Operating temps

[Ernst denBroeder]

>coolant at about 240 degrees F
This doesn't make sense - if the coolant is at 240F, where's the oil temp????  Crispy I'm sure.  

>The problem he said with the real world, 
>is a cooler thermostat means cooler underhood temps and cooler, denser air 
>being drawn in to the engine...  He said if the intake could be thermally 
>isolated and only have ambient temp air coming in, then the lower temp 
>thermostat would actually lose power.


2 words -> David Vizard  

This guy has spent a life time doing this kind of stuff and what you wrote doesn't make sense when compared to what is written in his (many) books.  According to DV, 170F coolant and 210F oil is the most optimum for power in SB chevs.  The hardest part is getting the oil temp up and coolant down - and filling the block up to the frost blocks seems to be the trick to make that work.

/Ernst denBroeder