Coolant expansion tank...

[Bassfiend]

Hi Guys, Can someone help me with a photo of how the coolant system expansion tank is mounted on the later Chimaera?

I'm ordering the radiator cowlings and the fans from the later car and that means that I'll have to move the expansion tank from its location on the front upper crossmember as the motors for the fans will be further back - I *THINK* the later cars have them mounted on the inside of the offside inner wing...

Cheers

Phil

[GasMunkey]

If you look really carefully you can see the brass lugs fibreglassed over, if you have patience you could remove the fibreglass that's over it and use the side mounts of the inner wing

[Quietlybonkers]

Mine's a 99 (flake sticks out of the top when the roof's off). I will take you a photo when I get the cover off, though Alex s doubtless right

[Quietlybonkers]

Are these any good? (to be viewed whilst lying on the sofa after boxing day lunch.....)

[Sardonicus]

Rivnuts are your friend for the fibreglass with a little bit of ali angled bracket and a few stainless fastners always thought the stock location on the earlier cars was daft anyways

[Quietlybonkers]

I live and learn. Never heard of rivnuts before, and nor has the iPad spell checker. I will have to get some or my life will be forever incomplete.......still have 975 rivets left in my Halfords big boys' rivet set after riveting my new rubbers in place a couple of weeks ago.

[Bassfiend]

Quietlybonkers said:

Are these any good? (to be viewed whilst lying on the sofa after boxing day lunch.....)

Perfect! My expansion tank has the wrong mounting bracket on it for bolting to the inner wing (it has a horizontal plate that bolts to the top of the crossmember) but I can modify that.

Those photos show the later cowls beautifully which I think will make quite a difference to my cooling, reducing overcooling when in motion and aiding cooling when stationary and the fans are running as then the entire area of the radiator is being used...

Cheers

Phil

[Bassfiend]

Sardonicus said:

Rivnuts are your friend for the fibreglass with a little bit of ali angled bracket and a few stainless fastners always thought the stock location on the earlier cars was daft anyways

...and that sounds like the perfect answer!

Yes, heard of Rivnuts a while ago and thought about buying myself a kit ... could be the perfect "excuse"...

Sardonicus said:

Ahha - I see you have your fans like mine, just pressed up against the matrix and held there by a couple of aluminium plates - I reckon that's a really inefficient way to do it and that's why TVR changed it for the cowlings.

I am looking to order up a couple of "Tuscan" fans as well which flow about twice as much air each as the original ones do as well (although mine are running and seem to be running at speed they don't seem to actually pull that much air through if you put your hand behind them when they're running) ... the only downside is they're quite a bit thicker and I think that the offside one might clash motor housings with the hose from the lower radiator outlet where it turns vertical to come up and over the crossmember.

[GasMunkey]

The ribnut's are already there, you just need to pick away at the fibreglass and use them

[Bassfiend]

GasMunkey said:

The ribnut's are already there, you just need to pick away at the fibreglass and use them

Really? Even on the older cars? Bloody hell!

[GasMunkey]

Mine were that's a 95? or 96? I cant even remember

[Bassfiend]

That'll be handy if they do ...

I need to do a little bracket for the air temperature sensor tube to bolt it to the old AFM mounting location at some point too!

[Sardonicus]

Bassfiend said:

That'll be handy if they do ...

I need to do a little bracket for the air temperature sensor tube to bolt it to the old AFM mounting location at some point too!

Silkaflex it into the rubber hose much less prone to heat soak as when mounted in ali or stainless IMO personally I have never had any issues with my fans shifting air but then again I have the higher capacity core fitted pre purchase I also use a 74 degree stat with the lower temp otter switch as it brings the motor nearer the optimum temps for performance as I am a fair/warm weather user only

[Quietlybonkers]

Then you missed a trick ....... today was a perfect day for a 50 mile, top off, blast around West Norfolk. Took the car roof off too.......

[Discopotatoes]

GasMunkey said:

The ribnut's are already there, you just need to pick away at the fibreglass and use them

+1 mines a 95 and I have fixings in the wing, they are not rivnuts but brass nuts that are glassed in, the same as the body mounting points and Afm mount and bonnet hinge points ect, however the original expansion location mounts are riv nuts.

[Bassfiend]

Discopotatoes said:

... however the original expansion location mounts are riv nuts.

Mine twisted out the first time I had to undo the expansion tank to replace the rad...

[Discopotatoes]

Bassfiend said:

Discopotatoes said:

... however the original expansion location mounts are riv nuts.

Mine twisted out the first time I had to undo the expansion tank to replace the rad...

Mine too, I had one replace to use as an earth point for my fans

[Bassfiend]

Discopotatoes said:

Mine too, I had one replace to use as an earth point for my fans

Where *ARE* the earth points at the front of the chim? I want to check the earth that is used for the fans and lights whilst I'm delving around in there ... I'm assuming that they just use the bolt that fixes the bodywork to the front of the bottom chassis rail?

Phil

[GasMunkey]

Yup

[Bassfiend]

GasMunkey said:

Yup

Ta!