Having read the thermostat back and forth in 2019 it was amazing the detail covered.Past my understanding.I have '55 XK 140 which has takento overheating,not the usual but the needle in the oil gauge section,boiling,steam etc.Of the multiple causes it may be the the thermostat.There is a leak somewhere too,may be thermostat housing.Took it out and am replacing with the standard Moss Motors non bellows which most places advertise.This type has been there for 90% of the cars life.I also plan to replace the radiator some day soon.Other than longevity how much differece is there between an aluminum $300 one and a $2000 one ?
Cecil. You would be better served by the wax sleeve thermostats that I’ve done on group offer. These are backward compatible to most bellows applications, I still have some remaining:
As for the difference between $300 and $2000 radiators, it’s not a question of money, it’s a question of design and build quality. There are lots of cheap radiators coming in from the far east, most designed by someone who has never seen or owned a car like yours. These are often advertised as having “four row” cores, or “high density fins.” The advantage of an aluminum radiator isn’t in the heat transfer properties of the material, it’s in the strength/weight ratio. That allows the designer to make a core with fewer, but larger rows. The larger rows, coupled with advanced fin design, allow the radiator to work within the very limited airflow constraints of a Jaguar bonnet. By contrast, the densely packed, high row count cores that are often used in no-name imports restrict airflow and thus give less heat rejection. Are the better radiators worth $2000? Probably not, so it pays to shop around.
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Thanks for info on radiator.Im working on whether I need one.I took this one to get done over and it did well.Im not sure its playing a role in the current situation.This sounds more like a thermostat.I have wax on the way but appreciate offer.Cecil