Technical Fitting thermostat advice

[razu]

My thermostat was dead. Flap open all the time. I have a new thermostat and am wondering how to fit it! Do I need to remove the housing or can it be done in place?

I love this car!!

 

[Ant Knox]

It's fiddly, but it can be done in place.
It's a long time since i've done it, but I think I attached it from the top with the nut first, then to the flap, with just enough wiggle room to hold the threaded end of the rod still whilst pinching up the fastening nut to the flap.
Just make sure the flap moves freely and the return spring is in situ.

 

[rattletrap]

I went the other way around fitting a new thermostat to my 126 engine. I fastened the flap side entirely, then wedged the flap shut. Next, I poked the top end of the thermostat through a very thin piece of cardboard (think like a playing card or post card) to keep it from falling down while I got the circular cover on and nut started. Once I had a few threads going, I tore out the cardboard before tightening things up.

It takes some looking to find the right piece of cardboard. It’s got to be stiff enough to keep the thermostat in place but also not very thick because it has to bend between the circular cap and top of the thermostat housing.

So it appears there are a couple options for doing this in-situ.