A prayer to the engine gods, High Rev- High temp- whats the problem? Options

[GT_silver]

So since my move to the mainland i have been doing a bit more fast driving (hawaii isnt really good for that). Hard to tell when the problem really surfaced though. When driving down over 70mph for 15+ minutes in the florida heat my engine will start to run hot. the needle sneaks up to the red, i put on the heater and the needle goes back to its home. At first i thought this was a cooling problem but the engine is running at 4k's around 80... which seems kinda high to me.

It only operates like this in the high speeds and if the air outside is 85+.
I replaced the radiator about 18 months ago along with the pump and most of the hoses.
The fan is kicking on.
The thermostat has been replaced.
And no-one here including our mechanic... can figure it out.

Sorry so long but I'm hoping one of you guys may have run up on a problem like this and can help me find out what the hell is wrong with my baby .

thanx in advance for all your help

[cHinaman727]

Does the needle actually REACH the red?

I'm asking because a while back I thought I had the same problem. In the high heat of Texas, I was driving for 15+ minutes at 75-85 mph. My needle would start sneaking towards the red, but it would never actually go there. I was concerned so I took it to a mechanic and he told me it was normal for old cars' needles to move like that.

If it doesn't actually reach the red I wouldn't be worried about it.