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I recently bought a '73 with a 350, 3 speed. Previous owner put in a restrictor plate in lieu of a thermostat. Water temp gauge has shown typical operating temp around 110F for around town driving (I initially didn't believe the gauge was functioning), and came up to about 140F on highway drive (50-60F outside temp). Is there such thing as running too cold? What are the advantages/cons of a restrictor plate? He did mentioned it might run better is it had a thermostat in it.
From: Some days your the dog and some days your the hydrant.
Royal Canadian Navy
Anyone who uses a restrictor plate in the cooling system doesn't know how a cooling system works. I wonder how bubba determined the size of the orifice??? Put a 180* thermostat in there and throw away the plate. If the engine does not run between 180-190 under all conditions, then there is a problem elsewhere in the cooling system which more often than not is a rad problem. Oil is formulated to work best at temps around 180 to provide the best lubricity. Too cold or hot will promote engine wear.
If you research best engines temps, You will find that 195 T-stats are best. 195 -220 water temp and over 212 oil temp to boil out all the water condensation.
I keep my water temp around 205-210 which has my cruising oil temp at about 215 - 220.
Best ware, best engine efficiency, and keep the oil water free and max lub.
350 Operating Temp w/ Restrictor Plate
