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July 26, 2003
G'day guys
Just thought I would add my thoughts on the over/under heating problem.
My race car has a radiator I had made about 7 years ago. 3 cores and it's so thick it has cut-outs to clear the steering rack mounts! On a 100 F day, I can't get it to heat up. I warm it to around 180 F in the pits, go out for a 10 lap race and come in at 170 F.
I was recently asked by a customer to make a copy of the radiator for his car, so with 7 years now gone by, I did a little more research on the topic.
The standard Sprite/Midget vertical flow radiator has 66 tubes carrying the coolant (water, glycol mix etc), and 12 fins per inch. Now I'm not a radiator techo, but clearly it is the heat carried from the coolant through the tubes to the fins, where it is radiated (?) to the passing air, that cools the coolant.
My Radiator Guy had made (or found, he will not tell me) a core that has 106 tubes and 18 fins per inch, and is the standard Sprite dimensions. So it fits perfectly in the top and bottom tank with no modifications. More tubes + more fins = better cooling.
So I had one made. The customer's race car used to run to about 220 F after a 10 lap race. We fitted the new radiator and it now will not go past 180 F. Sits and idles for 15 minutes, and refuses to overheat.
So BIGGER isn't the only answer.
avagoodday
Colin
"Colin@SpriteParts" < colin@... > 23766
Posted on July 26, 2003 07:22 PM
Posted to category(s) Cooling System | Exterior | Fuel System | Intake System | Miscellaneous | Racing | Restoration | Suspension & Steering
