looking for ideas. post up pictures of your smaller than stock, lightweight radiator and fan setups! please also include details about the rest of the cooling system, and if you are using alcohol or not.

 

Alky, Honda Civic radiator, 10" electric fan
-20 Radiator hose top and bottom
Moroso fill neck and no thermostat or restrictor.

 

I like that clean removable setup. Do you have any pictures showing the underside? Interested in seeing the framework. I see it's pushed more forward than my own setup. Do you have the protective tube framework for the fuel cell?

Wish I had that much room between the engine and rad. With a belt driven fuel pump, alternator and vacuum pump as well as the electric water pump, space is very limited. I may have to put a forward relocation project on my todo list.

Rad and fan from Pontiac Firefly/Chevy Sprint/Geo Metro etc although I bought the rad new so there's no street use on it. Designed to cool a 1L, 3 cylinder engine 4 gallon fuel cell full of alcohol. On the driver side of the fuel cell is a rad overflow container from I think a Volvo. I gutted the cap so the overflow cap doesn't hold any pressure. Cap on the rad does that. In front of the rad is a puke tank (with filter) for the vacuum pump and a small 1 quart fuel cell (red cap) full of gasoline for the engine primer when the engine is cold. Injected alcohol doesn't build enough belt driven fuel pressure to start a cold engine. The alternator is mounted backwards because it was the only way to make it fit. It doesn't care which way it spins. There is no room beside the block to mount it. Belt driven fuel pump on one side and steering box in the way on the other. Bottom of the picture mounted on a roll bar tube from the top of the strut tower to the front of the frame is a 3 quart oil accumulator.

Space is very limited under my hood and the BBC with a tunnel ram takes up a huge part of it.

 

1.25x.120 wall tubing in front of the cell.

I will try and get some pics of the framework it may be a few days as we are busy around the office getting ready to head out for PRI.

 

i spent a little time searching around on fleabay last night. i found some 2 row aluminum versions of that radiator KWIK84 posted for about $50 shipped. i'm gonna pull the trigger on this i have a few other updates this winter so it'll probably be towards the end of the winter that i do. i am gonna try to commit to an electric water pump too.

 

One nice thing about running alcohol. You're dumping so much fuel into the engine that the intake manifold is usually cold. Since the engine has a hard time making heat, a large rad isn't required. I normally don't even turn my fan on until I turn off the track. Even then, the engine is under 150* by the time I'm back to the pits.

If you're running gasoline, a full size rad is still recommended unless you're being pushed through the pits, make a pass then get towed back to the pits. Then a small rad with gasoline should work fine.

 

i won't be pushed through the pits, but have known of some ls-x swaps in cars that had much smaller radiators that didn't have a problem staying cool even on the street. for example, miatas and mid 80's bmw 318's and such. both used very small radiators only meant for 4 cylinder engines, yet they were sufficient to keep the 5.3's that were swapped in them cool. the ls-x engine cooling is extremely efficient. i can do this for under $75 i believe, which i think will be worth trying it out. i'll keep you guys posted.

additionally, i won't be tossing the factory radiator, as i plan to hold onto it for extended cruising and such.

yes...i'm a gluten for work

 

not sure on the dimensions, but the ford taurus fans were a 2 speed that move massive amounts of air...i think they would be great for cooling when the car is not moving.

might be worth looking in to. i'm probably going to mount one of these in a custom shroud on my pickup when i pull the clutch fan.

 

yeah they work great but they're BIG and HEAVY.