the thermostat does pop out of the housing. And if you get a thermostat, you can get a LS1 thermostat. eBay Motors: Mr. Gasket 6367 Hi-Flow LS1 Thermostat 160 deg. (item 200202247463 end time Mar-23-08 07:40:58 PDT) I have this one, but I bought it from autozone.