I just bought the car (http://www.chevroletforum.com/m_17971/tm.htm#) at an auction, its a 87 caprice with a 305. I drove it down the road a lil ways maybe 5 miles and the temp gauge was around 220-230, i thought it was overheating so i have replaced the waterpump and thermostat.I havent drove it since to see if it goes to the same temp, but was that normal? I wasnt running the a/c only the heat and it was on low, but if someone could tell me the reg running temp of this car i would really appreciate it.

Operating temp should be around 190 at most.
Be sure to flush the radiator (very cheap to do)
And by all means, check the temperature gauge before you spend any more money. At 230 degrees, you should have noticed some loss in power.