[Vic1947]

Received an email from Speedway with a link to some radiator tech. One thing led to another and I ran across a thread on a forum that suggested that at least some overheating issues might be traced to using an aftermarket thermostat and housing. Apparently, the LS water pump has a bypass hole used for warmup that when left uncovered by using a SBC thermostat will cause hot water to recirculate in the engine rather than being routed thru the radiator. The LS thermostat has a plunger that supposedly blocks this flow once the engine reaches operating temperature. It looks like the housing on my FEAD from Synister Products is an aftermarket piece. No way to know without removing it what type thermostat is in place. So I reckon when I pull the radiator and fan shroud to replace the fans, I'll have a look.

Another post suggested that replacing the water pump with a high volume unit would help reduce overheating. I can't tell from the numbers on my w/p what it is exactly so I'm unsure whether a swap would be useful. There may be other numbers cast into it, but there's too much stuff in the way to tell. While I have it apart, I want to do all I can to address potential cooling issues because I only want to do this once.

I bought a replacement 4L60E case off eBay. It looked really nice in the listing, but what they sent wasn't the same as the picture in ad. Filthy as all get out and a totally different part number than they showed. When I asked them if the case they sent was identical to the one they advertised they said "should be". How's that for commitment? This kind of practice is why I hate buying eBay junk.