hi i want 2 put the correct thermostat housing on my 70 455 but dont know witch 1 it is, can some 1 point me in teh right direction, the casting number would be great, i have a 70 cutlass sx convert 455/400 with ac

 

Either. There was a production change and service parts update to change them over to the curved metal tube type. Most all cars built past mid-1970 will have the metal tube type.

 

Glenn, you say "mid-1970" -- do you have any documentation as to when they actually started using the cast iron housing (with steel tube) on the assembly line? I've researced this heavily and have never found any evidence that anything but the aluminum housing (with preformed hose) was installed on 1970 model year engines. But I'm open to learning something new.

The correct aluminum housing for 1970 is casting number 404632. Off the top of my head, it has a large numeral 5 cast in it, too. However, I've seen these from at least two different foundries, so there are differences in appearances.

The downside of using the aluminum housing is that it may erode quicker than the cast iron, and the preformed hose (reproductions are available) will likely fail far sooner than a short, straight hose. Afer all, Olds Engineering made the switch for a reason. In fact, once they made the switch there was no going back. If your preformed hose failed, you couldn't buy a new one, you had to buy a complete kit to replace the entire housing. At least that's how I read the parts catalog.

 

thanks you guys my car was built around day 258 of 70, so i guess ill go with the bent tube so it lasts longer, thanks again

 

Here is a thread I had and this subject was talked about in detail.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ct-clamps.html

 

Could someone please tell me what the "correct" aluminum thermostat housing is (casting #) for the 1968 442? Thanks!