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350 engine temp

missnancy

Regular Contributor
"After a long rebuild process

"After a long rebuild process I have the engine running on Miss Nancy. It is a 350 chevy 1970 vintage. It is a cross between a Pacer which was made for pacemaker yachts and a crusader. The combination was from the previouse owner who I think was out to drive me crazy. I ran her for about 30 minutes on the garden hose and other then a few hick ups she ran ok. The previouse owner had the temp gauge wire in a real funky way that barely registered any temp. I changed that to the sending unit in the block and it seems to work well. My only question is were should the temp be at? She stayed right around 180 degrees once she warmed up. I don't think taht is all that bad but want to be sure.

The other question reguards the one hick up. The brand spanking new fuel pump does not seem to want to pump gas. I am going to look it over tommorow in the am when it is cool out. Has any one gone to electric fuel pumps with the carbs and if so how has it worked for you? The accesability to the fuel pump is my main problem. Small engine compartment and big body, I am sure there are one or two of you that can relate to this. Thanks in advance for the imput."
 
"The operating temp is set by

"The operating temp is set by the installed thermostat. 180, on a hose, seems a bit warm to me. The "standards" from the last century call for 143 deg (F) for raw water cooled systems and 160 deg for closed systems. The typical dash gauge/sender combo is only accurate to +/- 15 deg (F) so an alternate measurement may be good for comparison....IR temp gun, thermocouple, wax crayons,etc.

New pumps usually work or they don't. Usually, it something else in the plumbing that was overlooked. The electric pumps work well. that said, I'd wouldn't encourage you to buy one based on perceived improvements in reliability."
 
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