[Healeys] alum radiator swap

Sun Jun 2 06:10:24 MDT 2019

Hi Kees,
You cannot compare your Jensen Healey cooling system with the one from an 
Austin-Healey. The design of the water pumps on the Austin-Healey allows 
you 4 (AH100) or 7psi (AH 6cylinders) . Opening of thermostat is 74° C or 
82°C, which make a small difference in hot temperatures in Summer. The 
Austin-Healey engines tend to heat up very much in hill up driving. You 
really can see the needle going up to over 95° C, but when going down or 
even surface it cools down to opening temperature of the thermostat. With 
the 74° you have a better buffer/distance to the boiling point for the next 
hill up or traffic light to traffic light in cities.

Josef Eckert

-----Original-Nachricht-----
Betreff: Re: AW: [Healeys] alum radiator swap
Datum: 2019-06-02T12:19:27+0200
Von: "Kees Oudesluijs" <coudesluijs at chello.nl>
An: "josef-eckert at t-online.de" <josef-eckert at t-online.de>, "Healey, Forum" 
<healeys at autox.team.net>

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
<mailto: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>
    <mailto:coudesluijs at chello.nl>
    An: "healeys at autox.team.net" <mailto:healeys at autox.team.net> 
    <healeys at autox.team.net> <mailto: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
    <mailto: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> <mailto:eyera3000 at gmail.com>
        An: "Ahealey help" <healeys at autox.team.net>
        <mailto: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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