thermostat housing problem

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smitty040

smitty040

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Picked up a flowkooler water pump and high flow 180 thermostat for the slant from flowkooler.com. The water pump install went in seamlessly. When I went to install the thermostat, I found it would not fit. First, the base would not fit into the motor. No problem, a few quick swipes from a file and it was in. Second, the thermostat was too thick for my housing. When I tried to put the housing on and tighten it down there was a gap twice as wide as the gasket. Has anyone else had this issue? I don’t think this thermostat is like a crush washer and I don’t want to damage it or strip the threads. The motor was a transplant from a 69 Dart and I’m not sure if the housing is stock or not. I’ll have to look the Mopar part number. Never had an issue with a Stant style thermostat.
 
It’s back together with the Stant thermostat I had. Before I take it back apart I was looking for opinions so I could have the fix and make it a couple hour job

I know where to stick the pointy end lol. It’s into the housing.

The chart says I’ve bought the right one. The issue is the depth of the recessed ridge in my housing. Are there other quality housings out there?
 
Practically the only housings that fit a slant are the OE replacements. I still vote for the wrong T-stat (could have been boxed wrong?). How do the new/old compare (pics)?
 
Other than the change from a standard style to the high flow style, they appear the same and measure the same except for the thickness of the lip that goes in the recessed grove of the housing. I didn’t want to start shaving away metal if there is another housing option out there or even at this point I wouldn’t mind just buying a new housing to replace a 50yr old part but like was mentioned I wanted to get one that fits correctly and not Chinese junk.
 
There's nothing the matter with your thermostat housing. The Flowkooler 330-series thermostat they sold you will not fit a Slant-6 engine. Neither will any of their other so-called "high flow" thermostats. Those thermostats fit the V8 engines only. It does not matter which way up you try to install it, nor how much filing or fettling you do—it is the wrong thermostat and will not fit. If you manage to cram it in the cylinder head hole, it will be jammed shut by parts of the cylinder head casting. It's not a new or innovative thermostat, it's just a creatively-marketed very old thermostat design called "balanced sleeve". They are not superior or preferable to the other ("reverse poppet") design, but at triple the price of a premium reverse poppet thermostat, they're good for FlowKooler's cash register.

Use a Stant SuperStat № 45358 (180°) or 45359 (195°) after reading this to decide which temperature to use.
 
SSD for the win. Thank you sir. It is disappointing that they put the slant 6 as an option on their website for that thermostat. I am happy with the pump so far. I’ll go back with the trusty super stant when I take off my now sanded housing to repaint.
 
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