do I need a thermostat

[sonny glide]

I have a 406 sbc that I want to run in a V-drive flatty, My Q: is this...
I was informed that the 406 has a problem w/the cylinders n this block, they have no water Jackets between 3&5 and 4&6 just steam holes, but they run these mills on the street/drags etc.
the issue is the cool fresh water vs. a radiator, is it possiable to run a thermostat on the intake vs. exiting my water out of the hot water tube on the cross over on the intake?
I assume that the real problem here, is that the water dosen't circulate around the cylinders well enough to transfer the heat and the middle cylinders run hot, and the outside cylinders run cool...so my guess is to creat some kind of back pressure< water temp, to allow the eng. to run at a certain temp
like it was running on the street
I run a Shogun elect water pump to the block and out the heater tube area now.
Someone please help B4 I damage a 600hp eng

[maddad]

The water runs front to back and because the jacket doesn't pass between the cylinders, it creates pockets where at certain flow rates, air/steam can collect. The steam holes just let the air pass up to the head and leave the block full of water for uniform cooling.(no hot spots) The steam holes are not part of the cooling due to any water that may pass through them, only for the air they let escape. On my 400 based sbc I use a thermostat and stainless marine crossover with bypass for the exhaust and have had no issues because of the siamesed bores.

[sonny glide]

U run a 400sbc too great!
do U have any pics of the set-up U can share?
I basiclly have an elect. stand alone, nuvane style impeller water pump, and an alum. inlet cross over pipe that has an AN fitting to accept the hose from the water pump then goes/cross over to the 2 inlets on the left/right side of the block.
right now I'm tap'd into the heater hose pipe-tap hole in the water crossover on the intake manifold> it's next to the thermostat (capped off) mounting flange, for my exiting water.
So U solved this over heating potential by just installing a thermostat and let the pressure temp/build-up open the Tstat and exited ur eng. coolant water go from there?
what temp T stat R U running...I've scene Tstats at RexMarine....R these the types U suggest?
what is ur opperating water temp.
I was a lill worried @1st on this issue, because this all started on a 400sbc in a jetdrive, and they started the water from the jetdrive then threw the Exhaust manifolds then to the eng. they over heated and cracked the block.
so I guess it's safe to say, just plumb and flow like I would in a everyday car, like the factory did and I should B ok? I.E install somekind of restriction
( T stat ) so I can more effeciently circulate the water= transfer the heat away from the center cylinders, and when the temp is rite, out the Tstat it goes
send some pics
still like 2C some pic/s
sonnyglide1@alltel.net

[maddad]

My setup has a crank driven pump that feeds the block using a stainless crossover. The water exits at a stainless thermostat housing to the exhaust manifolds. I use a 140* thermostat because I cool with raw salt water. The bypass on the crossover makes sure the manifolds get plenty of water even when the t-stats closed.