Bed-mounting a radiator?

Has anyone had any experience mounting their radiators in a non-stock location? Rather than pay at least $600 for a Be Cool alum rad, I am seriously considering bed-mounting a large radiator in my MJ. I will be swapping in a built 383 SBC and I know that my GDI 3-core ain't going to do the trick. I'm mainly looking for tips and tricks of the swap and some pitfalls to watch out for. Thanks.

Brent

I've never seen anyone here with a rear mounted radiator, you're probably best off searching and asking over on the Pirate board. the only unibody Jeep I've seen with a rear radiator is a dovetailed MJ on 42s, but I don't think he's on

I know a guy that has a rear mounted radiator on his cj. he is somewhere on Cincycore.com he did it himself, says it works great, and I believe it!

I did a rear mount on the recovery truck for our local mud races (350 Chev). Worked really well, used a small fan as a puller and a big two speed as a pusher, rarley needed the large CFM fan. Used regular old galvanized water pipe (bullet proof and helped with the cooling), for the run under the cab.
Pitfalls are, you got to figure out some way to get the air out. Normal radiator systems, move the air to the top (cap or surge tank). With the radiator hoses going from the front to the rear (unless you go right through the cab), your gonna have a serious air trap.
I installed a couple of those T type, quick flush, garden hose connectors, on the heater lines, worked OK. I could hold the heater line up, to the proper level, to let the air out without loosing a lot of fluid. But still occasionaly got some air trapped on the motor side. Eventually went to a speciality rubber/plastic supply company, bought a short section of clear, heat resistant, plastic hose and mounted it at the highest point in the system (thermostat housing outlet and the heater line) so I could see the air and deal with it before it became a problem.
Believe I´ve seen a combination thermostat housing and radiator cap at Summit, might also be a solution, as long as it isn´t (much) below the coolant level in the radiator.

Don't a lot of pre runners and such have the radiators in the rear. I seem to remember seeing a lot with it in the back in between the roll cage bars. If it was unbstuckted, it would have really good cooling characteristics.

a guy in our club is running one. he went to an exhaust shop and had them run regular exhaust pipe.

To help reduce the chance of air pockets in the system, could I find a way to fill from the lowest point up as long as I had a means to vent on both the radiator and engine ends? For instance, if galvanized pipe was used to run the coolant under the cab, incorporate a T-fitting at the lowest point that would extend a filler tube up to the level of the radiator. This could also allow me to just fill up the three areas seperately (1. low point, 2. engine, and 3. radiator). How does that sound?

I filled at the radiator in the rear, hooked up a normal scavenger system recovery tank (open). Opened the front vents at the heater lines and filled at the radiator. Air is going to migrate to the highest spot, filling from the rear, moved most of the air to the front and vented out of the heater line T´s and the radiator filler cap..
Was carefull to make the filler on the radiator and the highest point of the cooling system in the motor, pretty close to level (radiator filler was slightly higher, maybe 2 inches).
Maybe there was a small air trap in the system or the system some way or the other, just produced it´s own air, don´t really know. Had to peroidically, bleed a little excess air out of the system, at the motor. Overheated a bit, a couple of times, until I figured out what was going on.
Just have to figure out someway to let the air out when you fill and to periodically release whatever air moved to the motor side of the system. Just somehting you have to keep an eye on and check periodically.
Some type of T and vent at the highest point on the top hose, near the thermo housing, might help to vent some air missed by the heater hose venting methode.
May be a better way of venting the air, that I just haven´t thought of yet. What I had worked well enough.
If you can find or build a thermostat housing with a hose outlet and a stand pipe with a sealed (non vent) cap and made the radiator cap very near the same highth. Filling and getting the air out would be fairly easy.
Rear radiator, cooled really well, used like a 12" fan most of the time (slightly build 350 Chev. in a one ton truck), as a puller (rear to front) and had a large 2 speed 16" pusher on the other side of the radiator, I used rarley.
Most of the air behind the cab, moves from the rear to the front, might be different on another model truck. But the best air flow on mine was from rear to front, with the radiator, near vertical and a closed bottom bed.