Rear mounted radiators...how come?

Lately I've seen several new builds in magazines and on the HAMB, mostly heavily-slammed Model A's and such, with the radiator located in the back. Seems like a dumb-ass idea to me, and it's not really traditional either.
Rear-mounted rads are out of the airstream, plus they add complexity, requiring the routing of longer water hoses, and you can't use the engine's mechanical fan, etc.
So, other than the "just to be different" factor, why do it? Am I missing something?

 

more room...the desire to show the motor...shock value...

not traditional, for sure..doesn't seem very driver freindly either to me...why would ya want to turn the inside into an oven?????????

 

Hey why make it simple when you can complicate the hell out of it?

 

Yes, you are. Several things. First off is saying it's a "dumb ass" idea. Pull your head out of your ass, and you might see it's a practical solution to a common problem. As in, a model A size radiator can't cool a big inch engine. I have a 472 in my '36, and the Mustang 3 row was not capable of keeping it cool. I added a rear radiator from a Dodge Neon tucked up over the rear axle under the floor. It works very well, was reasonably inexpensive, and not complex by any means. No big deal.

Second, it's directly in the airstream, as there's high pressure air under the floor. If you don't believe that, cut a hole in the floor between your feet, and see what happens.

Third, who, besides you, cares if it's "traditional" or not? If a car that overheats in traffic or on a hot day is traditional, and a builder isn't allowed to think outside the box to solve a problem just to satisfy your ideas and what you like, seems like it's your problem.

Don't call me a "dumb ass". It pisses me off.

 

puking coolant is traditional.

 

Thanks Brian...X2

 

There's a good way to start a thread - insult a few people because you don't understand something.

 

Radiators, coolant hoses and mechanical fans are ugly. nothing like seeing a gorgeous motor through the grille

 

I had a car with a rear mounted radiator.
It was a Fiat 850 Spyder.
Oh yea, the engine was back there too!

"They" do it so the car looks like a "drag car" with no radiator.
Neighbor across the street runs a Alcohol FED "air cooled" 350 Chevy. it doesn't even have any freeze plugs in the block, hence "air cooled."

It was mounted in the fender well and I think it sucked air in the lid and blew it out the fender well, sorta like the Morris Mini and real Mini Coopers did but they blew the air out the front fender well.
I saw a '41-46 Chevy pickup at the Goodguys Nostalgia Drags in NLV in 2001 that had an extra radiator in the left fender inner panel, plumbed in in line with the regular one.

You just have to put it in a sealed off area that definitely has low pressure on one side and high pressure on the other as it's going down the road.
This may take some investigating with air pressure tests in various areas.
You may find that if you put the radiator in the tail gate of a truck, for instance, that the air flow goes in from the rear instead of out, depending on the way it travels around, or maybe not.
Or go with the "FixItAgainTony" idea of sucking the air in from where ever, maybe from under neath would work best, and blowing it out the fender well area, maybe with two smaller radiators, on e in each side.

 

Flynbrian48,
Lots of hot rods have big engines and cooling solutions often have been found using a front-mounted radiator. I assumed that rear mounted rads were just another rat-rod or fadish thing. You've given me a rational reason for why one might choose to do it, and if it works for you, I wouldn't knock it.
Secondly, the HAMB is a website for traditional hot rods so I'm not the only one here who cares about tradition. And, like you, I'm capable of thinking outside the box, and don't believe in being a slave to tradition. (My Tudor has disk brakes and radials.)
Maybe I came across wrong, but don't take it personally, Dude. I didn't mean to be insulting and I did not call you a dumbass. Sorry if you took it that way.
So, putting aside the 'tude expressed in your reply, thank you for answering my question. Sounds like a rear-mounted rad can be a reasonable but un-traditional alternative solution to a problem. Nothing wrong with that. Lot's of ways to skin a cat. I just usually like to keep things simple.

 

Because hardcore strip-only dragsters generally don't run radiators, if they even run water at all. If you're really pushing the envelope there's no room for water due to all the block filler required to hold it together thru the traps.

Lotta people want to emulate that look on a street car

 

I think it looks awesome.

