More ????'s on radiators

How can I determine the smallest radiator I can run? Probably won't be aluminum as I don't have the cash for one. I'm thinking junkyard scores right now. My tranny fluid won't run through it, so I'm wondering if I can shrink the size. I'll be running distilled water and some sort of water wetter. I may possibly keep running the dex cool though, cuz that stuff brought my temps down by appx. 10-15*.

Sean

Where do you get the dex cool? I could alway's use a little more buffer before boiling.

I'll see if I can't dig up some old links in the morning. I found a site that broke it down by how much cooling surface area was needed per HP and air flow required.

I don't run my tranny fluid though my radiator and it really doesn't make a difference. I bypassed mine before I figured out it was a plugged GDI.

Boardum is setting in.

Later,
Lincoln

Dex-cool is at any auto parts, wally world, meijers, etc. It's the orange/pink stuff. It's appx. $6 a gallon.

Why are you trying to run a smaller radiator V8? just curious

never mind read other threads and figured it out

Can't find crap Sean. My own opinion is that the stock radiator is too small. Compare the surface area with a compact car and you'll see.

Idea though. Find a radiator with appoximately the same surface area and design execpt different deminsions. You'll be suprised on how much less room it take. If I remember right the core is 10.5 X 36. That's only 378 square inches. Now consider that a 24 X 24 rad has 576 sqare inches of cooling area. Everything else created equal (tubes etc) that is a lot more cooling surface and 2' X 2' would take up less room in the back.

Then just stick a big electric fan on it with a homemade shroud. Like an aluminum plate spaced away from rad about 1" to 1.5". I would say at least 3000 cfm and more if possible.

When I was trying to elec. fans to work on mine I did a lot of reaserch. Didn't have enough surface area for the amount of air flow the electric fans could provide. I wanted to make a shroud and put three electrics on (believe that would have worked) but got smart and went back.

My point is I would worry more about air flow than size. I would look at a Ford Ranger rad. Not too big and aluminum to boot.

Check out these fans. I think two 12" would do you good. If you have a shroud you can run the fans over the edge of the rad without problems. You could probably get by with less, but you will have to listen to the fan run a lot. It would be nicer to have them cycle on for a minute then off. Lots of airflow will make that happen.

http://www.permacool.com/Catalog/Cat_page16.html

Have fun,
Lincoln

Lincoln, can you give me a little more info on the Ranger fan (what years?). Are they all aluminum or do they have plastic tanks? I think I'm gonna go with the Taurus fans, they have a high and low and flow really well. I don't know the cfm #'s on them though.

A Pontiac Fiero electric fan is good,too. About 16" in diameter with built in shroud,and fairly thin at around 3 1/2"- 4" deep at the center of the fan's motor. They can move big amounts of air. Only drawback is they aren't reversable (fan pitch is all wrong for reverse).

Sorry to confuse you. The Ranger's run a clutched fan, but the rad is aluminum. Plastic tanks, but I wouldn't worry too much about that.

I put a replacement in a friends pickup and the thing was light. He ended up getting hit in the front end pretty hard and it bowed the rad. No leaks.

I was just thinking it would save you some weight without cleaning out the wallet.

For a fan I would just get as much air flow as possible. Brand doesn't seem to make a difference, but the metal blade fans seem to move air a whole lot better than plastics. Mount them to a shroud so your pulling air though the entire radiator and you should be good.

Later,
Lincoln