Half Radiator Install

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reckedracing

TTIWWOP
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well, i've got my hatch ripped down getting the turbo setup together
but i need some tips on the radiator...
 
88-91 hatch, trying to use a 92-95 radiator...
its a bit too tall, i was just wondering how other people made it fit?
 
95-99 non-AC neon radiator supposidly fits fell; just need a part to fill it though(the cap is on the hose, so to say, instead of on the radiator)
 
well i dont have the pictures anymore or the car, but what did was make a notch in the crossmember for the rad. and had to notch the hood for the rad cap.
 
well i dont have the pictures anymore or the car, but what did was make a notch in the crossmember for the rad. and had to notch the hood for the rad cap.
wow, thats a lot of hacking huh?
 
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well i dont have the pictures anymore or the car, but what did was make a notch in the crossmember for the rad. and had to notch the hood for the rad cap.
wow, thats a lot of hacking huh?
not really. just a notch on the crossmember about 3 in" long, and hood just have to notch the under side. I have to get pictures of it from the kid i sold it to
 
Just make yourself a gangsta-ass bracket like my old one.

wloc9l.jpg

wlodqe.jpg


I think one of the feet lined up, and I drilled a hole in the subframe for the other radiator mounting foot thingie (the one towards the driver's side) and ziptied it to the subframe...it sat a little bit tall, but nothing some minor dremeling couldn't fix. Didn't rattle around at all. I believe you can use a 95 Dodge Neon radiator and it'll mount up just like a 92-00 radiator, except it's a few inches shorter and will clear the hood with no modification. The reason I bootlegged mine like that was my fullsize EF radiator took a shit on dyno morning, and I needed a quick fix.
 
so you were able to fit that in there with no problem huh?

i've got the D16Z6 with the upper hose coming straight off the motor, and i've got to fit a splice in the radiator hose for my turbo coolant feed

i don't want to cut anything either
i'm curious where abouts your put the 3 inch notch in the cross member? i'm guessing you notched it for the lower hose right?

i went to home depot lastnight to get some fittings, the kid i got the "turbo kit" from used some ghetto shit, i think i've got something better...


I think one of the feet lined up, and I drilled a hole in the subframe for the other radiator mounting foot thingie (the one towards the driver's side) and ziptied it to the subframe...it sat a little bit tall, but nothing some minor dremeling couldn't fix. Didn't rattle around at all. I believe you can use a 95 Dodge Neon radiator and it'll mount up just like a 92-00 radiator, except it's a few inches shorter and will clear the hood with no modification. The reason I bootlegged mine like that was my fullsize EF radiator took a shit on dyno morning, and I needed a quick fix.
i'd be satisfied with how your setup looks
i'm going to the yard tomorrow morning so i'll see what they have as far as neon radiators go...

thanks for the help guys
 
I just read a project thread over on H-T....*rumage rumage*....

HERE it is.
Scroll down and you'll see what he did.. it looks a LOT better than civicious's "Gangsta-ass bracket"...

He just cut out a little bit of the front crossmember and voila.

bracket2.jpg



-Andrew
 
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I just read a project thread over on H-T....*rumage rumage*....

HERE it is.
Scroll down and you'll see what he did.. it looks a LOT better than civicious's "Gangsta-ass bracket"...

He just cut out a little bit of the front crossmember and voila.

-Andrew

Yeah, it may look better, but at the price of hacking up your crossmember and losing structural rigidity? No thanks, function over form for me. If I had taken a little more time and machined a bracket for it, it would have looked a lot better, but as I stated before I needed something quick so we could get it on the dyno. On another note, I guarantee you my 'gangsta ass bracket' held a radiator that cooled a LOT more power than that guy's.


Additionally, with it supported only on one side on the top like that, chances are it's gonna rattle around on the opposite side. You don't want your radiator rattling around.
 
Not to thread jack, but I'm thinking about hacking up my radiator(don't worry, I have a backup); I want to cut out some of the core around the side but leave the top and bottom "covers" on so it would sit like stock. This is for a "ram air" system btw. Would simply JB welding aluminum sheet over the area that was cut be able to hold back the pressure?
 
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Not to thread jack, but I'm thinking about hacking up my radiator(don't worry, I have a backup); I want to cut out some of the core around the side but leave the top and bottom "covers" on so it would sit like stock. This is for a "ram air" system btw. Would simply JB welding aluminum sheet over the area that was cut be able to hold back the pressure?

Not to hate,

But that would be a pretty stupid and ricey thing to do.
It would be easier to just buy a 1/2 sizer and be done with it. ?
 
Not to thread jack, but I'm thinking about hacking up my radiator(don't worry, I have a backup); I want to cut out some of the core around the side but leave the top and bottom "covers" on so it would sit like stock. This is for a "ram air" system btw. Would simply JB welding aluminum sheet over the area that was cut be able to hold back the pressure?

this is for a full size or half size radiator?
if you cut into one of the up and down tubes in the radiator you basically make that full tube useless, the coolant above or below the cut will just sit as it can't flow straight through

if you want to experiment i would cut each tube and fold it over and crimp it off
JB weld will not work for you but crimping the tube should do the trick
and there's no reason to only cut out the middle, like i said, if you break the tube its useless...

ooh and i found the PERFECT radiator in the yard?
more info and pics soon to come :)
 
Quoted post[/post]]
Quoted post[/post]]
Not to thread jack, but I'm thinking about hacking up my radiator(don't worry, I have a backup); I want to cut out some of the core around the side but leave the top and bottom "covers" on so it would sit like stock. This is for a "ram air" system btw. Would simply JB welding aluminum sheet over the area that was cut be able to hold back the pressure?

Not to hate,

But that would be a pretty stupid and ricey thing to do.
It would be easier to just buy a 1/2 sizer and be done with it. ?

A half-sized radiator is more than what I'm willing to spend. I don't see how it's rice when no one would even be able to see it. As long as the radiator will be able to cool the coolant, and coolant doesn't leak, it's all good.

I know that the coolant wouldn't flow through, but it'll still flow where the fan is(middle of the radiator). Where I made the cuts, coolant will not flow at all. I will try crimping it; sounds like it should work. I will try to get pics of it later.
 
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