crazecars...yes, the overheating problem was without the electric fan on the front of the radiator. I installed the electric fan just as an attempt to see if airflow was the problem, which obviously that's not the reason at all so since the electric fan did nothing to help, I took it off.

As for the temp readings, yes...the coolant exiting the radiator & entering the thermostat is 230 degrees. the water exiting the engine & going back into the radiator is 200 degrees, but 150 degrees at the bottom middle of the radiator which really confuses me as why the radiator is cooler at the bottom but extremely hot at the top...as in the coolant coming out of the engine is 50 degrees cooler than the coolant going into the engine at the thermostat. I'll get some pics this afternoon.

As a Ford guy I can honestly say I'm not having a ton of fun here in Pontiac land