Discussion
Ok what do I need / want....
spangly new alloy rad....BUT read reports of them being to ridged and cracking... also I run a singular fan, and they all sem to have cowels for two fans
or just get my old one recorded at a fraction of the cost, and possibly get it upgraded for better cooling
... what is the benfit of an ally rad ????
spangly new alloy rad....BUT read reports of them being to ridged and cracking... also I run a singular fan, and they all sem to have cowels for two fans
or just get my old one recorded at a fraction of the cost, and possibly get it upgraded for better cooling
... what is the benfit of an ally rad ????
ive ordered an ali rad from aaron rads. not here yet, due this week, but at 240 plus vat the cost was ok. i will post some pics when it arrives if it helps.
main advantage is the weight, but lots of the cobra replica folk use them, as have i, and ive never had an issue. they are softer if impacted with stones, and more likely to hole than standard
main advantage is the weight, but lots of the cobra replica folk use them, as have i, and ive never had an issue. they are softer if impacted with stones, and more likely to hole than standard
Steve,
I'd go recore personally but get the upgraded core (I think its 4 core as opposed to original 3). On the 500 I asked if he could strengthen the joint to the header as this is a weak point. Was about £160 all in about 4 years ago. Had an ally one previously that lasted less than 2 years.
FFG
I'd go recore personally but get the upgraded core (I think its 4 core as opposed to original 3). On the 500 I asked if he could strengthen the joint to the header as this is a weak point. Was about £160 all in about 4 years ago. Had an ally one previously that lasted less than 2 years.
FFG
I also went with an upgraded re core. I also got them to move the inlet and outlet pipes about an inch more towards the centre of the rad. Only a slight move but makes the fitting of the air intake a lot easier and also on the outlet moves the rubber/silicone pipework away from the anti roll bar mount bracket. Mine always dug into the bracket slightly.
Hey Hoover hope all's good.
I've had an ali rad on the precat for 10+ years & it's been 100% reliable over the last 42000 miles.
It was made at a specialist race manufacturer in Silverstone called Docking Engineering.
http://www.dockingengineering.com
I'm using 2 X uncowled Spal fans (Racetech sell them part number TVR K0072) that are mounted top & bottom onto the rad then sealed to the core with sponge tape.
Seems to solve all the precat cooling issues.
Hope that helps.
I've had an ali rad on the precat for 10+ years & it's been 100% reliable over the last 42000 miles.
It was made at a specialist race manufacturer in Silverstone called Docking Engineering.
http://www.dockingengineering.com
I'm using 2 X uncowled Spal fans (Racetech sell them part number TVR K0072) that are mounted top & bottom onto the rad then sealed to the core with sponge tape.
Seems to solve all the precat cooling issues.
Hope that helps.
carsy said:
I also went with an upgraded re core. I also got them to move the inlet and outlet pipes about an inch more towards the centre of the rad. Only a slight move but makes the fitting of the air intake a lot easier and also on the outlet moves the rubber/silicone pipework away from the anti roll bar mount bracket. Mine always dug into the bracket slightly.
I've intended to do this before as I can't get the solid ACT induction pipe in mine.. but last time the rad was out, they said it would be very hard to do???.. I was actualy thinking of swaping over the top inlet and fan switch hole (1999 car so I have both) and thought it would be simple.. do you have any pics of this.. .I've since bought a small flame soldering iron and was going to try myself at some point. 
Edited by TVR Beaver on Wednesday 29th August 12:15
well certainly a mixed bunch of opinions there....
will take out old rad, and pop it over to local rad place in Hertford and see what they think about recoring/upgrading it......
basis for choice:-
1) Never had an issue with over heating related to radiator (otter switch and thermostat failures)
2) Original one has lasted 20 years ... so are good and strong
3) As very early Griff, have found some after market bits don't fit and have required major adaption, so if using mine I'll know it should fit back relatively easily.
4) Cost.... albeit some of the quoted prices above do look attractive for the ally ones...but the reasons above out weigh nice new spangly for me.
