My '84 has the base 350, Cross-Fire engine. I was wondering what the normal operating temperature is. It gets into the 220's, sometimes as high as the low 230's. Just wondering if this is the norm.

 

Norm for a 28 year old car.....however still getting warm.

You may need to have the radiator boiled out and/or a new water pump.

Tell us the honest answer, is the water ruddy brown??

Mine was when I got it, and it continues to flush brown even though I use Deionized water in the system for the past three plus years.

Mine, too, started running hot the ~year or so after I got it. The cooling system went to pot after sitting for 10 years and then being pressed into service after I bought it.

I opted to buy one of those OEM radiators that the now defunct "thepartsladi" had on Ebay, and I replaced the water pump, flushed the hell of the system and never put tap water back inside.

after all this, I found that the thermostat had been replaced with a 165° TS and the car was running too cool causing the Overdrive to kick out when the temps dropped below 160°......that was hairy

I replaced the TS with a stocker and now my car will idle on a hot day with the A/C on at ~200°.......If I turn off the A/C the idle will go up to ~228° at which point the fan will kick on and the temps drop back to 195°ish.....it cycles back and forth

On the freeways, if any air is moving across the radiator, it drops to where the TS closes and it stays there no matter how hot it is outside.