So I am reaching the point in the build where I am finally on the road and, having worked out an enormous amount of kinks, each drive is getting exponentially better than the last! I dare say this may even become "fun" soon at this rate! 
To be fair, the vast majority of issues had to do with Weber 48IDA's being improperly set up from the builder -- wrong size chokes, wrong main jets, wrong float heights, etc. Took forever to figure those things out and still a little bet left to go but all the credit for saving this motor goes to Mike Pierce, founder of Pierce Manifolds in California. There is no more knowledgeable person on the planet about Webers than Mike and he is patient, intelligent, methodical, and kind. Can't say enough good things about Mike. Mike is proprietor of Weber Carburetor Restoration, Inc. in Salinas,CA and I recommend anyone wanting to sort their Webers give Mike a call.
On today's (successful) test drive, I observed that, as with previous drives, the coolant temp never got about 70C (158F). Air temperature here was in the low 50's and car was cold soaked overnight in an unheated garage that got down to the high 30's. Driving was tame but with occasional bursts up to 5,500 rpm or so. Enough to warm the oil temp to 95C (203F). On longer stretches of gentle driving, coolant temp would settle down to 65C (149F) and oil would hang out around 85C (185F).
I have a 180 degree thermostat installed so does this mean the thermostat is never opening despite driving around for 30 minutes or so? The heater (Vintage Air Mini Gen 2) takes a long time to warm up but eventually gets hot enough that I have to turn it down. I am wondering how a 500hp motor could not heat its coolant beyond 160 degrees or so and, if thats the case, what does it mean and is it harmful? I know that cooler is better than overheating but there is such a thing as too cold, I am told. Or, should I disregard low coolant temp as potentially gauge calibration (Smiths gauges) and care more about what the oil temp is telling me?
To be fair, the vast majority of issues had to do with Weber 48IDA's being improperly set up from the builder -- wrong size chokes, wrong main jets, wrong float heights, etc. Took forever to figure those things out and still a little bet left to go but all the credit for saving this motor goes to Mike Pierce, founder of Pierce Manifolds in California. There is no more knowledgeable person on the planet about Webers than Mike and he is patient, intelligent, methodical, and kind. Can't say enough good things about Mike. Mike is proprietor of Weber Carburetor Restoration, Inc. in Salinas,CA and I recommend anyone wanting to sort their Webers give Mike a call.
On today's (successful) test drive, I observed that, as with previous drives, the coolant temp never got about 70C (158F). Air temperature here was in the low 50's and car was cold soaked overnight in an unheated garage that got down to the high 30's. Driving was tame but with occasional bursts up to 5,500 rpm or so. Enough to warm the oil temp to 95C (203F). On longer stretches of gentle driving, coolant temp would settle down to 65C (149F) and oil would hang out around 85C (185F).
I have a 180 degree thermostat installed so does this mean the thermostat is never opening despite driving around for 30 minutes or so? The heater (Vintage Air Mini Gen 2) takes a long time to warm up but eventually gets hot enough that I have to turn it down. I am wondering how a 500hp motor could not heat its coolant beyond 160 degrees or so and, if thats the case, what does it mean and is it harmful? I know that cooler is better than overheating but there is such a thing as too cold, I am told. Or, should I disregard low coolant temp as potentially gauge calibration (Smiths gauges) and care more about what the oil temp is telling me?
