Z10 Zink guys, What to use for radiators

[Skip Weld]

Hello, !976 Z10 C Zink. What have you guys found that will keep it cool in hot weather like Florida.
All ideas are appreciated very much.
Thanks!!
Skip Weld

[fleetdude]

i looked high and low for replacements and didn't find any...have no idea where the originals came from...so am using repaired brass/copper originals...but found that they work well after i used "HyperKuhl" flush and additive with demineralized/filtered water...evaporates without leaving slick; non-toxic; non-flammable; biodegrades and improves cooling efficiency notably...does not change freezing or boiling temp of water.

[R. Pare]

A few things to do to increase their efficiency:

1 - Make sure the NO air can bypass the radiator any where.

2 - Since the radiator is at quite an angle to the direction of the air approaching it, you can add in a few turning vanes the direct it square to the face of the fins - you'll be surprised at how much that helps.

3 - Anything you can do to polish the copper or brass will increase it's emissivity a lot.

[DanW]

It's been a long time, but I think recall the radiators from a VW Sirocco would fit a Z10C.

This ebay link shows the dimensions: https://www.ebay.com/itm/28418742840...QAAOSwvypgLMCu

[Rick Kirchner]

surprised that Lathrop hasn't commented but somewhere in the depths of my brain I remember from some discussion something about VW radiators.

I'd just have one made by Saldana (site advertiser and great work)

[scott fairchild]

We've run both styles (VW and custom aluminum original sized ones, thicker core though) in the south with adequate cooling. As Richard said, ducting into the radiators is critical. Many overlook the sharp edge of the bodywork at the inlet. This MUST be radiused. The front third of the radiators aren't in the airflow otherwise. I use a thin piece of flashing. Next in importance is to tape around the lower suspension link where it penitrates the leg panels (this alone dropped my Temps by 7°F). Lastly, a faring at the exit can help turn the air 90° to help with airflow. I also use tuning vanes on the intake in a similar manner.

Cheers,
Scott

[Yapakanichi]

We've run both styles (VW and custom aluminum original sized ones, thicker core though) in the south with adequate cooling. As Richard said, ducting into the radiators is critical. Many overlook the sharp edge of the bodywork at the inlet. This MUST be radiused. The front third of the radiators aren't in the airflow otherwise. I use a thin piece of flashing. Next in importance is to tape around the lower suspension link where it penitrates the leg panels (this alone dropped my Temps by 7°F). Lastly, a faring at the exit can help turn the air 90° to help with airflow. I also use tuning vanes on the intake in a similar manner.

Cheers,
Scott

Scott,

Do you remember what VW radiators you used? Also, I've seen pictures of your car but can't find any without bodywork showing the radiators. Do you have any?

[k3omi]

Scott,

Do you remember what VW radiators you used? Also, I've seen pictures of your car but can't find any without bodywork showing the radiators. Do you have any?

Just sold my Z10C with new VW radiators installed...Send me an email at k3omive1@gmail.com and I'll shoot you some photos with the body off..Plus have body parts and a couple molds for the Zink Z10c free for the pickup....Can shoot you those photos also...
Gary

[scott fairchild]

Scott,

Do you remember what VW radiators you used? Also, I've seen pictures of your car but can't find any without bodywork showing the radiators. Do you have any?

I'll be working on that car tomorrow and am happy to take some pictures of it.

[S Lathrop]

Radiators: I have spent some time going over the VW radiators available from Rock Auto, rockauto.com. If you look for VW Golf or similar smaller cars from 1990 onward, there are a few radiators that might work. The biggest issue is the height and length or as it is listen in Rock Auto the width and the length.

At the dash where the cross over tube is located, there is about 12.5 of height between the side pod bottom and the upper body/top of the frame rail. That does allow about 1/2 inch for the floor of the side pod. The upper frame rails tapper upwards to the roll bar bulkhead and there is close to 15 inches height back at the roll bar.

I do not remember exactly what radiator I used for the Z10 when I did the VW setup. I did not see any radiators listed by Rock Auto for cars built in the late 1970's to mid 1980's. The nice thing about Rock Auto is that most of their radiators list for well under $100.

A more expensive option but almost guaranteed to work is to have C&R Radiators or someone like them build you a pair of custom radiators. If you do that, I would recommend that you build the radiators so they are unhanded and use a 90 degree elbow at the front of the radiator to connect to the cross over tube for the second radiator. If you email me I can send you a drawing for you to send to whom ever you want to make radiators. The length of the cores needs to be 20 inches minimum. I have found that a 22 to 23 inch core is easy to find. The cor only needs to be 2 rows of tubes or about 1.5 inches thick.

[Peter Olivola]

Radiators: I have spent some time going over the VW radiators available from Rock Auto, rockauto.com. If you look for VW Golf or similar smaller cars from 1990 onward, there are a few radiators that might work. The biggest issue is the height and length or as it is listen in Rock Auto the width and the length.

At the dash where the cross over tube is located, there is about 12.5 of height between the side pod bottom and the upper body/top of the frame rail. That does allow about 1/2 inch for the floor of the side pod. The upper frame rails tapper upwards to the roll bar bulkhead and there is close to 15 inches height back at the roll bar.

I do not remember exactly what radiator I used for the Z10 when I did the VW setup. I did not see any radiators listed by Rock Auto for cars built in the late 1970's to mid 1980's. The nice thing about Rock Auto is that most of their radiators list for well under $100.

A more expensive option but almost guaranteed to work is to have C&R Radiators or someone like them build you a pair of custom radiators. If you do that, I would recommend that you build the radiators so they are unhanded and use a 90 degree elbow at the front of the radiator to connect to the cross over tube for the second radiator. If you email me I can send you a drawing for you to send to whom ever you want to make radiators. The length of the cores needs to be 20 inches minimum. I have found that a 22 to 23 inch core is easy to find. The cor only needs to be 2 rows of tubes or about 1.5 inches thick.

The early Rabbit and Scirocco would have been the appropriate radiators at the time the Z10 was in production. There was a change from remote fill to the fill integrated into one of the plastic side tanks that roughly coincided with the recall issue involving the wrong antifreeze causing sufficient corrosion to close off water flow.

[scott fairchild]

Here's what we're running. I think new radiators were about $90/ ea. (Sorry for the fuzzy pictures. The 3rd photo I'm measuring the core width)

[Yapakanichi]

You know I'm just amazed at the engineering someone has gone through with our car. I've seen many Z-10s now and none has what ours has.

It has "framework" for aluminum sidepods. I'm not sure if this is original or not. We've gotten a few ideas here and there about how to replace the radiators, but this framework is in the way most of the time. Also the sidepod floors are not apart of the floor pan itself. They are separate sheets of metal riveted/glued to the sidepod framework.

Photos follow. (sorry for them being so big)