65 6 cycl running hot

[Dadsredwagon]

stock 6 cyclinder stock radiator, let her sit in the driveway today at idle in Texas heat she got up to 200 degrees , oh and aftermarket guage ... thnkin of radiator upgrade (Thx cheif rocka) for the part number, stock fan etc...does have the shroud.

thx.........

[rickf]

200 degrees is not particularly hot. For the truck sitting in hot sun idling for a long time, that's actually pretty good. In that situation you've got minimal air flow through the rad, engine is running slow, so the fan is too.

I'm not sure what stock thermostat is for the L6, but on a 71 gmc 350 it is 192. Getting to 200 would be well within normal operating range.

If you have 50/50 antifreeze/water, then boiling point is something like 250 degrees.

You could get to 210 and still be considered normal, though the hot side of normal. At around 220 it is time to start worrying, if you get to 230 shut it off, especially if it is still climbing.

But at 200, especially if it gets to 200 and stays at 200 no matter how long it sits running, you should be pleased.