Thermostat questions Options

[dbgriffith75]

Okay, so original thermostats are pretty damn hard to find. No luck yet, and I'm betting that even if I do find one it's going to be a pricey little item. One guy I've talked to has told me that with the way the 914 engine is designed, the flaps will stay open without a thermostat and I should be okay running without it. That's all well and good, but I'm on a mission to keep this car as original as possible.

The Haynes manual said to immerse the 'stat in 70 degree water and it should expand, thus confirming that it's working OK. So I tried that, and nothing. So then I tried immersing it in scalding hot water, and still nothing. But just this morning, I tried my own experiment- I used my soldering torch on it. After about 10 seconds, expansion was confirmed... twice. I'm wondering if maybe it just needed heat like that to break loose after so many years of sitting.

But I'm also curious- is there something significant about 70 degrees? Is that the point at which the 'stat should begin opening the flaps? Or should I just take the fact that the 'stat expanded under torch heat as a sign that it's in operational condition? Thanks.