the thermostat(t-stat) only controls the minimum operating temp. Say you have a 180 t-stat and your car always runs at 200, you then swap in a 160 t-stat, guess what your new operating temp is, yep, still 200. This is becaue the t-stat rating determines when it begins to open, one will begin to open at 160, the other at 180. Actual operating temp is determined by radiator efficiency and sizing. The t-stat rating only comes into play if the radiator is capable of cooling the engine to 180 or 160 degrees. Basically, the thermostat is only as good as the radiator. In your case, I think the radiator is your problem-unless, you can find a way to move massive amounts of cool air through it.
Since your a self proclaimed NOOB, heres an analogy. Say your at home on a hot summer day, sitting on the couch-sweating like a pig on the BBQ. You adjust the a/c thermostat on the wall to 60 degrees. What you don't realize is that your trying to cool a 30,000 sqft home with essentially a puny 'window unit' sized air conditioner. An hour later, you're still sweating as your inside temps are hovering at about 85 degrees. Eventually, you come to the conclusion that you need a bigger air conditioner, one that has a higher BTU rating, in order to get the desired indoor temperature of 60 degrees. Just turning the t-stat down doesn't necessarily make the house cooler.
