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Attempting to put a new thermostat in a 218. Is the new one pictured an update? If so, any ideas on how it goes together?

Solving unusual little problems with my '51 B3B is a saga for the ages. The latest has to do with the thermostat housing. On one hand, the correct housing for the '48 - '50 trucks has all the proper dimensions to fit my '51 properly, except it has a water bypass tube which is incorrect for my '51 (which has the internal bypass). On the other hand, I bought a brand new housing (the one on the right) that was supposed to be the answer, but it isn't for two reasons: Reason Number One: The new one doesn't point at the radiator and it causes a solid hose to kink badly. I've tried. Reason Number Two: Even worse, the outlet on the new housing is 1/8 inch wider than it should be. It does not match the radiator inlet. Both should have a 1.75 inch outside diameter. I've searched the internet for a part that looks like it will fit correctly but I have come up empty. So, unless someone on the forum has discovered the perfect solution, I'm going to have to fabricate a housing from scratch that actually fits properly including a tube that points in the right direction. I just wonder where all the original housings have gone. I've never even seen one.

Hey Guys, I'm chasing an overheating symptom. It's a 1950 230ci with external bypass. I've just started driving the truck, first couple of trips temp gauge hung around 180 degrees, was 90 outside but truck ran good. Now it's cooler out but dash gauge reads hot ~200 and up to 212 when I shut it down. Could junk have moved around and partially plugged thermostat...? ( I had pulled all freeze plugs, and water dist tube on this motor and purged tons of junk. I dumped the rad and ran water but never really flushed it as I was afraid to cause a leak. Radiator seems to burp a bit of anti freeze each time, down overflow tube - indication of something? I filled Rad to top and ran truck to see if I could see flow from the water pump, cannot see if there is flow at top fill port. Top hose is hot to the touch bottom hose is cooler. Does that indicate the the thermostat is working properly, rad is not plugged, and the water pump is working correctly? How does system work though Tstat> Does water flow into top of rad from block and out bottom of rad back into block? I used my laser temp gauge to hit all parts of the motor a couple of different times. Net is exhaust side of block is 300+ head just above is 170deg, fitting where bulb end of temp gauge is 160, all areas on head 160, block 165, top of rad 156, bottom of rad 70 antifreeze in top of rad 155. Seems the engine is actually controlling as it should? The dash gauge climbing through the roof just has me nervous. I'm trying to convince myself that the engine is running at 160 but feel like I'm missing something...anyone have a gauge run away like this? Are these gauges adjustable or able to calibrate? Any thoughts or suggestions? Best way to determine if water pump is working to verify rad has proper flow to verify thermostat working and enough flow The rad seems period correct, but it didn't bolt right in, I had to weld up a bracket - I think it's from a desoto car. the lip where the cap attaches has an overflow tube above the sealing surface, seems it should have a pressurized cap...should our engines run pressurized or not? and if so what psi? Idea why rad burps each time, maybe I have rad too full? All info welcome! thanks, J

My B2C started running at about 180, been running 160 since the rebuilt.. I thought it was the thermostat so I got anew. one, put it in the morning. At idle it went to 212 fairly quickly,.. The top radiator tank was cool, top hose cool, bottom hose hot. Could it be the water pump. I put the old and new thermostats in hot water and they both opened about the same time.. I need help.

My wife and I just returned from the 10th Annual Woodies in the Valley show in Visalia CA yesterday but weren't sure we were going to make it home without a tow truck I've been driving the '40 Plymouth now for a couple of years and I've never had an overheating problem, including driving around in the summer at temperatures over 100°. I got the motor from an old Mopar racer who had rebuilt it, new distribution tube, etc. and it always ran like a top. It had 160° thermostat, which after reading various posts here, seemed like I was asking for sludge trouble in the future (apparently the engine doesn't get hot enough to burn off the moisture which creates problems), so I did what you're not supposed to do right before a trip and changed the thermostat to a 180° unit from Napa. Immediately the gauge registered 20° hotter which made sense. We left Saturday morning, outside temperature in the 50s, and drove 60 miles on the freeway with no issues. We had a lot of fun at the show, caught up with old friends, tc., and then caravanned through the countryside, which included driving through some small local downtown areas very slowly. Outside temps were in the low 70s. Immediately it pegged the temperature gage – I couldn't even see the needle it was so far off the scale. We pulled over and clouds of steam were coming out of the bottom area of the radiator. After cooling down we added water only, and filled it to overflowing. As I was looking among the group for some anti-freeze, a couple of the old-timers told me that unpressurized flatheads do better in hot weather with pure water rather than an anti-freeze mix. Now with more water than coolant,in the stock, honeycomb radiator, the gauge went back down to about 170° and stayed there the whole rest of the trip. I had never heard this before- I would think that adding anything to water would change its boiling point and be better. Thoughts?

Hey guys, Super excited to say that I finally got all the necessary parts to get my P11 running! With that first step out of the way, I can now focus on all of the bits to get it running right and reliably. The first and biggest issue I've found is that it gets hot, and when shut off it pukes out cold water. I originally thought this was just the thermostat stuck, so I removed it but still experienced the same symptoms. What I'd like to know is what my next steps should be: I do plan on flushing the whole system just to see what I'm really working with, is there an easy way to test if the water pump is functioning properly? Is there anything else that I'm overlooking that could be preventing coolant flow? All original everything. I actually got all of the original electrical equipment to work and charge, save for the horns, haven't successfully troubleshooted that.. any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

So Ive replace the thermostat (180) and water pump and my 48 Plymouth is overheating. After about 15 mins. of warm up Im getting steam from, what appears to be, the overflow tube. I have checked for vac. leaks and timing and everything seems to be correct. I was running straight water at the time but didnt expect this after just 15 minutes. Im taking the radiator down for a flush and flow test tomorrow. Im worried they'll want to just re-core it, another $2-300 I've heard. Also wondering if I should pull the water distribution tube while the radiator is out and replace it. I did flush the system and everythings clear, which may be cause for concern if its so clogged it just flows clear water? Any tips or recommendations are appreciated!

I'm confused as to what type of housing is correct for my truck. My engine came with a straight up type housing with no bypass, but when I ordered a new hose from Roberts, they sent me a straight hose. Obviously, a straight hose won't fit between my housing and the radiator. I've searched this site and many pictures of engine compartments, and noticed many housings that appear to be quite large, with a bend in the neck, with and without the bypass. So my question is: Did they make a non-bypass housing with a bend in the neck? If so, would this be the correct housing for my truck? If not, what is? A straight housing with a bent hose? I've been searching for months now for a bent housing without a bypass, and have had worse luck than a bearded sheikh wearing a turban at an airport.