[Rich69shortfleet]

First, get a quality 180 degree thermostat. If it does not already have them, drill two 1/8" holes in the plate of the thermostat. Get your timing properly set and try it again. Switch to manifold vacuum for the vacuum advance, ported will retard the timing at idle which is not what you want for both mileage and cooling.

Is the temp sending unit in the head or in the intake manifold coolant passage? The ones in the head will always read hotter. Also, the gauge and temp sending unit must be calibrated to one another. Using a mismatched sending unit with a given gauge can provide inaccurate readings.