C Thermostat

p.s. would it come with a gasket?

My early production B model has no thermostat and never had one. It also has an un-pressurized radiator. When heat problems became evident, Allis Chalmers added a canvas curtain to restrict airflow to the radiator. Later this was replace with shutters and later still they added a redesigned hose cowling to accommodate a thermostat and a pressure cap to the previously unpressurized radiator.

I'm not sure when that all happened to the B but the C had the same engine. If your engine is not the original, you could easily have an earlier model B engine (without a thermostat) on your C model.

Post pictures if you can. The water return tower of the non-thermostat engines is straight while the ones that take a thermostat have a base plate and a large base tower that narrows to the top.

If your engine takes a thermostat, it will fit in the base of the water return tower. The picture is of a first production B with pre-thermostat water return tower and unpressurized radiator. You might also note these first production year B's had no thermometer either. Those old farmers judged things by the sound of their engines and the steam boiling from the radiator.

If your water return tower looks much fatter at the base, it takes a thermostat. AC had to add a baseplate to cover the hole on the block and accommodate a larger tower so a thermostat could be added. There are two bolts on the side of those towers where they bolt to the base plate. That's where the thermostat goes. The path is upper radiator hose from the radiator to the water return tower to the block. The thermostat goes in the base of the tower.

Hope this helps.

If it looks like the picture I posted, don't bother because it has to have a wide base to contain the thermostat. Thermostats were an afterthought with this engine but a good idea.