 

I agree with flynbrian48. And a couple of other things, when designing a car to acheive a certain look, sometimes the radiator just doesn't fit in. A rear mount radiator opens up a whole new chapter in the design. Also as Brian so aptly mentioned, it's a pretty good place for a radiator. If done correctly you can tap in to high pressure air and all the heat is behind you, not in front. Traditional or not traditional all depends on your interpretation. To say that cars built in the past never had a rear mounted is a large statement. Maybe a better term might be that rear mounted radiators aren't mainstream, but how many of you have considered a solution to overheating like flynbrian48 used? I know I have. Jay Leno's 8 liter Bentley speedster has 3 radiators, only one is mounted in front of the engine. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

fynbrian48, care to fill me in on the routing, pluming & pump design? Or how are you getting it to flow.............. back and forth? Thanks

 

flynbrian48 I'd also be interested is seeing some specs, drawings, tech info, whatever you might be willing to share on this topic. I've thought of this before but don't know enough about setting up a cooling system to pull it off myself. Copying a functional system is more in line with my technical skills.

 

If you plumbed a water pipe (like though to frame) all the way around the car would you really need a radiator? Wouldn't the water be cool enough when it made itall the way around? Just a DumbAss question.

 

I ran a rear radiator on a circle track car. The reasons were loss of front weight and add rear weight. I ran both coolent lines on the drivers side more left hand weight we turn left.The biggest reason was the aero gain you would be surprised at the speed gain from channeling the air. Bonniville cars have had rear radiator before WW II. So its tradiational. Look at old drag coupes/sedans lots of them had blocked off grills. I only ran this one night and then it was made ililegal and had to go to front radiaror as all the compition complained. I also had a 57 Jaguar XK 140 that I added a coolent capacity by routing the heater lines from the front to the rear and back of the car. I used copper tubing 3/4 inch with rubber connections and no aluxilary radiator and picked up a little over 2 qts coolent capacty..

 

Eventually the whole thing would reach normal operating temperature, and for a brief moment, before it overheated, your engine would finally be running efficiently.

Engines work most efficiently when kept at a steady "normal" temperature, or as close to it as possible. Anything that causes it to get away from that temperature, above or below, on a regular basis, is a bad idea.

 

My attitude came directly from the blanket statement that it's "dumb ass" without considering there might be several very good reasons, to put a radiator at the rear of a car. Aesthetics, weight, style, practicality just to name a few. We can argue "tradition" all day long, everyone has their own view of history and tradition, but to dismiss something because it's not "traditional" is pointless as well. It's insulting to have someone tell me I'm doing a "dumbass" thing to solve a a preplexing and aggravating problem in a simple and practical way.

As far as how I did mine, the radiators are simply plumbed in series, using 1 1/4" copper, and flex hoses in and out of each radiator. The problem in my cars case is a very short, sectioned '36 grill shell, and an engine that holds more coolant than the radiator. I had just enough room between the frame rails, and over the rear axle to hang the Neon radiator, with bump stops over the axle to ensure that it (the radiator) wasn't the bump stop.

Brian

 

a very good way of thinking out of the box...thinking out of the box has always been traditional in my book.
but i'm just a nobody that builds what he wants
because that's the way i've always been.

 

Or ugly electric fans... also may help keep engine cooler without the hot air coming through the radiator and running over the engine.

On an open wheeled car or truck, without the hood, the engine becomes air cooled as it passes over it unobstructed.

 

An elegant and well executed, simple solution is always a good idea in my book, and true hot rodding. Nice work Brian.

 

i've always suspected gimpy of reading a thesaurus from front to back...he speaks so eloquently!!
i like his answers!!

 

Something like that. I used to be married to a Phd. English professor. Deficiencies in grammar, sentence structure and spelling were simply not tolerated.

 

that explains it all. ptsd from english!!

 

I never thought about it like that before, but I suppose you are right. Did I mention my mother was one too? You have no idea what I been through man!

 

omg..i never knew. i will go easy on you man! take care and get into a group or something..it's ok to leave out punctuation sometimes.

 

Solve problems is traditional to me,
my engine a 454 smallblock
need a big radiator whit big fans and the only way was to put it in the trunk . Have no cooling problem and the front looks cool whit out
the radiator