Broken thermostat housing

[FAT TONY]

so i was installing a temp gauge and when i went to put the thermometer thing it broke the housing i was looking at it and it was pretty rusty im not sure if maybe it was the rust or it might have not been the right size im thinking it was mainly the rust, i will upload pictures later but for now i was wondering if any one knew were i could find that part and if im using the right name, because i know the thermostat housing is the elbow looking thing that goes on top of the thermostat but the thing that broke is the one that holds the thermostat on top......... any help

[FAT TONY]

this is the housing that broke





i went to NAPA and picked up some J.B Weld and was wondering if any one has ever tried it on cast iron , i was also wondering if some one knows how well J.B weld holds when in heat and pressure

[dracko]

Mine was cracked in the same spot by the PO. He had tried some kind of seal crap on the crack but it slowly leaked anti-freeze.

Got one for $10 from the truck bone yard.

Personally, I wouldn't trust JB Weld to glue it back together. Grab a used one and have some peace of mind.

[FAT TONY]

well ive been looking all over the place haven't found any , not many c10s down here with the original engines so ts kinda hard to find that part i was looking at one for a 250 engine but im not sure if that might fit , and about the cracked part, im just trying to use that outlet to put the temperature gauge sender so i don't know if that helps any if i do have to use the same part

[markeb01]

Which engine do you have?

[FAT TONY]

230

[markeb01]

There’s one on ebay right now. Having no experience I don’t know if the price is good or not:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/63-70-230-3-...-/400248950952

The picture may take a while to load but it does show up.

[FAT TONY]

yea i seen it but i still have never done business through eBay, mainly craigslist because its local, but i might just have to order it, some time this week im stopping by a house that has a 65 short fleet side, the man there said there is a store about 45 minutes from here were he buys parts and that he would get the address for me, and if they don't have it i will just buy it off eBay, and i don't know if that is a good price or not because that's the only one i have seen so far i was looking around the LMC truck catalog and was unable to find it either, and almost every auto parts store i walked into didnt even know what it was, hopefully it all goes well , i would hate to replace the original engine just because of one part

[markeb01]

Kind of a rock and a hard spot if you can't find one locally. I've been looking through restoration sites and can't find anything either. It would be nice if you could buy a new one somwhere since you can't really determine the condition of the one of ebay. Maybe a want ad on craigslist would be a better option.

[FAT TONY]

well i was wondering if i might be able to replace that part with another part that fits but not sure of anything that has that same bolt pattern
and might work for the same purpose

[dracko]

Somebody on this forum has gotta have one they'll pull off an old seized up inline 6 for ya!

May also want to post a Wanted ad on the STovebolt forum. Free to post in the classifieds over there.

[1963c-10]

If you cant find one, let me know. I have a buddy with a junked 250 that I could probably get it off of.

[61_FL_Apache]

I JB Welded mine in my 65 and it worked perfect till I sold it. It seems to be a common breaking point.

[FAT TONY]

I think i might just try to J.B Weld it for now, if that fails i will post an ad on all sites known that might help, and if that fails i will just buy the one off eBay, i was telling my auto shop teacher about it and he said i might have trouble with the J.B weld because it is broken in three and on the inside is the thread were i need to put the temp gauge sender which means i must do something to keep the thread clean of the compound, by the way any one know of an easy, cheap, and effective way to clean cast iron from years of rust and gunk buildup?

[61_FL_Apache]

Its not a permanent solution but it worked. I did the exact thing you did. I moved my temp sender to the other port and JB Welded a plug in the broken port.

[skullboydeath]

Same thing happened to me after I overhauled my 250 I couldnt find one either so I plugged it and welded it up I relocated my sensor to the block and haven't had any issues

[FAT TONY]

well any tips on how to get the cast iron really clean?

[11echo]

That threaded section is NPT (national pipe thread TAPERED) ...so if you JB it, once you start tightening down the threaded part that goes in there it WILL break again. "IF" I were you I'd look at getting the broken peices brazed together ...MUCH stronger then JB Weld! ...Question, did you try Kragen or Autozone for a new thermo-housing?

[FAT TONY]

around how much would that cost? nd I tried auto-zone, NAPA, O'reilly (Kragen), Advance auto parts, local family owned auto parts stores and the internet. Most places only had the top part and never even heard of the bottom part

[11echo]

Have you looked at a junk yard? ...Any 250/292 chevy in-line 6 should have it. I'm guessing your in school, do they have a welding shop? Brazing isn't that hard to do.

..OR try www.junkyarddog.com I've found parts from them a time or two!

[1963c-10]

any 230/250/292 housing will work

[Wrenchbender Ret]

My partner has some salvage in the Mo. Ozarks. He can get you one Sunday & send it to you.
Georgec2434@yahoo.com

[FAT TONY]

so i tried it and it failed im just gonna have to buy the part

[brokenspoke]

What part of Houston are you Tony...I have one.....Free

[FAT TONY]

East Houston, 77015

Bout an hour and thirty minutes from Anderson TX