Dodger Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 I have seen small aluminum racing radiators on a few road race cars this past weekend at a meet and was wondering if anyone is running a low capacity radiator on a Z. I have an L28 and am going to be putting Webers or Mikunis on it soon and was looking to get a new radiator but those little ones got me thinking it might be a way to remove some overhang weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Use the stock copper and you'll never overheat. Use a thin aluminum one and watch the problems come up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 What racers run for cooling is generally not appropriate for a street car because race cars rarely idle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skirkland1980 Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Note that a thicker radiator needs a lot more airflow than a stock/thinner radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodger Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 Thats interesting. I live in Texas and my stock on blew out in the summer in stand still traffic once so I got a 3 core aluminum radiator in my daily S2000 and after I installed it I have never had an issue overheating. Have many people had issues after installing a mutli core aluminum one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger280zx Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Proper ducting air to and fro a heat exchanger will have a huge impact on the efficiency of the core. No matter the material of said core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skirkland1980 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Yes I learned that the hard way. I just couldn't get enough airflow through my 3" thick griffin radiator on my 85 camaro. I was using a single 16" electric fan. It's just a problem you may or may not encounter when using a thicker radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger280zx Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 The problem is with air going around the rad, instead of through it. I've seen a 5" intercooler in front of a 4" rad and NO cooling issues making more power than most guys here would consider sane. If everything is sealed properly and the air has no where to go but thru, it will go thru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skirkland1980 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Good point. I wish I had internet back then. I was very young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodger Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 Thanks for the replies guys. I was planning on, basically, making a funnel from the front valance into the radiator so that all the air which interred the grill area is directed through the rad. I have found quite a few small units which are very affordable and figured as long as it is duct well and has a nice fan (i.e, not Orielly's or eBay no name units) it should still cool the L28 even after the Weber or Mikuni carbs go in. Am I completely off base here or does that sound reasonable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlejester Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Give us an idea on how small you are thinking? Ducting and shrouds are a good idea no matter what radiator you run. Too small of a radiator could pose problems with the coolant not having enough time in the radiator to cool down before passing through. An idea of what you are looking at will help paint a nicer picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodger Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 Well there are multiple out there, but just for an idea there is a 2 core aluminum unit that the core measures 14" x 13.5" x 2" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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