Of course, the fluidyne radiator gets just as hot if not even hotter... as it is all aluminum, the point is that it will dissipate heat better (as opposed to holding it in w/ plastic). It's larger, increases the coolant capacity of the loop, and has a much greater surface area for dissipating heat.

Autozone is not going to sell lower temp thermostats I wouldn't believe... just search the boards here for different places. You can run 140' or 160' (I chose 160' because I don't want the ECU to think the engine isn't warmed up yet), and then I think 185' is the factory temp. Same thing for the higher pressure radiator caps (higher pressure equals higher boiling point).

Yes, I've wrapped my DP and intake pipes actually. I've also got a phenolic spacer which is basically a plastic spacer on the intake manifold to help contain and separate heating the pipes.

Fans are primarily present to help maintain airflow when the car isn't moving (going down the highway it shouldn't matter)... just about the only time you hear of using fans to push instead of pull, is because they want more space for a larger turbo.

- J