Front mounted radiator inside a bay

in response to a couple of questions...

when i went watercooled ididn't want the radiator underneath cos i like a bit of offroading...and i didn't want it hanging out the front🙅 well because it looks ugly but front gets best airflow so i placed it inside


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there was a little judicious cutting


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and a plywood box to contain the commondoor rad🤓


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air exits hole in the floor...creates good airflow this thing never get too hot


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and for winter i cut a little door...presto instant heating


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had this setup going a couple of years now and very happy with it😎

Hi

That is so good, it just shows how little the intake hole really needs to be.

Steve

yeah if you work it out the hole is about 90cm x 8cm disregarding the vertical bars an turbulence etc. so at 100km/hr there is 2 cubic metres of air hitting that hole per second🤓 and i think the hole underneath has a venturi effect helping it as well. i could cut the vertical bars out but don't want to change the look at all and it works fine as it is👍

Is the door inside the heater?

Peter opening the little door just lets air heated by the radiator into the cabin...lovely when travelling at night in winter😊


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Nice work Rob.

Just thinking out loud here...
you've lost your cold air ducts....
plumb them into the 'box' and have hot air ducts & that'll help foggy windows

A man of your skills should be easily able to fab up a "butterfly" valve or similar and connect the cables to the stock VW controls

yeah good idea! i'm onto it i have a manual switch for the fan so demisting can be fan assisted should happen sometime in the next 5 years😂 you know what its like!

Bilge fan or shell out for the Ambulance fans.
Bluebird Customs sell them in the UK. There must be an equivelant in Oz.

Im not exactly sure how it works with the front vents but looking at the pics, couldnt the air still be directed through the original vents and still not take away from what is blowing onto the radiator. The hole on the left side in the 3rd pic, is that where the flexi hose would attach up to the air vents?

yes you are absolutely right...there is already warm air comes out of those holes so just need to put the plastic pipes back on to direct it at the screen...but for "elusive stranger" s concern...we don't have fog on the sunny gold coast🙅

Just out of curiosity ( not that i've just cut up my bay to copy or anything 😉) but what have you done with the hand/park brake?.......cheers

going to mount the subaru brake lever on the floor beside drivers seat...its on the to do list🙄

Hope no-one minds the necromancy.

I've been browsing through here for radiator mount ideas for bays. This is definitely very innovative, but not for me. Isn't there the fear of the radiator blowing? I've lost many a radiator on various vehicles, and the thought of a rad split and subsequent purge of coolant and toxic superheated steam into the cabin scares the shit out of me!

if the vents etc. get connected, is there provision for closing the vents in a hurry?

Hi Tristan...my radiator is contained in a sealed box. Ok so my feral heater does allow direct contact with the radiator in the event of the big blow you are worried about...but any car with a heater has risk of blown hoses and even the heater matrix right in the cab...

the only thing i give thought to blowing in my kombi is the gearbox as the boost builds🤘

rocknrob wrote:Hi Tristan...my radiator is contained in a sealed box. Ok so my feral heater does allow direct contact with the radiator in the event of the big blow you are worried about...but any car with a heater has risk of blown hoses and even the heater matrix right in the cab...

the only thing i give thought to blowing in my kombi is the gearbox as the boost builds🤘

Thankfully never blew out the heater (or fan forced auxiliary radiator as I have used it more than I would like) but at least that can be shut off with a quick lunge at the heater control.

Once a person has a few lungfuls of vapourised coolant it becomes a very real issue.

Last time I blew a rad, pulling into my driveway of all places, just the stuff that made it in through the fresh air vent made me sick for days.

As long as it is sealed it should be okay, but your heater hole is an issue. Not something you can close in a hurry, because there would be superheated steam shooting out of there.

Okay, strangely radiators are one of my vary few fears, probably because I have brought so many to their destruction. And I'm wanting to go watercooled?

Yeahbut, if the heater matrix failed... it would have the same effect.

Ummm not sure if I'm bothered, or if I should be bothered.

My matrix is right between the cab steps.

Damn, it's food for thought :eek:

i wouldn't worry too much about that Balders...the weakest link is usually the nut behind the wheel😂

although i'm sure you are a safe driver like me😊

how do i know i'm safe? 41 years with a licence and never a collision...heheh touch wood👍