chunks. I haven't had mine on my v6 but thats cause I've never took the effort to find a replacement.

But replace the t-stat first

 

got the t-stat replaced ... wow the car warms up much faster now.
factory stat 195. bad news is i gotta find my new tps connector and splice it in to the harness.. cracked the old one. but works fine for now.

 

glad thats worked out, i had the same problemo last year and just thought the car was running in too cold a temp, untill feb came around and it was still running cold LOL
thermostats a bitch to get to aint it ? im not surprised youve cracked your TPS........Doh !