I run a 160 degree thermostat in my 74 z28 with a modified sbc 350 doesn't go above 175 anytime but im running a 2 core Griffin aluminum radiator, you make want to check your fan clutch
BPE are hit or miss a friend of mines bought the SBC 400 complete and dyno sheet we installed it and it wouldn't run right the dizzy was out of time so how could they dyno the engine when the dizzy was out of time and the sparkplug holes in the heads points downwards, not angled but downwards...
Get a ARP fuelpump pushrod for SBC and a MSD 8365 distributor ih has melonized gear and beware that blueprint engine is all China made with cheap parts,a friend of mines bought the SBC 400 engine had to change alot of parts WHEW!!!!!
Harmonic balancer,distributor and holes for sparkplugs were angled downwards not talking about angle plugs these were pointed down had to dent headers for sparkplugs to fit!!!
I would spend the extra 1k ,a Friend of mines bought a Blueprint SBC 400 complete engine and things just didn't fit it like old SBC 400 ,that Blueprint engine is a Chinese parts engine!!!!!!