I want to strangle my water neck.......>>>>>

[Johnny SixPack]

Well, the new aluminum water pump housing is on.

Woo-hoo!

New problem.

Apparently the water necks I have (neither the cheesy Chinese made chrome crap nor the nice CRS billet aluminum piece) will fit a thermostat.

With the CRS it simply won't fit in there.

I'm guessing it's a race only type?

The Chinese crap just looks like they forgot to machine down the inner lip that the stat would fit into.

So since I can't machine the mofo down at this time, I'm just not going to use a stat for right now.

Nacho didn't have one on is his Charger for a long as he could remember, and others I've talked to said the only difference is that the motor won't stay at a constant temp.

Is this true?

Are there any real drawbacks to not running a stat?

In theory though, this should be fixable by machining down that el cheapo neck, or trying to find a correct one.

What necks are you guys using?

Thanks in advance.


Johnny

[firefighter3931]

Johnny, the waterneck (thermostat housing) should be flat and unmachined. The waterpump housing should have a groove where the thermostat sits making it flush with the surface.

Thermostat goes in WP housing, then gasket, then thermostat housing bolts on. Check your waterpump housng to make sure it's been machined for a thermostat.   Use high temp ultra copper permatex to seal it all up. Just snug it up and let it cure overnight....retighten in the morning.

Ron

[Runner]

ron,   thats on chevy's. ma mopar puts a resess in the thermostat housing for the thermostat and the water pump housing is flush. ill bet the csr is a gm housing.     honestly i got so tired of leaks from aftermarket housing that i found a few food factory aluminum housing and bead blasted them and use them like that with my aluminum water pump housing.

there was a place call extreme billit or something to that effect that sold billit mopar housing with the thermostat ressess cut into it but i cant seem to find there websight.   they also made nitrous bottle holders, very nice hemi covers ect.

    i personally dont like running a street motor with out a thermostat, especially if you plan to drive it much when its cold out.  you get alot of condensation in your motor, and if it runs in col weather you may get a milky substance forming under your valve covers. 

[cudaken]

 Ron, are you feeling OK? Are the Dist in the front or rear of the 383's you work on?

Formula_440, I told you not to buy one I have never had the problem you are talking about with  the thermostat fitting. Problem I have had was the cheap metal bends and starts to leak.

I can help you in one of two ways. I have a stock one you can have, just shipping and if under $2.00 I will eat that. I have the Raven Craft stainless steel one for $40.00 and inc shipping in the US. It fits just fine and does not leak. Reason I offer it up is due the simple fact with out the Blower I am going for the stock look again.

On not running a thermostat, I have been told that the water will run to fast and not cool down in the radiator. But with your cross flow cooling should not be the problem, might be lack of heat to make the metal expand to the clearnces they should.

                              Cuda Ken

[Johnny SixPack]

I know, I know, I know.....

Ken, I'll take Raven Craft piece for sure.

Especially since you know it'll work.

I've got a couple old stock ones I could clean up if I was so inclined, but might as well go stainless so it doesn't end up like the stock necks.

I'll PM you with my address, and you can send me yours.

Is the Raven Craft neck a straight up, or 90* type?

Thanks for the offer, man!

[cudaken]

 Here is a PIC, I will make you a deal on the P/S bracket as well if you have P/S. God I hate to sell it, good it was a great looking POS.

                                         Cuda Ken

[BrianShaughnessy]

The raven is a straight up style.       Looks good... works good.

[runningman]

If you want to send it out my way I can get it machined at work for you, no charge.   matt

[firefighter3931]

Dang Guys, thanks for pointing that out. Cripes, it's been so long since i even looked at one that i was thinking chevvy....lmao. I just slapped a new thermostat and gasket on my "cough, cough" GMC pickup last week...musta been thinking about that R&R. I've just used the oem style housings....never any aftermarket stuff. My appologies guys.

Ken, now that you mention it...i've had the flu for a few days...but that's no excuse.   

Ron

[Runner]

ron, i trust you enough that i had to think about it before i posted   lol.   by the way no chevys in this houshold, but i do have a token ford. after my wife and i (i guess im the one that rolled it, she was along for the ride) rolled my 87 ford down a canyon over in oregon she insisted on a ford pickup as the replacement.



http://www.pbase.com/runner1971/image/37677211

[firefighter3931]

Holy Crap Mike....now that's a wreck ! What's the story with the Chevelle down there with you ?

My next truck's gonna be a Ram...but the ole GMC has served me well.

Ron

[Runner]

ron, thats acually zoomed in quaite a bit, the pickup is about 100 feel down and the car is 50 fee past that.   if you look closly that isnt a chevelle (hard to tell from there) its a 72 satellite that my wife and i had just purchased 5 minutes before we wrecked.it was night time. it was a very narrow road with no gaurd rails and switch back turns. i came out of one switch back and into another when i hit a wet-mossy spot on the road and the pickup wouldnt slow down or turn at all. we just drove right off the road and started up rooting trees. the pickup flipped end over end and came unhooked from my trailer.   when we got out of the pickup the car was sitting right next to the pickup on the trailer and had no bamage at all to the satellite. it was so steep that when it stoped i could of reack out the passenger window and touched the ground, but i had to climb out the drivers window, and hang and drop to the ground and im 6 foot 3 inches tall. it wasnt until after our 15 minute climb up the hill that the car took off on the trailer again and hit the back of the pickup on its way by, taking out the front fenders, driverside door and hit the drivers side quarter panel.
          it was/is a bucket seat center console a/c car that we we had planed on taking the seats and console out for our roadrunner, and putting our roadrunner interior into the satellite and then my wife was giong to use it as a fun drive to work when she felt like it type of car.     the body was really straight prior to the wreck, its really a shame in a way. the interior of it is now in my roadrunner, the body work is done on the car for the most part(giong to pick it up on saturday.     my wife has always wanted a panther pink car so thats what it will be. i just bought a couple big blocks, a 78 440 that is going to be one of my daughters christmas presents and a 383 that has been machined and came with new silvolite pistons and rings. i got it all for 250 bucks with a 727!   ill be using the 906's off my roadrunner for heads.   it will be kind of a roach motor i think. im hoping it will run with in a half a second or so of my 68 satellite (13.80) sence its got a roach   reringed 383 in it. i now have a set of 71 bucket seats i got out of a parts car so it will get bucket seats back in it.

     my 68 is basically my daily driver unless its snowing or there is ice on the road, and i think my wife would like the 72 to fair weather daily driver for her.  

  heres a few pics of the wreck to give you an idea of how steep it was.


  my 68, nothing pretty but i really love this car!.

http://www.pbase.com/runner1971/image/37409568

my daughters car

http://www.pbase.com/runner1971/image/37408504

more of the wreck
http://www.pbase.com/runner1971/image/52288923
http://www.pbase.com/runner1971/image/52288922

    believe it or not the long brown haired woman was part of the wrecker crew! you should have seen a front veiw     my wife insisted on another ford because other than being a scary ride it really wasnt that bad, the pickup was totaled but the cabs structure held up nicly keeping us safe.

  sorry didnt mean to steal this thread.

[firefighter3931]

Thanks for the pics and explanation Mike....quite the story ! Seems like you've got a lot of cool projects on the go. Your ladies seem addicted to speed !   Quite the juggleing act you've got going with all these cars. Your daughter's Bee is gorgeous....very striking colors ! Soon they'll be wanting strokers to replace the 383's...it just never ends  

Ron