hey guys, Im new to the forum but have read lots of posts on here before, just wondering if my truck should have two thermostats, I recently bought a 1948 m68 with its original 239ci flathead and when I removed the upper rad hoses to see how bad my cooling system was I discovered that I have a thermostat in both heads, is this normal for these motors? any help you can give would be greatly appreciated

 

Welcome to FTE!

Yep, two thermostats.

You'll want to pick up reprint copies of the operator's manual and the Ford Truck Shop Manual. These are invaluable.

 

thanks for the help, any idea where I could find those reprints?

 

Several sources, lots on ebay too.

1949 1950 1951 Ford Truck Shop Manual Pickup F1 thru F8 w 1952 Supplement | eBay

And YES it does say 1949 but it includes the 1948

BTW you have 2 thermostats and temp senders in each head because these engine actually have 2 independent cooling systems.

 

And get two that are consistent with each other as far as opening temp. goes. You can test them in a pot of water. If they're not the same, both sides of your motor will run at different temps.

 

Use early 289 v8 themostats, they fit!

 

NAPA:

THM 530060 - 160 deg
THM 530080 - 180 deg

 

thanks for the help again guys, I did buy 180 deg thermostats for it, is there ever problems with these motors running too hot?