Hey everyone, what radiators does everyone run under their kombis? Would it need to be bigger than the standard subaru liberty one? At the moment im thinking about using either vl commodore or falcon with the standard thermo fans. Whats everyones thoughts on this?
Thanks,
Alex.
kevo ·
it really doesnt matter too much man, common sense really,
there is no 'correct size' for a rad, the trick is to have constant air flow and make sure of no hot or 'used' air is in curculation through the rad, fins fix this if its underneath etc...
there is so many friggin forums for this discussion, go back to privious pages and you will find heaps o info
vwtyp2 ·
hx holden v8 fits nicely between the chassis rails
GeorgeL ·
crazyfiggi wrote:Hey everyone, what radiators does everyone run under their kombis?
I don't think that there is any "common" radiator. It seems to be more what is available and what the individual is used to working with.
You want the radiator to fit the space (between rails, below rails, your choice!).
You want it to have as large a surface area as possible, since you don't get as much ram air effect underneath.
You want the inlet and outlet to be in a convenient location to run straight aft.
It is better to have a larger surface area radiator, as opposed to a multiple core radiator, in low airflow applications. You have a lot of room under there, so why not use it!
Shrouding is really important. You need to keep hot air separate from cold air.
George
pete wood ·
crazyfiggi wrote:Hey everyone, what radiators does everyone run under their kombis? Would it need to be bigger than the standard subaru liberty one? At the moment im thinking about using either vl commodore or falcon with the standard thermo fans. Whats everyones thoughts on this?
Thanks,
Alex.
No, it should not need to be bigger as long as it gets enough airflow.
Standard thermos should be ok as long as they are shrowded.
The best place for good airflow, is the front of the car. Everywhere else is compromised in some way. That's not to say it can't be made to work though. My rad is at the back, helbus/brad's rad are underneath. But it takes scoops and other such stuff.
If you want simple, buy a metal spare wheel cover for the front bullbar. Put the rad inside it and have the front of the wheel cover replaced with ricer mesh to let the air in. It will be subtle and cool well. No one will know it's even a radiator unless they look very closely. You might need a square rad though.
[ Edited on 17-5-2006 by pete wood ]
HotRodMatt ·
If you put it up front don't make it look like a dogs breakfast.
Make it tidy...
pete wood ·
don't tell me you call that TIDY.🙁
I hated all the louvres in the front of the CBB limo. Ruined the whole front panel IMHO. But then I guess it's just my opinion.
crazyfiggi ·
Thanks everyone, im heading out to pick n payless this weekend to have a look at some different radiators. Hopefully i will be able to find something that will fit between the chassis rails nicely. Has anyone ever used two radiators in their systems? A big one under the car and a smaller one in the side of the engine bay which would also be used for filling the system? Its just an idea even tho i will most likely be using just one.
Thanks,
Alex.
crazyfiggi wrote:Thanks everyone, im heading out to pick n payless this weekend to have a look at some different radiators. Hopefully i will be able to find something that will fit between the chassis rails nicely. Has anyone ever used two radiators in their systems? A big one under the car and a smaller one in the side of the engine bay which would also be used for filling the system? Its just an idea even tho i will most likely be using just one.
Thanks,
Alex.
Two radiators are a Bad Idea unless you absolutely have to use them. You end up with balancing problems and with a plumber's nightmare of hoses. On a bus you will have plenty of room, either underneath or in front, to use one good-sized radiator.
George
boof2332 ·
I would consider using two like the porsche 996, only if they were new and next to no $$$. There is no reason why you need two if you have the option. The second as a fill pot would be a waste of space and not needed if the other is set up properly. Also if you are going turbo, then you may need another radiator for water to air cooler ...if you used that option.
I am about to do a split wrx conversion and I will be using one.
Matt
crazyfiggi ·
Thanks everyone, ill have a go at it and post my set up here when im done.
Alex.
pete wood ·
boof2332 wrote:I would consider using two like the porsche 996, only if they were new and next to no $$$. There is no reason why you need two if you have the option. The second as a fill pot would be a waste of space and not needed if the other is set up properly. Also if you are going turbo, then you may need another radiator for water to air cooler ...if you used that option.
I am about to do a split wrx conversion and I will be using one.
Matt
I hope you'll be putting some bracing in the body to handle the torque.
What about relocating the battery, and using two small linked radiators in series(with individual shrouding and thermos) to cool the engine bay as Vw intended. That way you don't have 18 litres of coolant in your system as I do with the radiator up front, or a radiator hanging down underneath which compromises the offroad ability, or on the back where it doesn't cool properly becuase of the low pressure cell. If I were to do it again I'd go split system. What do you guys reckon?
Take it easy, Axel.
baybuscamperkid ·
axel77 wrote:What about relocating the battery, and using two small linked radiators in series(with individual shrouding and thermos) to cool the engine bay as Vw intended. That way you don't have 18 litres of coolant in your system as I do with the radiator up front, or a radiator hanging down underneath which compromises the offroad ability, or on the back where it doesn't cool properly becuase of the low pressure cell. If I were to do it again I'd go split system. What do you guys reckon?
Take it easy, Axel.
someone on here actually did that ages ago, cant remember hwo though. looked great! i suppose downside was the normal one, blowing hot radiator air over the engine.
axel77 ·
Good point, but I reckon with the right shrouding you could overcome this. Also the scavenging effect of the air passing underneath the car would help remove the heat from the engine bay. I did see some pictures (linked from this site) from some German guys apparently with a diesel engine who used this setup.
The guy that ownes the VW shop up here in Rocky, has two golf rad either side of his engine cooling the EJ22. He had to put bigger scoops on the side to get enough air flow, but it all works well, He even races it in Rally Sprints
Mat
splity65 ·
pete wood wrote:don't tell me you call that TIDY.🙁
I hated all the louvres in the front of the CBB limo. Ruined the whole front panel IMHO. But then I guess it's just my opinion.
You know Pete my mum always told me if you have nothing nice to say about something than say NOTHING.
I saw the car pictured here driving at Bondi Beach just one week ago and I would have to say I did not even nothice that grill. That is super neat. Maybe you should look up the meaning of NEAT in the dictionary.
it works well, again that is part of the custom offroad ej22 conversion, like the sump on the other post.
Are you doing a subie conversion? If you are, it'd be worth going and talking to them. They do a very reasonably priced kit with almost everything you need including a garanteed motor and the rego plates I believe.
It's a very clean install, but helbus' experience with this sort of setup is that it requires the electric fan running to cool sufficiently at cruising speed. This presents another failure mode that I don't fancy having.
I believe that a simple scoop and exit duct would fix this problem. Get a little stagnation pressure working for the radiator.