Happy Fathers Day!

[wamnram]

Happy fathers day everyone! I was reading the previous thread about how hot is too hot and it got me to thinking about my own car. I have a stock 36 with the liquid filled glass bulb temperature indicator. It has a low line and a high line separated by about an inch. Here in Houston its been 90 DegF plus, so when im driving around the liquid level is about 3/4 up between the marks. If I stop at a stop light it will climb all the way to the top mark, but doesn't boil out. It makes me nervous. But how hot is that? I'm running Skips pumps, 50/50 antifreeze and distilled water, and water wetter. So I got my laser contact thermometer out and started the car up and let it sit at idle in the driveway (it was about 97 DegF at the time outside). As the temp climbed to the low mark on the gauge, the upper radiator tank was 130 DegF. At midway between the marks, upper tank was at 150 DegF. I let it climb all the way to the top mark and it read 178 DegF. So now I know and I wont be quite so worried when I'm running up at the top of the gauge! But what this does tell me is if a flathead like to run at 180 DegF I would benefit from thermostats, which would restrict flow to bring the temp up to 180 and keep it there.