bad plan to partially cover rad on anything, unless you wanna bend the fan blades - if you want the engine and/or heater temp higher, run a higher rated thermostat, 180-195 will give ya lotsa heat - no telling what the gauge reading means, best to go by the thermostat rating and for the record, check the rad with the family candy or meat thermometer when it's up to temp and relate that to the gauge
Bill