Cheers for input/opinions etc.... nice togather them all together
will take out old rad, and pop it over to local rad place in Hertford and see what they think about recoring/upgrading it......
basis for choice:-
1) Never had an issue with over heating related to radiator (otter switch and thermostat failures)
2) Original one has lasted 20 years ... so are good and strong
3) As very early Griff, have found some after market bits don't fit and have required major adaption, so if using mine I'll know it should fit back relatively easily.
4) Cost.... albeit some of the quoted prices above do look attractive for the ally ones...but the reasons above out weigh nice new spangly for me.
Cheers for input/opinions etc.... nice togather them all together
Another vote for a re-cored original rad here.
I fitted different (bigger) fans to my Griff and made my own cowl which was easy enough to do with a sheet of ali; the rad already has convenient fixing points for it along the top and bottom edges.
A fan will work better if not actually sat on the core; a cowl lets you hold the fan away from the surface (and with no cowl there it will just recirculate air and not draw it through the radiator).
The cowl will improve cooling at low vehicle speeds with the fan on (as it means the fan draws air through the whole area of the radiator), but will probably actually reduce cooling at high vehicle speeds when the fan becomes over-blown. Therefore it's worth having a think about what concerns you most.
If the answer is nothing, then just keep it simple and get it back on the road as soon as you can for as little money as possible!
If you're looking to improve capability, my vote would be to re-core the standard rad and fit a 2nd cooling fan which will help massively whether you opt for a cowl or not.
I fitted different (bigger) fans to my Griff and made my own cowl which was easy enough to do with a sheet of ali; the rad already has convenient fixing points for it along the top and bottom edges.
A fan will work better if not actually sat on the core; a cowl lets you hold the fan away from the surface (and with no cowl there it will just recirculate air and not draw it through the radiator).
The cowl will improve cooling at low vehicle speeds with the fan on (as it means the fan draws air through the whole area of the radiator), but will probably actually reduce cooling at high vehicle speeds when the fan becomes over-blown. Therefore it's worth having a think about what concerns you most.
If the answer is nothing, then just keep it simple and get it back on the road as soon as you can for as little money as possible!
If you're looking to improve capability, my vote would be to re-core the standard rad and fit a 2nd cooling fan which will help massively whether you opt for a cowl or not.
Got a spare Pre Cat rad Steve if it helps? No problems with it, I was trying to cure over heating which turned out to be a faulty sensor (Doh!) I replaced with an ally rad.
On the being too rigid, it's more that people don't mount them on rubber so when the car flexes the rad acts like a brace.
On the being too rigid, it's more that people don't mount them on rubber so when the car flexes the rad acts like a brace.
I would go for the re-core to.
Had mine done a couple of years ago when it overheated on the ramp at the MOT station.
Had a re-core, fitted a lower temp otter switch and a lower temp stat, I can now hear the fans cut out on the hottest of days sittingin traffic. Also changed to the stainless pipes and the blue hoses.
Had mine done a couple of years ago when it overheated on the ramp at the MOT station.
Had a re-core, fitted a lower temp otter switch and a lower temp stat, I can now hear the fans cut out on the hottest of days sittingin traffic. Also changed to the stainless pipes and the blue hoses.
Hoover. said:
Ok what do I need / want....
spangly new alloy rad....BUT read reports of them being to ridged and cracking... also I run a singular fan, and they all sem to have cowels for two fans
or just get my old one recorded at a fraction of the cost, and possibly get it upgraded for better cooling
... what is the benfit of an ally rad ????
I went for a recore (April this year) (4 core type), new hoses and s/s metal pipes, made up new fan mounting plates. I also made up a set of high density foam pads to go under the mounting plates and along the edge of the rad. Super job, able to flex a tad on the HD foam. Along with a newly made splitter (see my threads May/June time) my cooling is excellent. Fans only come on when dribbling along in heavy traffic, and during that very hot weekend a couple of weeks back she performed and cooled admirably. Go for a recore mate. Rgds, Petespangly new alloy rad....BUT read reports of them being to ridged and cracking... also I run a singular fan, and they all sem to have cowels for two fans
or just get my old one recorded at a fraction of the cost, and possibly get it upgraded for better cooling
... what is the benfit of an ally rad ????
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