We all do agree that the movement of coolant through the bypass is from the cross over to the water pump? In a stock situation it creates flow under the thermostat and allows it to respond much quicker on cold startup. If the bypass is blocked the coolant is basically stagnant under the thermostat. If there is no thermostat there really is no reason to have the bypass working - especially since every CC of coolant routed back to the low pressure area in the water pump is coolant that doesn't make the trip through the radiator. A bypass allows some hot coolant to go right back into the pump and through the engine, and the larger the bypass hole the more coolant that cycles through the engine without going through the radiator on that pass.
The trapped air in the pump area is interesting, but I would think that with the agitation of the impeller that air would mix with the coolant and be purged in short order.
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Mick Batson
1967 original owner Tyro Blue/black top 4-speed HO GTO with all the original parts stored safely away -- 1965 2+2 survivor AC auto -- 1965 Catalina Safari Wagon in progress.
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