TEDSDAKOTA@aol.com wrote:
> I called Autozone about a thermostst for a 69 Plymounth Barracuda 318 and they said none are listed..What else can I ask for to get a stat for my M1 manifold conversion,,, Thanks,
> Ted O.
Ted,
I ordered my thermostat for a '73 Barracuda with a 340. Got the thermostat housing for the same. The thermostat worked fine and I'm still using it. The housing on the other hand
wasn't as nice as I wanted. I opted for a chrome Chevy o-ringed thermostat housing. I purchased it off the shelf at the local Autozone (or was it Pep Boys or Advanced - they all have
it). Anyway, the Chevy piece worked fine even without a gasked due to the o-ring seal. I've put at least 2000 miles on her so far without even a drop of leaking coolant.
The main reason I'm writing is to mention some things that might help your install that I haven't added to my install pages yet. First off - while cleaning - I used a zero-residue
degreaser and it was the best thing that I could imagine for the cleanup process. I was worried about getting any residue into the motor but this allows you to spray it all over the
place and not worry about that. Secondly, when preparing to re-install the new intake, be sure to use enough RTV on the 4 corners. I've got a very small oil leak out the rear
passenger side of mine causing me to redo the install soon. It is not a bad leak so I havent done the reinstall yet. I went out of my way to prep these areas due to some advice and
past experience on Mopar smallblocks. I thought I might be going overboard when I put 2 half inch beads stacked into each corner. Not so - apparently I didn't use enough. Next time I
will be putting that same amount as well as a quarter inch bead on both sides (all the way across) of the end seals. I also recommend putting a good amount into the little holes in
both the intake and the block in the end seal areas.
Lastly, while browsing thru the latest Summit catalog I started studying all the radical thermostat housing designs for street rods and other chevy installs where clearance is a major
headache. I saw several that allowed the top part of the housing to swivel a full 360 degrees as well as some that had a very low verticle profile. When I redo my install - I'll just
reuse the regular chrome chevy o-ringed one thats on there now. But, when I do my other truck - I'll experiment with one of those other designs. I'm pretty sure that I can do the
install WITHOUT doing any clearance grinding on the ac compressor OR bracket.
Just wanted to get some more info out there in case you haven't completed the install yet. Its always good to have more options!
Latr,
Shane
-- '96 IndyRam-HisIndy-MPI/TB/Pulleys/Coil/Wires/CompTAs '96 IndyRam-HerIndy-numbered(#142)"Track Truck" '74 Triple-Black Dodge Challenger Rallye 360 home-brew EFI R&D vehicle '68 Black Corvette Convertible 427 (For Sale)
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