Bad SW mechanical water temp gauge or sensor .. thanks to Bob for suggesting I test the thing. Couldn't make it work by putting the sensor in a pot of boiling water with a meat thermometer, so I overnighted an AutoMeter electrical gauge from Summit. First it showed a steady 250 deg .. bummer .. then I changed the ground and it behaved.
(BTW, I love Summit .. I onlined an order at 5:30 pm on Friday, overnight Sat delivery .. it was at my door Sat at 10:30 am. When you absolutely, positively have to have something .. )
The car is actually running a steady 185-190 deg, no matter what. I ran it hard for 100 mi today, including some short bursts to 3 digit speeds. Also incorporated the timing settings suggested by Chuck Brandt .. thanks Chuck! Major difference in performance .. left the 20 deg bushing alone, but went with the light silver/blue spring combo in the MSD distributor. Set initial timing at 20 deg.
Other misc tweaks today .. set the rear suspension height at 6.5" to keep the billboard Goodyears from rubbing. They were hitting the body at the fiberglass panels behind the seats. Front is at 5 3/4" so I don't drag
oil cooler on the steep driveway. Blisters on hands from shock wrenches .. use gloves!
Lesson learned for toploader installers .. cutting the hole in the tunnel for the shifter .. I centered the hole over the shifter when it is in neutral .. but this will not allow the shifter to go in reverse. Reverse is way the heck back and to the left. You need to fudge the hole about 1/2 inch to the rear and to the driver side from the neutral center point. Maybe this will save someone some aggravation down the line.
Thanks guys, for all the advice so far!
Sam