Digital gauge is an Auto Meter, mechanical gauge is a Quickcar,company owner by Lane Automotive in MI. Both in the $125 dollar range.Auto Meter is about 1 year old and was bought to check if car was hot.Only has a idiot light from the factory. Quickcar was bought 2 weeks ago to check other gauge.
180 degree thermostat.
I have used 3 different infra red guns, all show about same. Never above 210 and cycle temp with opening and closing of thermostat.
No Pinging, runs excellent. Paint on valve cover did come off but on top of valve cover not side by exhaust manifold, but is not discolored from heat, just looks like poor prep( no primer, just bare metal below)
So, my question still is, is it really 235-250 degrees? Are gauges wrong or gun wrong?
IMO and you know it and your customer knows it's running hot.
Got to know more to be able to start guessing.
I think stock as close as you can get it best for mopar cooling. Sounds like your customer car cooling is stock. If so...
What about timing and fuel mixture? I bet that baby is lean making heat.
I have been to Vegas 3 times with my triple black 340 challenger with AC. It held up good all week idling in 90 minutes of vegas traffic at 5 PM and 115° in July. We took the car there 3 times and drove it a lot always around 110-115 day and night.
I lean it out before going out west from Cincinnati including Vegas. I have experienced first hand the difference fuel mixture makes cooling since I have changed my jetting a lot over the years while driving the car all over from the mountains to San Francisco within a couple days of each other.
What I learned from those Vegas trips was how much better having overflow container was than not having one. Without one I could sit there in traffic and watch my temp gauge go up and down as the thermostat opens and closed. It never overheated or even come close. It ran hotter than at home though.
The second time back I had a factory original overflow on it. It helps keep your radiator a little fuller and gave me more cooling capacity. The thermostat was not opening and closing as often and the gauge stayed just a little bit cooler. Same temp and conditions and the exact same car.
I also had the same car up and down pike peak 3 times, one time it was 95° in July going up that steep hot thin air mountain. The old mopar was leaned way down in the carb with extra timing and made it up that hill just fine. Sounded like motor boat motor at the top and would not spin the tires in the gravel at the top the air was so thin.. Was another ultimate test of my cooling system.
When I went to start my car on top of pikes peak it sounded like someone stole my spark plugs the motor turned over so fast because of thin air.
Stock does the job, I use a clutch fans and shrouds and all seals in place under the hood to direct all air through the radiator on both of my cars. The other one is 6 pak 440 that I have idled around at the Woodward Dream cruise for over an hour at a time in August. Won't brag about bonneville, 95° and 120MPH.
It was crazy hot.
In Out burgers, got to have a good cooling system in July in Vegas to do the drive through because every time I go there it takes a long time I guess because it is all made fresh.
