Help with Overheating

As the temps here in phoenix are going up so is my temp Guage... Just pulled into the dentist and coolant is all over... I'm going to get a new radiator cap, flush the coolant and new thermostat... But I've never changed a thermostat before... Where is it and how do I change it? Also I've heard there are different temp ones, which should I get? Sorry for the dumb question but still learning this stuff

That's called the "double-whammy" !!!

If it overheats in town/traffic but is OK while on the freeway, that is indicative of a bad fan clutch. I've gone through those about every 6 years here, can affect my AC operation too.

Thermostat is on the passenger side of the cylinder head, the housing is connected to the upper radiator hose. I jack up the front right end of the truck so the thermostat will stay in place, as it goes in vertical, with the toggle pin at the top. Make sure the water outlet side is flat, and don't overtighten.

I use a 190/195F thermostat (O'Reillys or CarQuest, can't remember) even in our climate, as I couldn't get decent heat in winter with a 180F T-stat. If you end up needing a radiator, you'd likely be OK with a 1-row as yours doesn't have AC, but the all-aluminum 2-row ones through O-Reillys do work great, and are only like $15 more. Better do a good radiator chemical flush as yours is getting to that age. I also jack up the front end and run it while filling with coolant because these are a little tough to bleed out all the air.

Important thing is: don't let it run hot over the range, or you'll be doing (at minimum) a head gasket !!!

It just gets hot and hotter, I was doing 80 with the windows down and heat on to try and get some of the heat away but the temp Guage didn't go down. Finally when I got off the freeway and pulled in it started spitting out some steam. It doesn't look like a whole lot like I did any damage but I don't want to push it. Kinda worried about when I leave the dentist (talk about a crapy day lol) I'll look into getting all new stuff when I get done, thanks for the info Cusser! Always a huge help!

There's a good chance you have a stuck thermostat, a blockage in the radiator, or worst case scenario, head problems. I say that because it's still overheating at highway speeds, like cusser brought up. At those speeds, if the water is circulating at all, the wind will cool it enough. Try running a flush chemical through it. Then replace the thermostat. If those things don't work, get it diagnosed by a pro.

When i first bought the truck I looked in the radiator and it looked empty, forgot to add to it and a week later when I remembered it was full and green... Thought it was weird but looked fine and it was colder out so I left it alone, checked it every once in a while and looked the same but makes me think that ether an air bubble is stuck in there, bad thermostat or needs to be cleaned bad. Truck runs perfect so I'm not to concerned with a possible engine problem at the moment but I don't want to cause one ether. Figured I would just fix, replace everything I can right now while it's still "cooler" outside... I'll get a new rad cap, thermostat, coolant and flush tonight and price out a new radiator and electric fans.

When my radiator was going bad, I ran mine up to Pinetop, AZ in mid summer, mid-afternoon with heat on full blast, and just barely stayed below the top of the range, did have to stop once (had to go to save Mrs. Cusser). Same on return trip. And I was experimenting for a few days with no thermostat too (running without a thermostat will NOT provide better cooling with a "good" thermostat).

I did NOT blow the head gasket on mine though, and I replaced with the new 2-row radiator within a few days.

Your issue could be:
bad radiator cap
bad thermostat
bad radiator
air in the cooling system (before this started happening)

and hopefully not a bad head gasket or cylinder head

What's concerning me right now is the faster I go the hotter it gets... Made it half way home and had to pull over... Waiting for it to cool down and try again to make it to a checkers. Just got to make it home and I'll get it fixed... It's even a nice day out I figured it would stay a little cooler than this.

If the thermostat and/or cap is not what's bad, then sounds like a radiator issue to me. Especially because this is not "hot" by Phoenix standards.

Have you been losing coolant over the last few months (not counting the last few days) even if level just went down and no leaks on the ground?

By the way, with a good radiator and fan clutch, really no reason to go to an electric cooling fan, but you may gain a tiny amount of horsepower.

Just bought everything but a new radiator... And I'll get that next month anyway even if I don't need it, at least that way it'll be all new. Flushing it now after installing new hoses, thermostat, rad cap and hopefully it will fix it.

Chemical flush, right?