[Healeys] alum radiator swap

Sun Jun 2 04:19:15 MDT 2019

Hi Josef,

I agree fully with you that the running gear should be kept in perfect 
condition to avoid problems. Not always the case in the US where 
maintenance has a different meaning than in Europe. Cooling problems can 
arise from a lean mixture or wrong ignition timing to silted up engines 
and radiators due to lack of use of proper coolant. I have seen horribly 
silted up engines and radiators from the US and UK incl. in my own 
Californian car.

If I am correct the thermostat opening temperature on the A-H´s is 
either 72°C or 76°C (US spec) which is more or less average. You could 
easily go up to 86°C with a 10psi radiator cap and proper hoses, 
preferably reinforced PU. A good high efficiency radiator core should 
not hinder coolant flow and it even would offer less resistance to flow. 
However there will generally be a slight increase in airflow resistance. 
Some inferior designs may hinder the airflow through the core 
considerably. Go to a proper radiator expert restorer and do not always 
trust the guy around the corner offering a cheap service. He may be an 
expert in soldering but does not always understand the workings of a 
cooling system.

I am afraid I am in no position in the Netherlands to avoid heavy 
traffic, even in relaxed classic car events, so I stick with an improved 
radiator core, 86°C opening thermostat and a properly set up 
thermostatically controlled fan (98°C in, 92°C out), fixed fan removed. 
Only let me down once when the fuse blew in the middle of a hold up 
during an event.

I also use my car a fair bit except when there is salt on the roads.

Kees Oudesluijs

Op 2-6-2019 om 11:25 schreef josef-eckert at t-online.de:
>
> Kees,
>
> The running temperature of an Austin-Healey 100, 100/6 and 3000 engine 
> is already relatively high. There is no need to increase it. But you 
> need to have engine and radiator in as good as closely to new 
> condition. That means no crude in the water channels of the engine or 
> radiator. Some high effeciancy core radiators are also 
> counterproductive, as they hinder the flush of the water through the 
> radiator.
>
> My experiance of 40 years with Austin-Healeys and others like MG As, 
> Triumph TR2-3as, etc. are to kkeep everything to factory spec and the 
> car runs absolutely fine in normal traffic. Personally I avoid 
> motorways with high traffic and always congestions and driving through 
> big cities like Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart, Amsterdam, etc. from 
> traffic light to traffic light. But those big cities I even avoid to 
> go in with my modern car as its a nightmare meanwhile.
>
> I better use public transport for going in when I need to go.
>
> Josef Eckert
>
> -----Original-Nachricht-----
>
> Betreff: Re: [Healeys] alum radiator swap
>
> Datum: 2019-06-02T10:21:09+0200
>
> Von: "Kees Oudesluijs" <coudesluijs at chello.nl>
>
> An: "healeys at autox.team.net" <healeys at autox.team.net>
>
> Yes and no.
>
> An old car should be fit for any normal drive, be it regularly or 
> occasionally, at leisure or in modern heavy traffic. This means that 
> many classic cars will need some assistance with the cooling, i.e. an 
> electric fan, either manually or thermostatically controlled.
>
> An aluminium radiator is indeed a gimmick and does not add anything at 
> all. It will probably wear out faster due to corrosion. It is just 
> cheap to manufacture and does not improve the cooling efficiency.
>
> What improves cooling efficiency is increasing the running temperature 
> of the engine by fitting a hotter thermostat thus creating a larger 
> delta T, fitting a more efficient water pump to increase the coolant 
> flow, enlarging the total surface area of the radiator, i.e. more rows 
> (up to a point), larger matrix or increase the air flow through the 
> radiator, i.e. improved cowling, more blades to the fixed fan, higher 
> engine idling speed but most of all a thermostatically controlled fan 
> in combination with a carefully chosen thermostat and thermoswitch.
>
> Kees Oudesluijs
>
> Op 2-6-2019 om 08:53 schreef josef-eckert at t-online.de:
>
>     When you use genuine parts to replace faulty ones and when you
>     keep the car propperly maintained  and when you use the old car
>     only occasionally for fun drives just to enjoy driving it, there
>     is no problem with an old car.
>
>     PS: Aluminium radiator is something nobody needs in a classic car
>     as it improves nothing. Just a useless gimmick.
>
>     Josef Eckert
>
>     Königswinter/Germany
>
>     -----Original-Nachricht-----
>
>     Betreff: [Healeys] alum radiator swap
>
>     Datum: 2019-06-02T00:21:42+0200
>
>     Von: "i erbs" <eyera3000 at gmail.com>
>
>     An: "Ahealey help" <healeys at autox.team.net>
>
>     Aluminum radiator swap update:
>     Got my old oem unit out. Removed my nice newish metal flex fan.
>     spliced wires onto the electric fan for easy connect/disconnect
>     and then went to double-check the new radiator will work after and
>     initial trial fit. What I found: OEM radiator is 1/2" wider and
>     the aluminum radiator does not have tapped holes, so nuts will be
>     needed to attach to my car. I am outside of the return window.
>     So it looks like I will be getting my OEM Radiator flow tested and
>     tanked.
>     Will reinstall my flex fan
>     refill with coolant/water
>     have installed a new sleeved thermostat to replace the non-sleeved
>     unit.
>     I can make some shims for the new radiator, but cutting threads in
>     the holes will most likely result in the holes being to big for
>     the bolts.
>     Fun with old cars
>     Registered for a car show on June 8th....
>     Ira Erbs
>     Portland,OR
>     _______  _______
>     (______ \____1959 BN4____/ _______)
>     (_________________________)
>               BT7 engine and disk brakes
>     1967 MGB MG
>     A racing car is an animal with a thousand adjustments. Mario Andretti
>     Please excuse random auto corrects and misspelled words
>
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