I know what you are talking about. I live in the Raleigh area, and my
'84
505 used to actually overheat (warning lights, etc) in the middle of
rush hour
in downtown Raleigh. My solution was to replace the thermostat and
change
the coolant. The dealer quoted me some outrageous price for a Peugeot
thermostat, so I looked elsewhere. Western Auto sells Stant thermostats
of various sizes. The stock thermostat is about 180 deg. I found that
the 54mm 180 deg Stant fit nicely. If you go that route, buy a rubber
O-ring that fits the thermostat as well as the correct size gasket.
With an operational electric front fan, and properly adjusted fan
clutch,
I can sit at the Burger King drive-thru for an eternity (I have) and the
temp
guage never goes above the 3/4 mark. Since I have done some mods to my
engine, I have put a 160 deg thermostat and different temp sensor so
that
I could advance my ignition timing more without any knocking. Hope this
helps.
Joe