About 2 years a ago I bought an aluminum thermostat housing from Welsh Ent. for about $80. Tried to have local gas pumper/mechanic install it. Got a call after 2 hours saying it was the wrong piece. Had him replace just thermostat. Found out he was tring to put it in upside down. It's identical to the one he was going to take off just not plastic!!!! Now 2 year later that thermostat was not closing all the way and with winter coming I needed it to be changed. The station now has a new mechanic. Following info received from this forum I told him he was going to need a 8mm Crows foot wrench to get the old one off and the new on on. He assured me he had all the tools he would need. The good thing about this guy is he doesn't mind me looking over his shoulder. Well of course he thought a crows foot meant open end wrench. Trying to remove the thermostat cover we found the last mechanic stripped the embedded nut for one of the bolts and it just kept spinning. Too get the housing off we had to loosen the intake manofold bolts. I pryed up the intake just enough that he could get a 8mm socket on the 2 bolts that needed the crows foot wrench. Everything went back together fine. $80 for housing. $12 Lincoln LS thermostat. $117 labor. Can't even guess what the dealer would have charged. Jack