Waking this thread up, as my engine rebuild is in the coach and running! A few more discoveries and adaptations I thought I would note:
Two nicopp 5/16 pre-flared brake lines (part number cn-540 at Advance) per direction of transmission fluid to the cooler worked pretty well. Custom
length would be better, but I have never had success with rented flaring tools, so bought pre-flared. Even with the eight inches difference in height
going into passenger side radiator tank. I bought the $8 Harbor Freight bender and it worked fine.
If you put this radiator in the original frame, you will need an actual ACDelco RC32 radiator cap, as the throat sits lower in the frame and the
widely available caps have ears to help turn it - no clearance. RC32 is round, and i'm going to tack little tabs on top like many gas caps have to
grip.
The overflow nipple is now on the back, and takes a 3/8 rubber hose, I believe a little bigger and longer than OEM
I ended up putting my four inch PVC brake booster vacuum reservoir in the open space at the bottom of the radiator frame. If not for the extra
thickness of the end caps, the four inches would be a perfect fit. RX7 oil cooler will end up in front frame section. Oil cooler is not hooked up yet,
as ambient temp isn't above 75 now and I can iron out those connections later.
The Dorman 926-276 rubber mounts worked in my new square bottom shelf, and I used OEM rounded radiator rubber mounts against the original frame top.
No road test yet, but coolant temp gauge movement seems thermostat driven - an appropriate cycling from 3/8 to 1/2 with Napa sender and 195
thermostat. Hoping to settle that with better thermostat.
As a clarifying reminder, this experiment is putting in a readily available radiator that can be had for $131 (at Advance after coupon). It does
requre an oil cooler solution (external or temporarily go without). The title of $225 included a new external oil cooler purchase. In theory, you just
need a shelf at bottom of frame of some sort four inches up to hold new radiator. The whole project has been more fiddly than I expected, but nothing
new there.
--
1975 Glenbrook, 1978 Royale rear bath
Raleigh, NC
Two nicopp 5/16 pre-flared brake lines (part number cn-540 at Advance) per direction of transmission fluid to the cooler worked pretty well. Custom
length would be better, but I have never had success with rented flaring tools, so bought pre-flared. Even with the eight inches difference in height
going into passenger side radiator tank. I bought the $8 Harbor Freight bender and it worked fine.
If you put this radiator in the original frame, you will need an actual ACDelco RC32 radiator cap, as the throat sits lower in the frame and the
widely available caps have ears to help turn it - no clearance. RC32 is round, and i'm going to tack little tabs on top like many gas caps have to
grip.
The overflow nipple is now on the back, and takes a 3/8 rubber hose, I believe a little bigger and longer than OEM
I ended up putting my four inch PVC brake booster vacuum reservoir in the open space at the bottom of the radiator frame. If not for the extra
thickness of the end caps, the four inches would be a perfect fit. RX7 oil cooler will end up in front frame section. Oil cooler is not hooked up yet,
as ambient temp isn't above 75 now and I can iron out those connections later.
The Dorman 926-276 rubber mounts worked in my new square bottom shelf, and I used OEM rounded radiator rubber mounts against the original frame top.
No road test yet, but coolant temp gauge movement seems thermostat driven - an appropriate cycling from 3/8 to 1/2 with Napa sender and 195
thermostat. Hoping to settle that with better thermostat.
As a clarifying reminder, this experiment is putting in a readily available radiator that can be had for $131 (at Advance after coupon). It does
requre an oil cooler solution (external or temporarily go without). The title of $225 included a new external oil cooler purchase. In theory, you just
need a shelf at bottom of frame of some sort four inches up to hold new radiator. The whole project has been more fiddly than I expected, but nothing
new there.
--
1975 Glenbrook, 1978 Royale rear bath
Raleigh, NC
