I drove home today from work, which was 13KM in moderate traffic with a few stop lights along the way. When I got out of the van, I thought I'd try the usual "touch the dipstick" method of seeing how hot my engine was. It was cool/cold to the touch, as was the whole block. No wonder I'm not getting any heat into my cab. I have a thermostat installed, but NO under pushrod tube sheetmetal on. The thermostat appears to work fine, but man that engine is too cold which is not good for sludge and varnish etc. What is up with that?? The temp today was about 38F. Is the missing sheetmetal the culprit?? I get lots of air blowing up through my vents as if the system is solid for heating the van, but it is cool to the touch, and only slightly warm if I drive it on the highway even for 40 miles. What's with that??? 
Confusingly yours,
Courtney