The engine cooling system on our engine is not standard. Let me explain. Most engines have a thermostat that keeps the water in the engine circulating until it gets to between 175F and 200F degrees. Then it opens up and the coolant flows from the top of the engine into the upper radiator hose to be cooled. This is so that in cold weather the engine can warm up quicker for optimal performance, better emissions, and fuel economy while running below 200 degrees. In most systems, all the engine coolant runs through a single output through the thermostat housing and into the radiator. In our engine, there are two outlets that then are routed to a 4-way union that houses the thermostat.
Since our radiator is in a different location and our overflow tank is not set up to be large and above the radiator and 3 different hose sizes, this setup is cumbersome and difficult to recreate. After a few days of trying to make something work out without success, my brother Larry postulated the question - why have a thermostat? After some discussion we determined we don't need one. The car will hardly if ever see engine temperature below 50 degrees - no winter salt and snow driving, so the amount of time warming up is minimal. This made the job a bit easier, but now we needed to replace that 4-way union with a 3-way with two 1.5 inch hose inlets and one 1.25 inch inlet. No standard part exists that we could find ( a week of searching), so we decided to make our own from copper plumbing parts. Also a bit tricky since most copper plumbing installations don't mix pipe diameter sizes. After a few trips to different stores and a few designs and some flexible hoses, we have it figured out. We started with a dry build and then soldered things up. Now we will have to see if it leaks or not once we fire up the engine again.
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