I have an aluminum radiator from Howe Racing. The vericle space it's in now is barely big enough. How many degrees can I safely tilt it back to gain some cleaence? Thank you once again to those smarter than myself.
you could lay it flat if the filler was extended and you had ample airflow.. think about it your not gonna loose that much coolant but it will be hard to fill if its too far back and you need airflow thru it..' Dave
I'm not sure of the exact angle, but if it goes back past about 10-12 degrees the air gets trapped in the veins and creats enough pressure that the oncoming air passes over the outside of the veins instead of going through them. I learned that from a friend who is an engineer and a Cup Car builder. If the air isn't going through the veins it isn't cooling. Hope this helps. Michael
You can lay it flat if you want. As far as the airpockets from the previous post, Get a flush kit from your local NAPA and flush all the air out then put a remote filler in the hose if need be. The angle isn't the issue it is substantial airflow and will it be enough
I think he's talking about air acutally passing in between them. externally. I can see what he means.
But the angle is the issue. An in correct angle can stop the airflow. I'm not saying any angle other than a 90 degree angle is incorrect, but there is an area that the flow will stop until it passes that angle range, then the air will start to flow again. Scratch Built asked what angle, not if he could lay it down.
Just make sure that the flush kit (I'm guessing thats what you guys call the air bleeder) is at the highest point of the cooling system. When you fill it up open the bleeder and let the car run topping up the water until you only get a continual stream of water coming out. It helps if the filler is as high in the system as possible too. Either that or run a surge tank. Put whatever you do in the top radiator hose and make sure its above the head height. As for airflow through the core, a simple sheet aluminium chute will solve that. Or if you are willing thermo fans with an auto and manual on off. Doc.
Edit, As for air passage at any angle If the radiator itself is hanging in the open the air can spill over the sides of it. Making a simple air chute (Shroud) on the front forces the air to pass through the core at all times without spilling over the sides. Now you have cooling flow. If you realy want to you can make small flaps to direct the air at the righ angle accross the core, like a set of cupboard louvers. Depends on how clean you need the set up to be.
Bob East runs rads horizontal in his Beast Midgets. Part of the trick is in ducting the intake air properly, and slowing the air down before it goes through the rad. Big pulling fans would help on the street.
Something to keep in mind,make sure the cap of your radiator is higher than the thermostat housing/top hose kneck on intake manifold.
I've also seen rads mounted length wise, parallel with the frame rails. Sammy Swindell did this on his WOO Sprint Car, and some of the Big Block Modified guys have done this at Syracuse. We ran the radiator on about a 45 degree angle to the direction of travel,when we ran Can-Am back in the mid '80s. With a big NACA duct inlet,and proper ducting,the car never over heated.Didn't even have a fan. Carrol Smith explains radiator ducting in one of his books.
I appreciate all the advise. All I did know for sure was to have the filler neck as the highest point because water seeks its own level. I really only need to tilt it back about 10 to 15 degrees so I think from what I've read I'll be okay. I read some of the works that discussed ducting, but will stay away from that unless I absolutely need to. Once again I can't thank people enough for being smarter than me and willing to help me out.
Ha, don't you hate it when someone asks a question Guy asked the other night .. "how thick are spacers for Mopar "b" engines to make a intake from a 440 "RB"fit I answer .500 .. next guy says 1/2 inch per side next guy says , intakes are inch wider ..
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