Water cooler size?

[JohnPaul]

I've recently narrowed my sidpods to where I only have (the most) 7" in width. I was thinking I would just cock the radiator sideways but it's too much small an area for my big 15 1/2" x 11 1/2" x 2" radiator, it looks like it is facing the cockpit. So that isn't going to work. I need to find a good smaller rad. that is 7" wide and as tall as possible for max square inches of area. So I have two questions: 1) need a few good sources for radiators 2) at the new size (7"x15" or more if I can tilt it back or forward) will I have enough radiator to cool the car?? also feel free to give any other suggestions/comments in regards.
thanks,
JP

[glenn cooper]

mount it kart style?
One end lying flat on the floor at the rear, the other end up at the front.
Make sure the ducting is in place and forcing all the air through the rad.
If it cools in this config, you can start taking ducting away, but better to make it cool for very hot SE weather, and tape up the openings for Sebring, umm, I mean WINTER weather.

Sorry Dude, just saw the width you listed: "That's a no-fit Ghost Rider".
You need a long skinny rad to replace the almost square one that came w/ your FE (j/K).
The stock VD FC rad is 8" or thereabouts wide, so IT is not gonna work...
I went w/ C&R for a custom oil cooler on my last car, they do water rads also.
Dustin at Phoenix does custom rads also.

[Nicholas Belling]

http://www.crracing.com/radiators

[starkejt]

http://www.crracing.com/radiators

2nd, C&R is my preference for rads.

edit: I mean 3rd.

[JohnPaul]

The stock VD FC rad is 8" or thereabouts wide, so IT is not gonna work...
I went w/ C&R for a custom oil cooler on my last car, they do water rads also.
Dustin at Phoenix does custom rads also.

what if I mount the VD FC rad on an angle? sort of bringing the end closest to the body panel further back than the outside end:

________
___/____

^^^ does that make sense? will I get enough cooling? I'm pretty sure that's how Ben did his but he never tested it so we don't know if it'll work plus I think I may have made mine an inch smaller.
I'm going to contact Dustin and see what he says. I"ll also call CR

BTW: should it be a single or double pass?

[Nicholas Belling]

simply buy a mini spal rad fan or use the stock bike fan and mount it to the cooler with a 210 degree thermostat switch.. run it off a secondary dash switch to even bypass it completely if desired for test purposes.. then you can make a productive test day with different ducting configurations, airflow redirection setups. etc.

[S Lathrop]

You have almost 180 sq. in. of radiator. You aren't going to get by with much less. If you want 7" high, then you are going to need 25 in. long.

C&R can make any width you want but length will be limited by the cores they can get.

At 7" wide, you should have inlet and outlet at opposite ends of the radiator.

I am no expert but I do have a lot of experience building radiators that did not work.

[Wren]

I agree with everyone else that you are going to need a custom radiator.

C&R does a good job, but see if James Lee can make you one. It might be easier for someone if they were looking at the car/sidepod.

[ghickman]

JP
I'd take a close look at how Ben did his, I've seen pics of it and it looks good to me.

Ben has enough experience with formula cars and how they go together that I would trust what he's come up with.

If he's found a way to package them in those skinny pods he came up with I'd follow his path.

[JohnPaul]

I'm going to bring my rad to my fiberglass fabricator and see the exact angle but I think it's too much. My plan was to do what Ben did but I'm pretty sure my side pods may be an inch smaller and it may more difficult (but I'll know for sure once it's sitting in the lower). Another issue about Ben's set up is that he isn't 100% sure it'll cool enough. Thanks everyone for the help. BTW: I can't find Dustin's # on his website, does anyone have it?

Picture of Ben's car:

[Brands]

JP,
I really don't anticipate any cooling issues which is why I felt happy about going for a narrower side pod. The stock side pod/radiator set up actually provided more than enough cooling. Just make sure that all the air that goes into the pod goes through the rad. When you run the car at Sebring it's not going to be summer ambient temps either. I wouldn't waste money on a new rad without running it as is first.

[Northwind]

Ben,

Is that metal water tube a resourceful way of re-using the stock exhaust header. It has a titanium sheen to it.