Desert Cooler
U.S. Radiator has determined that core design and adequate airflow are the most important aspects for obtaining maximum coolant temperature drop from radiator inlet to outlet. By building internal walls in the radiator, as is the case with the Desert Cooler, the coolant is re-routed to pass through the radiator (top to bottom or side to side depending on design) three times, resulting in three separate exposures to temperature-dropping airflow, with little or no adverse flow restriction. The result is an average 15 percent reduction in radiator outlet temperatures. U.S. Radiator offers this unique flow design on all non-transmission cooler-equipped radiators in their extensive line of high-performance vehicle applications.
With the core support back...
With the core support back in the car, here's what it looked like before the radiator went back in ... again.
It'll have to come out again...
It'll have to come out again for paint, plus I have to repair and modify the inner fenders, which will entail stripping the entire front sheetmetal apart, but here's the radiator in for the "final" time.
From behind, you can see the...
From behind, you can see the core-pulley clearance is much improved. The top tank sits in its stock location, and nothing's too much modified from stock.
While the 1 3/4-inch outlet...
While the 1 3/4-inch outlet tube wasn't touching the core support, modifying it for clearance will ensure fitting and removal of the hose and clamp will be easy, and nothing will rub.
A call to Speedway Motors...
A call to Speedway Motors netted an expansion tank, a pivoting aluminum water neck with 45-degree outlet, a 90-degree 1 1/2-inch steel tube with bead at each end, and two 6-inch silicone hoses.
I also sourced the high-flow...
I also sourced the high-flow thermostat from Speedway Motors. You can see here how the water neck seals with a rubber O-ring rather than a regular gasket.
Though I have yet to add clamps,...
Though I have yet to add clamps, the 90-degree steel tube and silicone hoses make a neat top "hose" to clear the alternator. I'll cut the hoses to length so each clamp will be equidistant from the beads and the ends of the hoses, plus paint the steel tube.
As the filler neck on the...
As the filler neck on the radiator is on the right side, I mounted the expansion tank on this side too, using a couple of the unused brackets that RideTech supplied for the level sensor rods I fitted to the suspension!
SPAL offers a range of electric...
SPAL offers a range of electric fans for the aftermarket, as well as OEM, in varying diameters and profiles. While they offer a medium profile fan measuring 2 1/2 inches deep, I was concerned about airflow through the thick radiator and A/C condenser, so opted for the 16-inch high-performance fan (PN 30102082) with curved blades for reduced noise. SPAL also supplied a fan harness kit, including a thermal switch that will turn the fan on at 185 degrees and off at 165.
The 3/8-inch NPT thermal switch...
The 3/8-inch NPT thermal switch installs directly into the intake manifold, though a 1/2-inch adapter is also included.
The polished aluminum shroud...
The polished aluminum shroud was supplied by U.S. Radiator, the SPAL fan bolting right up. With nuts temporarily doing the job of spacing the radiator from its mounts, which will eventually be replaced with rubber to prevent the radiator side plates from cracking and coming away from the top and bottom tanks, there's approximately an 1/2-inch clearance between the fan motor and water pump pulley.
The fan harness includes a...
The fan harness includes a waterproof 10/40 amp relay and all necessary wiring (printed to ease installation), which I'll mount and connect when I wire the Chevy.
With the radiator relocated,...
With the radiator relocated, and the shroud and fan mounted, I'm one step closer to the road, though I do still have to buy a radiator cap and bottom hose.