Quote
Originally posted by john1:
Instead of drilling a hole in the thermostat flange, just open it by hand and wedge a plain old aspirin in the gap. It will allow the air to escape during coolant filling preventing airlocks. By the time the engine is warmed up the aspirin will be dissolved and the thermostat will function normally. Learned this from an old timer a long time ago. John
That's a good one, John - I'll remember that. The other reason for the hole(s) though, is to act as a primitive bypass if the thermostat freezes shut. In that case, I guess the owner takes the aspirin.

fredstev
(Fred Stevens)
1951 Chevy 3100 series pickup
http://webpages.charter.net/fredstev/Lurch.jpg