Originally Posted by
rspears
If you're running a 160 t-stat and your coolant temps are pushing 200F cruising on a 100F day that points to an air flow problem. Shrouds are a must have, because without them you can just be blowing the same hot air through the radiator in a re-circulation pattern, but giving the fan discharge a free flow path is critical. If your cooling system is doing it's job the underhood temps will take care of themselves - you're not going to pick up much heat due to the air surrounding the engine if your coolant is circulating right, your radiators are sized right and clean, and your airflow is unrestricted. I still say your problem is bottled up air beneath the tonneau, and the easy test is to run without it to see if the engine stays nearer to the t-stat control point.