It should be pointed out that a 160 thermostat doesn't prevent your engine from operating at temperatures above 160 degrees. It begins to open at 157-165 degrees and doesn't fully open until the engine reaches 185 degrees.

It's purpose is to allow the engine to warm up faster on cold starts by staying closed until the 160 temp is reached.

Your engine is going to operate at whatever is normal for that engine. That's probably somewhere between 180 deg and 200 deg.

I use a 160 T-stat in my 216 even though the factory standard T-stat was 143 deg. Using either one doesn't limit the temperature at which the 216 is designed to run which is 180deg under normal conditions.

1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy)

1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)