[Michael C Henry]

The old original FE has a Large diameter thermostat but it has a small valve, I found a Chrysler product thermostat that had the large diameter thermostat with a large valve. They make all sorts of thermostats that will ,if when they go bad will, be open position and so on. How is the temps front to back? The head gaskets have a passage for coolant from head to block. The passage goes to the rear and the front is blocked The coolant goes in the front of the block where the coolant pump is mounted then flows to the rear around the cylinders . at the rear of the block it flows up through the heads then flowing through the heads forward. then the manifold cross over to the thermostat. If you get the head gaskets mounted wrong that doesn't work. Make sure the thermostat by pass hose between the top of the coolant pump and the manifold is open. I have seen that short hose being blocked by an internal blister.