Originally Posted by
timsrv
I'm sure infrared thermometers are awesome, but frankly I've never used one so I'd be a little skittish about trusting one. There's also the possibility of it reading correctly, but perhaps reading other heat passing by from other areas (like exhaust manifold). For that reason I'd want a submerged temp probe (so you know you're reading actual coolant temperature). Digital meat thermometers are cheap, accurate, and fall within the range we're after, so I'd get the van to temp, then (carefully) remove the radiator cap and stick the probe down into the coolant.
Better yet, since you've invested so much in your van, wouldn't you feel better knowing at a glance what the temp is at any given moment? There's lots of nice accurate temp gauges to choose from, but I personally like Koso because they're reasonably priced, accurate, and easy to read: