I’m seeing a lot of controversy over which thermostats to use in a 59a for best cooling , what have you guys had work the best in your flatties
180 degree seems to be the most preferred choice. I live in a hot climate and don't use any in my 8BA. A Fordbarn search will yield tons of info.
If you have overheating problems, it is not the thermostats unless they are defective.. Running an engine too cold can cause problems with fouled plugs and unneeded condensation. If your cooling system is in otherwise good shape 180 degree thermostats are proper. I'm an 8BA guy, but I have heard that there can be a problem mounting the thermostats in the pre-49 engines. They can cock in the hose and cause problems. There are various ways of preventing this such as wiring the thermostats into the head opening or using a small piece of smaller diameter hose inside the regular hose. If nobody steps up, you could go to "The Ford Barn". There is a lot of information there. I have also heard that Subaru "Justy" thermostats are a good modern replacement.
I run Robert Shewman's stats which are made to fit into the upper hose. He has 160's and 180's Robert Shewman, POB 163, Kimberton PA 19442 six one zero 933 6637 [email protected] See his advert in the V-8 Times.
Haven’t run thermostats for decades. They do however get your engine to operating temp quicker which helps on wear. I’ve found the less restriction on those coolant passages the better.
It is good to run thermostats in your car. They will bring it up to the desired temperature quicker and they will keep the engine at the desired temperature. I have run 180 and 160 in my flathead and they both have worked very well. I recently put the 160's in on the advice of some old school guys when I had a cooling problem. Turned out to be the water pumps weren't pumping enough at idle. A pair of the new Speedway pumps cured that issue. I just left the 160's in rather than replacing them back to the 180's as the engine seemed to be ok with either one.
I run the 170 degree Subaru Justy thermostats. I have a very small piece of stainless tubing inside the hose that keeps them in place. I keep the stainless tube in place with an additional hose clamp so there are two hose clamps on each head. I'm using vintage thumb screw clamps and nobody has ever asked why each head has two clamps. My 59 AB flatty was running too cool at 140-150 degrees. This solved the problem. Runs 160-180 now even in smoking hot weather. I have an extra length of tubing left over from this mod if you're interested. Andy
Been running them for years with absolutely no problems. I guess no reason to run without them in my case. 180 degree.
I used a couple of large flat washers in my 59ab with evens hc heads Elgin cam two 94s Fenton headers ran about 170 in 80 degree stop n go traffic with puller fan on reoestat Never got above 200 degrees
I used the Subaru stats and drilled a tiny hole on each side of the water outlet on the head, and then stainless wire them in place. 59ab heads
180 north,lower more south by a little 160 in summer. I have seen over the years,two things show up most often when Flatheads run hot;. Thermostats with no bleed hole at all,=need to drill a 1/8in. hole in disk away from temp/opener> so when filling with water,it fills vs trapped air. Other mistake is upper rad/head hoses ,with big hump= air trap pocket in hose. < in some cases it were rad. is very low,making hose hump highist point in all of cooling water* so big airtrap/steam trap. In some of those cases,if a custom outlet on the head, was made as a 90* it would then be,no pocket or very small/plus look better !
st. louis gets hot. i run 180s winter and 160s summer (8ba). ford service manual lists both 'stats, so what's the problem?
run 180's in the Ice Cream Truck pulling the trailer and 2000 lbs in it in 100+ weather gets to 180 like its supposed to.
Is there a part no. For those? May do this in my 41 Sent from my SM-J7008 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
^^^Rockauto. 1984-1994 Subaru Justy.>Cooling system>thermostat. Several different ones with different temp settings. Perfect diameter. Fits right on top of the outlets in the heads like it was made for it. Andy
Navarro heads——Ford 195 thermostats——-2(two) small machine Allen heads.Real easy,works well—-no problems
No thermostats on model 18. However big improvement with these in-line vintage Dole housings, fitted with modern 180° Ford Mustang V8 2011+ thermostats. Smaller brass tube is for bypass down to water inlet, bigger one is for better cylinder head cooling (water extraction from back of head). Works just perfect.
Early Ford parts suppliers should have 'stats with the piece of tube attached unless they have been discontinued. Dana Barlow is right about needing a little "steam hole" in the stats. It not only acts as an air bleed but also lets a little bit of water circulate while the engine warms up. There are spots in the engine that can get boiling hot before the rest of it warms up. That is what they were originally intended to help prevent.
Been running them 180's for nine years in my roadster. Always run them in other flathead motors I have had. Seems to work without issues.
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