How to make your own 170 thermostat
02-10-2010, 06:46 PM
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How to make your own 170 thermostat 
i figured out how to do a 170 thermostat conversion. HOWEVER, it does require finding one of the truck thermostat housing's that are empty, unlike our LS1 stats that are all one piece. here is a list of parts i used: (with my very sad internet, i cannot load pics at this time)-1 used empty LSx thermostat housing scored from my neighbor's 01 GMC 5.3 when i changed his thermostat, i cabbaged onto his unused old housing for future use.
-stant thermostat (superstat) #45967. it was in stock at my Advance Auto Parts. (AAP)
-felpro gasket #35445. also in stock at AAP.
-tube of silicone. i use permatex ultra gray, it is the schitt, plus it blends in with aluminum better.
instructions: remove old thermostat. (duh) clean empty housing, making sure not to gouge or warp the mating surface on the housing. also clean water pump mating surface using same precautions. you will notice new thermostat has a secondary "flapper" on the bottom with a much softer thermo spring. i gently mounted the thermostat in my vise, and using a hacksaw, gently removed the flapper at the very bottom, leaving the stem coming from the center of the thermostat. be careful, the spring has more tension than it appears! make sure you "dress up" the cut as to not cut yourself in the next steps. next, notice a notch machined into the gasket area of the empty housing. you will need to use some silicone to fill that area, and i put a light skim of silicone on the entire inside sealing surface of the empty housing. now, install the gasket onto the thermostat, using caution not to cut the rubber seal. you will notice a air bleed in the thermostat flange. now install the thermostat into the housing making sure to orient the air bleed to the 12 o'clock position relative to how the housing bolts onto the water pump. next, install the bolts and tighten to (your) spec. using a wet towel or rag, gentley wipe off the excess silicone before it hardens. install lower hose, and fluids, and burp the cooling system. you have now successfully made your own 170 thermostat. use your programmer to set fans accordingly. remember, 170 will be the point the thermostat starts to open, it will not full open until 10-15 degrees hotter. this is EXACTLY how i did this on my car, and it works great! btw, i work at advance auto parts, giving me access to a stockpile of parts and vendor information. i will give thanks to stant tech service for helping me narrow down the search for the thermostat giving the dimensions and temp i had to work with. i was on my own for the gasket. i will try to upload pics this weekend.
good luck and happy motoring, jon bowman
02-11-2010, 04:14 PM
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yeah, if you found the correct part number for temp and the same outer diameter flange, you could make whatever temp you wanted! i picked a 170 from research here on optimum engine temp for making power, along with getting the oil temp high enough to boil out the moisture. also factoring in that an aftermarket 170 stat for lsx is around $70 last time i checked.
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02-11-2010, 05:49 PM
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^truth. that's why i haven't gone to a 160. plus i love my super hot heater in the winter. and idk bout yall but my heater doesn't blow hot till the water temp gets to like 200.
02-11-2010, 06:23 PM
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^^^ yeah, i drive less than 1000 miles a year. that's probably the hardest thing i do to my car-let it sit. it hasn't been started since nov. 17, so heat is last concern for me. another reason for me to do the 170*, it sits so much, i occasionally have a detonation problem with my fuel. running hotter temps seems to worsen the problem. i forget to add stabil sometimes, plus you don't really know the quality of premium fuel anymore. it sits so long in a tank underground until it is sold. since the 170* swap, i have never heard anymore ping. i did try the 160* for a while, but i was concerned i may not be getting the moisture out of the oil no more than i drive it. i'm not really concerned about budget (i have a 7200 mile car that is PAID for, and has been ever since i bought it in 2008 with 4600 miles), but some people in here aren't that fortunate, and are always looking for a "budget" this or that so i decided to figure out how to do it. it took about 15-20 minutes extra to actually put it together. plus i got the satisfaction of doing the job myself. another point i would like to make: if there is no benefit to running cooler, is there a benefit to running hotter? oil breakdown (although unlikely), and more temp stress on the motor everytime you drive. with a M6, you don't have to worry about torque converter lockup, and if not a DD, heat isn't a problem, and fuel economy may not be a higher priority. it seemed like a good idea at the time (and still does), and for people looking to go down this road, i simply offer a more economical solution. i really think thermostats are just a personal opinion when it comes to a performance situation. where i work at advance, i often discourage going to a cooler than recommended stat for our everyday cars. most people off the street don't understand the consequences of lower mileage, poor heat, and delayed lockup with the cooler temps.
jon bowman
jon bowman
02-14-2010, 09:23 AM
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thanks alot man. this allows someone to get their car going in a pinch so they don't have to wait for one to get shipped. that to me is sometimes worth more than 70 bucks.
03-07-2011, 07:56 PM
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-stant thermostat (superstat) #45967. it was in stock at my Advance Auto Parts. (AAP)
instructions: ...you will notice new thermostat has a secondary "flapper" on the bottom with a much softer thermo spring. i gently mounted the thermostat in my vise, and using a hacksaw, gently removed the flapper at the very bottom, leaving the stem coming from the center of the thermostat. be careful, the spring has more tension than it appears! make sure you "dress up" the cut as to not cut yourself in the next steps.
instructions: ...you will notice new thermostat has a secondary "flapper" on the bottom with a much softer thermo spring. i gently mounted the thermostat in my vise, and using a hacksaw, gently removed the flapper at the very bottom, leaving the stem coming from the center of the thermostat. be careful, the spring has more tension than it appears! make sure you "dress up" the cut as to not cut yourself in the next steps.
03-08-2011, 05:09 AM
#17
Although it does seem like you know why you went with a lower temp, and it did solve some of the issues. I would highly discourage someone from just going to too low of a T stat without understanding what it actually does, like you mentioned.
the stock one is working just fine for me.
03-09-2011, 08:37 PM
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don't know, you'd have to price one @ the stealership i guess. i don't imagine it would be too economical if you had to buy a new empty housing. i bet it would be about the same as buying a normal LS1 stat.
03-09-2011, 08:48 PM
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I am very interested in this mod but do not understand why it is necessary to cut off the flapper and remove the spring??? The Mr. Gasket 6367 has a similar set up and it is LS1 specific. Wouldn't the removal of that spring change the temp and/or operation of the stat?? Any clarification would be appreciated.
And to answer the real question: no, it does not affect the actual operation of the main thermospring, they are totally seperate from themselves. the secondary opens pretty early, as it is a very weak spring.