QuestionI am building up an old 1923 Dodge Bros car. The car came out with the visual thermostat mounted on the radiator cap. This thermostat housed a calibrated glass vile. I am looking for these glass vile's to be able to restore the thermostat to original working condition. Your assistance would be appreciated.
AnswerWhat you are describing is not a "Thermostat" but simply a thermometer. This was not an original factory item, but it was a very common accessory, found on all brands of cars in that era because cars didn't come from the factory with dash engine temp gauges until later.
The product is called a "Motometer", and is simply a glass bulb thermometer in a fancy housing, made to serve as a radiator cap, with a dip tube that goes down into the fluid to determine the coolant temperature. Of course it is calibrated to show temperatures in the range that would be encountered in the radiator.
If you do a Google search on "MOTOMETER REPAIR", you will come up with at least 10,000 responses from folks who specialize in repair parts and service for these (I know, I just did it!)
Good luck, and thanks for keeping your car original - the world has too many street-rodded antiques already!
Dick
