[jeh1995]

FIXED! I had the chance to get under the car and taste antifreeze this weekend. I installed the 60C thermostat and a 75C fan switch. I agree completely that this problem seemed like a flow issue. So... I flushed the whole thing. While completely engaged (call that wet) I grabbed the original water pump to compare with what was installed. I actually have a NEW style pump installed and I was incorrectly using the thin gasket. This allows the thermostat to sit too close to the bottom of the housing and it won't open properly. With the correct (thick) gasket, 60C thermostat, and 75C fan switch it runs a bit under 1/2 (middle mark) on a humid hot as hell Mississippi day. I've been using a vacuum based system that "sucks" coolant in to the engine/system. I found that I still needed to burp the car after that... a pressure system works better... Hydrocarbon tool for head leaks - that is awesome. I have a number of play cars to the tools don't sit long...

Thanks for all the suggestions.