Looks like the seal where the plastic meets the Alum core may be going soon…
Go with an OE or ???
Thanks for your input!
Radiator...
Ranger
#2
I put in a big dual pass AL radiator over the summer. Coolant temps dropped quite a bit…25deg maybe? There’s an old thread here re. it somewhere. There’s a number of outfits that sell these in different sizes, you just have to find one that fits and the hose ports are close to right. Then get an AL welder to mod it for your car. My total cost was ~$300.
NASA144
#3
Ranger wrote:
yup, I saw your thread…
Would really prefer an upgraded performance “plug and play” unit.
Steve_D
#4
Bimmerworld has OE for $200 and several selections up to $700.
I think I paid $350 for an all aluminum one from Carr. In hindsight we think they may have sent an E36 part, but what the hell. It fits, works fine, never any cooling issues even in Atlanta in August.
rsott
#5
I bought this one from Ireland Eng.:
Nice unit. Dropped right in and kept things cool even during the heat wave at VIR last July with no cooling fan.
Bob
cwbaader
#6
Ron Davis racing…Chevy double pass, specify 1 1/2" inlet and outlet. Have filler removed and replaced with a 3/8" pipe bung. Drop in, sits on the stock rubber biscuits and the stock top mount will work with slight modification. Use “i” bottom hose and crossover tube, “e” top hose and everything looks factory. Have never used a fan on the track in 8 years of racing. CB
mahoneyj
#7
rsott wrote:
[quote]I bought this one from Ireland Eng.:
Nice unit. Dropped right in and kept things cool even during the heat wave at VIR last July with no cooling fan.
Bob[/quote]
Does that radiator have the return from the radiator top to the top of the reservoir bottle like the factory set up or is it eliminated with this configuration?
mahoneyj
#8
cwbaader wrote:
Chuck,
Whats one of those units usually cost?
I would also assume the double pass configuration gives you more cooling efficiency then a typical radiator config? Is the extra efficiency worth the slightly extra hassle of installation?
Matt_H
#9
I think we paid $350 for an entire '85 e car. One of the parts we used for the race car was the stock radiator with just a quick flush from a hose and zero modification.
Everything looks factory. Have never used a fan on the track. It fits, works fine, never any cooling issues even in Atlanta in August.
It may not be the absolute best solution or the most trick, but it seems to work great and was super simple and REALLY CHEAP.
Matt
FishMan
#10
Matt H. wrote:
[quote]I think we paid $350 for an entire '85 e car. One of the parts we used for the race car was the stock radiator with just a quick flush from a hose and zero modification.
Everything looks factory. Have never used a fan on the track. It fits, works fine, never any cooling issues even in Atlanta in August.
It may not be the absolute best solution or the most trick, but it seems to work great and was super simple and REALLY CHEAP.
Matt[/quote]
I like Matt’s solution using an OEM unit. My car has OEM and doesn’t hot get not even in the summer at RA. Is it necessary to add cooling capacity?
Steve_D
#11
mahoneyj wrote:
[quote]cwbaader wrote:
[quote]Ron Davis racing…Chevy double pass, blahblah…
Have filler removed and replaced with a 3/8" pipe…
Have never used a fan on the track in 8 years of racing. CB[/quote]
Chuck,
Whats one of those units usually cost? [/quote]
Time, money, etc.
All due respect, there are any number of good drop-in solutions that don’t involve:
Step 1: Purchase odd ball part
Step 2: Re-engineer odd ball part
Step 3: Carry odd ball spares since nobody can help you at the track
Seriously. Not everyone building a Spec E30 wants to reinvent the wheel. Nor do they have an aluminum welder on speed dial. For that 98% of the audience, buy something from Bimmerworld and spend the re-engineering time on something useful like surfing for porn.
Ranger
#12
Cooler engines produce more power. Me, Chuck Baader, and Jim Levie all saw this pretty convincingly at a dyno. The coolant temp sensor is a major DME input, and is one of the few inputs at WOT.
Besides, this is a hobby. Wringing your hands over the possibility of better solutions is part of the fun.
Steve_D
#14
Ranger wrote:
For some.
When giving advice to the noobs, it might be helpful to add “I love to tinker with sh!t and see if I can do better than a skyscraper full of brilliant Germans, so what I did was…”
jtower
#15
my car has a nissens radiator that looks like a stock fitment and it kept the water at 190-195 even at vir in july when the ambient temp was approaching 110.
King_Tut
#16
FishMan wrote:
I like the OEM or OEM style solution as well. I do have to say that while sitting on the grid waiting for the 2 time trial cars who put it in the wall in turn 1, I decided to leave my car running and see what would happen. I have removed the stock fan and all the A/C stuff and I installed a cheap 16" pusher fan in the front wired into the stock sensor. My car got to half way between center and full red while sitting on grid even in the 30 degree temps this weekend. Then the fan kicked on and got it back down to the center point before shutting off again. That is the only time it ever needs to come on though.
FishMan
#17
King Tut wrote:
[quote]FishMan wrote:
I like the OEM or OEM style solution as well. I do have to say that while sitting on the grid waiting for the 2 time trial cars who put it in the wall in turn 1, I decided to leave my car running and see what would happen. I have removed the stock fan and all the A/C stuff and I installed a cheap 16" pusher fan in the front wired into the stock sensor. My car got to half way between center and full red while sitting on grid even in the 30 degree temps this weekend. Then the fan kicked on and got it back down to the center point before shutting off again. That is the only time it ever needs to come on though.[/quote]
Put your fan on a switch and forget the sensor. You should only need your fan while you are sitting or moving slow under yellow; otherwise leave it off. That’s what I do anyway…
FishMan
#18
Ranger wrote:
[quote]Cooler engines produce more power. Me, Chuck Baader, and Jim Levie all saw this pretty convincingly at a dyno. The coolant temp sensor is a major DME input, and is one of the few inputs at WOT.
Besides, this is a hobby. Wringing your hands over the possibility of better solutions is part of the fun.[/quote]
I think this calls for a new experiment to determine how cool our engines need to be! I’d like to request a chart correlating engine temp directly to WHP… Winter project? I wonder at what temperature the DME allows the engine to produce full power?
Ranger
#20
King Tut wrote:
[quote]FishMan wrote:
I like the OEM or OEM style solution as well. I do have to say that while sitting on the grid waiting for the 2 time trial cars who put it in the wall in turn 1, I decided to leave my car running and see what would happen. I have removed the stock fan and all the A/C stuff and I installed a cheap 16" pusher fan in the front wired into the stock sensor. My car got to half way between center and full red while sitting on grid even in the 30 degree temps this weekend. Then the fan kicked on and got it back down to the center point before shutting off again. That is the only time it ever needs to come on though.[/quote]
Putting an aftermarket fan on is not infantry simple. Cheap fans often don’t work well because they don’t have enough standoff from the radiator, and they don’t have stationary blades that convert whirling air to lateral flow.
It took me an event or two to figure out why my cheap aftermarket fan didn’t work worth a shit.