I notice your Doktor Bert lives in Visalia California where temps never go below freezing. Eliminating the thermostat is not recommended, but it is something you can get away with. You might not even notice the drop in mileage and the increase in wear, especially if you live in a hot climate. I see he makes the point about manufacturers using hot thermostats to increase mileage, and he knows that running an engine too cold will increase wear.

The other example he gives is industrial engines, which run at steady speeds for long periods and start from cold a lot less often than street driven engines. So eliminating the thermostats should do practically nothing.

I would ascribe the low cylinder wear to more modern rings and oils. Since 1980 car makers have been using low tension rings to reduce friction and increase mileage. Consequently these engines engines show little or no cylinder wear. Better oils have helped too.

By the way the only 317 cu in engine Ford ever made was the 1953 - 55 Lincoln engine. This engine was also used in Ford F8 trucks and as an industrial power plant. So if they were that old, no wonder they had the old 50's style rings and pistons, and showed cylinder wear typical of that era. And no wonder wear decreased when they were bored out and fitted with modern pistons and rings, and run on modern oil.

"I also inflate the tires on my vehicles with Nitrogen as opposed to air, because it allows tires to run cooler at sustained high speeds"

This is pure bull****. Nitrogen does nothing for keeping tires cool. It also does nothing to control expansion pressure, unless you have found some way to repeal Boyle's Law. The reason racers use nitrogen is because you can buy a cylinder of nitrogen @ 2000 PSI for $30 at any welding supply dealer, and it will take the place of an air compressor at the track. One cylinder will last a weekend racer a full season of inflating tires, cleaning parts, even running air tools. It's purely a matter of convenience.

Racers have been using compressed nitrogen cylinders at Bonneville since the 1930's and this is how the myth that nitrogen is better for tires got started. The reporters writing up the speed record attempts started it, or possibly the mechanics fed them a tall tale and they didn't know enough chemistry to see through it.

In other words, your Doktor Bert is a high grade Goober with a degree in bull****.