Do aluminum heads require a different thermostat?
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,948
Likes: 72
From: Oxford MA-----You just lost the game!!!!
Do aluminum heads require a different thermostat?
Howdy, I'm gonna put some aluminum heads on my 1980 L48 engine. I have a 180 degree thermostat in it right now, will a different thermostat be advantageous with the new heads? Should I use a different antifreeze than the green stuff I have been using all along? It's had an aluminum intake manifold on it for a looooong time now, and the inside of the water passages look just fine.
Thanks,
Scotty
Thanks,
Scotty
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
2025 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
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Cruise-In VIII Veteran
No, your 180 should be just fine. Don't forget the sealant on the head bolts!
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,024
Likes: 1,120
From: North tonawanda NY
Howdy, I'm gonna put some aluminum heads on my 1980 L48 engine. I have a 180 degree thermostat in it right now, will a different thermostat be advantageous with the new heads? Should I use a different antifreeze than the green stuff I have been using all along? It's had an aluminum intake manifold on it for a looooong time now, and the inside of the water passages look just fine.
Thanks,
Scotty
Thanks,
Scotty
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 10,045
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From: FL
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,757
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From: Fairfax Virginia
I personally still like and use the old style Greenish (I'm Color Blind) anti-freeze and I flush it every five years. DexCool is not my favorite coolant so I use the old style green stuff in my newer cars.
My daughter has a 2011 Camaro and her Heater Core started leaking with less than 40k miles. You are right about the "paper thin" materials used today. Then they pulled the windshield out to get access to the heater core more easily and then charged me for that as well. That was it for DexCool in my vehicles.
I saw a set of factory L88 Aluminum Heads that had suffered from Green Coolant corrosion. They were asking $2000 for the pair of damaged heads. The aluminum was eaten away in several places and the heads were virtually useless unless you were a welder with great skills.
My daughter has a 2011 Camaro and her Heater Core started leaking with less than 40k miles. You are right about the "paper thin" materials used today. Then they pulled the windshield out to get access to the heater core more easily and then charged me for that as well. That was it for DexCool in my vehicles.
I saw a set of factory L88 Aluminum Heads that had suffered from Green Coolant corrosion. They were asking $2000 for the pair of damaged heads. The aluminum was eaten away in several places and the heads were virtually useless unless you were a welder with great skills.
Had a 1976 L-82, 4-sp
Joined: Mar 2011
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From: Some days your the dog and some days your the hydrant.
Royal Canadian Navy
DO NOT select antifreeze by its colour! If the bottle says compatible with aluminium, use it. If the bottle says not compatible with aluminium, don't use it. If the bottle doesn't mention aluminium, don't use it.
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