Hello all,
Yes it is a "Genuine" stat 78 c,nice hefty coil springs and bulb. Had the car out tonight here in CT where it is about 3 f with windchill of -10 f. OCT monitor reads from a high of 76 c at idle to a drop to 57 c at speed. Have not had time to get other parts installed that were suggested,will check grounds at manifold as well. I did isolate the heater core by pinching off hose to engine which made the engine temp rise to almost normal .Guage appears to be a red herring since I checked the connection with an ohm meter and get poor readings as as per the change in temp in relation to the OCT monitor.When I stopped fiddling with the guage wires the guage atarted to read normal then dropped back down.
Thanks for the help and pointers.I welcome all I can get !