Tilting radiator

[Domzs]

No turbo, NA V8. Doing a radiator exhaust out the hood, and laying the rad down helps with that. Also have the cage tied into the front struts, so don't need the structure there for strength.

Gotcha .

[Tony D]

Radiator cap opening will be the same either place: it's pressure-based relief, not temperature.

 

But on the cold side it would be water flooded, unless you put your expansion tank as a bubble up from the cold side hose....which I could see causing problems with venting steam there as it will still displace fluid on the feed side of the pump...potentially cavitating it as bubbles pass into the pump.

 

I forget the device that deaerates fluids before a pump, it's patented but the inventor has put it into the public domain and acts as a design consultant on implementation... Neat device, like a cyclone separator. Amazing deaeration on frothy hot oil, and bubbly moving coolant. Great guy, talked for a couple hours on the phone with him but damned if I remember his name...which is also the name of his device! Argh!

[Phantom]

Jon, my son, DarthZ, has an LS1/T56 240Z and he also is thinking about tipping his radiator forward to lower it.  His reason, however, is to allow him to use the Corvette style intake that runs over the top of the radiator directly to the MAF.  He has a crossflow single row aluminum radiator.  I know he'll really be interested in your progress.

[JMortensen]

As with all of my projects, I wouldn't hold your breath. Right now I'm welding mufflers, then I'm going to test fit the engine and figure out the rest of the exhaust, and then maybe do the trans x-member. When all of that gets done, I'll be back into the rad stuff I think.

[heavy85]

Jon - I may be dense but dont understand what you are trying to do. Isnt the fill through the cap? As stated you want to fill at the high point and the pressure relief needs to be before the rad. Think about it - the pressure is from both expansion AND restriction through the radiaor. The inlet to the water pump will therefore be at a lower pressure and the cap wont work as intended. Plus the mess issues already discussed if it does open. Why not just keep it like normal with a remote, higher fill/cap and put a splice in the upper hose where you can both connect the steam vent and have a bleeder valve? Thats what most including myself seem to do I dont see why lowering the radiator would make a difference? Some engines are a bitch but I've never had any issues at all the air pockets when filling the LS. Just fill and go with no drama.

[JMortensen]

The real idea here is to lay it flatter for aero reasons. More room on top for low pressure to act on the hood and the tunnel for the rad exhaust would be easier I think.

[tube80z]

SCCA XP and SM rules are a little weird.  You can have any hood, which has been taken to mean you can have a duct built into it and it's a hood and legal.  But you cannot duct the radiator.  So the trick is to lay the rad down a bit and have the duct close down on it.

 

For my radiator I welded the filler filler shut and added a dash 4 AN elbow.  This goes to the remote reservoir where I connect the filler and the rest of the steam vents.  This was a ex-NASCAR Roush piece that was $35 on sell in their used parts bin.  It even came with caps and elbows.  

 

Cary

[JMortensen]

I think it's possible to do a rad exhaust duct with the rad in the standard orientation and still hit the letter of the rules. I've got a couple things all converging though. I have tow hook mounts, the rad duct, splitter mounts, splitter, air dam and front end all coming together and I think since I essentially have to redo it all, I'd like to try and improve it if I can. I think laying the rad down allows more vacuum to get to the top side of the rad duct underside of the hood area as discussed here: http://www.circletrack.com/techarticles/0304_aerodynamics_tech_definitions/ and it makes the rad duct easier to make.

 

My rad has a 1/8" NPT fitting, so I was thinking of getting the AN-4 adapter and then putting a really heavy rad cap on it. Welding it shut works too, but I'd have to have that done.