I know this has been covered before and I checked numerous threads but I may still be overlooking something... a little history:

Carbon lock last fall, fixed it this winter, took out rats nest, installed pace setter header.
This morning I tuned the nikki idle to 750 to the best of mu knowledge. Last night I took it for a quick drive around the block. My temp rose quickly. My radiator was cool to the touch. This afternoon I installed my new thermostat but the temp still went too high. However, the radiator was hot. Is my coolant not cycling through the motor properly? because the add coolant light came on. My coolant overflow is at the proper level and never fluctuated. I am very confused. HELP

I'm not giving up on my baby

 

could my water pump be bad now after sitting for 5 months?

 

This may be a shot in the dark but how old is the radiator cap? I've had a similar problem before: tested the cap and sure enough it was shot.

 

You've probably got some trapped air in the cooling system. Common problem after changing t-stat or otherwise draining some coolant.

Baby may just need burping, heh.

Did the t-stat you used have the "jiggle pin" air-bleed valve in it, and if yes did you put it at the top when you installed it?

 

All better, I got a new cap and "drain-o" for the radiator. No overheating and runs like a champ

 

+1 for me! Where's my cookie?