Here is the thing with the thermostat. If your cooling system is not able to keep the appropriate temperature, including at idle, a change from 160 to 180 will not help you. It just means that the thermostat will open a little earlier from when a 180 thermostat will open. So you might delay getting "hot" for a few extra minutes, in the end, the motor will get "hot" because the cooling system is not up to snuff.
What you probably want to do as low hanging fruit is to kick the bushes and see if you can get your hands on a GM five blade fan that will fit the truck, or measure what you have and see if Derale offers a 6 blade fan that will fit. You will be surprised the difference that the extra blade makes in moving air, especially at idle.
Last edited by Dragsix; 12/01/2025 11:18 PM.
