Jim Kelly's V8 re-conversion Options

[jimkelly]

thanks - i comprehend it now. and a big thanks to you, bigkat, for figuring out and sharing, that this radiator is a good option for our 914 cars (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

The larger hose is the suction side of the radiator (return to water pump)the high pressure is the one that comes from the thermostat on your SBC. arrow above goes to the high pressure side

[jimkelly]

hoses connected. fans are manual ON until i get a sensor installed. ran car for about 10 mins, letting it cool down, will recheck water level then. my welding resulted in one upright not being perfectly symetrical to the other, thus the larger gap at top on the drivers side (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer3.gif)

[Andyrew]

What are you going to use to fill the gap?

[jimkelly]

i think i will bend some aluminum to shroud the top gap, using the 3 rivnuts in the renegade shroud. there are other gaps but i do not think they are substantial enough to need filling.

[jimkelly]

traffic was so bad in one spot I had no choice but to use 1st gear. the hwy went from 4 lanes to 1 lane for construction, but thankfully the STOP AND GO congestion only lasted about a mile, but I was on the upside of the crest and had no idea of the extent of the congestion, so I called my wife and she checked the internet and told me it was brief. this was a 3 hr journey, immediately after getting my new radiator installed, hoses connected, water in my system, and then letting it idle for about to 2 hrs, while checking for leaks, and checking my temp guage for over heating, to be MORE certain I could pull the trip off. whew. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

and i will be getting these inline adaptor and switch to control my fans.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE0Skdtlwx0

[Andyrew]

Looks like a good switch (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I've got the attached that I'll be using for my water to air intercooler. But Im only doing it because I want to run it down to about 120deg. As I ordered it I figured it could actually be a really nice fan switch for a radiator.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271731547643?_trks...K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/301806832466?_trks...K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[jimkelly]

wow (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif) and for about only $20, that is amazing! no fear ordering stuff from Chinese sellers??

seems the type I am looking at has a 15 degree gap between OFF (175) and ON (190), (per summit site) which is not bad.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/der-16731

but if it turns off any lower than 175, i'll want one that has better control of off and on.

[Andyrew]

I figured I'd give it a try, Worst thing i'll get is heat soak and my meth injection will be working extra hard... I'll have performance logs of everything including intake air temp so I can see when its not working.

I've ordered quite a lot of Chinese stuff so far. In fact I've got parts from China, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, a bunch others and I am waiting on some wiring loom tape from Lithuania.

[Andyrew]

There are other cheaper one's available on amazon for about $5, but I liked the way this one mounted, and it looked like they all the options out there use the same $5 board and just have different cover plates/mounts.

[76-914]

I figured I'd give it a try, Worst thing i'll get is heat soak and my meth injection will be working extra hard... I'll have performance logs of everything including intake air temp so I can see when its not working.

I've ordered quite a lot of Chinese stuff so far. In fact I've got parts from China, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, a bunch others and I am waiting on some wiring loom tape from Lithuania.

Chris at Tangerine sells that loom tape (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[jimkelly]

since the celica radiator has a small nipple on the hot/high pressure side for a header tank, i was wondering if we should be installing a header tank? what are the benefits/drawbacks? and what is a header tank : )

[jimkelly]

this one is for mepstein. i oopsed on the length of the horizontal bar but this is easily rectified by a longer overhang of the tabs that attached it to the car.

[jimkelly]

finally got a 190 degree thermo switch and my housing. will install this week. my thermostat is 190 degree, so my fans should run much less then ever before.

[jimkelly]

switch is in but twice when i ran the engine the fans did not come on before engine reached 230 degrees. turned out the 2 part thermo switch was coming unthreaded thus losing thermo conductivity, we think. my buddy them put copper gasket between the two sections to hold them together and improve thermo conductivity. my buddy also added some DUM DUM he calls it to help additionally.

thursday evening was in the 60s and my car ran between 195 and 205 degrees on hwy and fans for the most part did not come on. today was probably around 50 degrees and my fans never came on except when i stopped for gas with engine running and engine ran about 190+- most of the time.

i'm thinking that when the summer rolls aroubnd, i will need to seal up any gaps in my radiator ducting and may need to go to a 180 degree thermo switch?

right now i have a 190 thermostat in engine and a 190 thermo switch on radiator hose.

i did end up using pipe tape to make the seal in the npt thread between thermo switch and the aluminum radiator hose housing. the tape though may have contributed to keeping the switch from going in deep and keeping it more away from the main water flow then had i not used it. though i did not think the switch would be deep enough to be in the flow no matter what i did.

best of all, i do not need to manually plug my fans into power every time i drive.

[76-914]

switch is in but twice when i ran the engine the fans did not come on before engine reached 230 degrees. turned out the 2 part thermo switch was coming unthreaded thus losing thermo conductivity, we think. my buddy them put copper gasket between the two sections to hold them together and improve thermo conductivity. my buddy also added some DUM DUM he calls it to help additionally.

thursday evening was in the 60s and my car ran between 195 and 205 degrees on hwy and fans for the most part did not come on. today was probably around 50 degrees and my fans never came on except when i stopped for gas with engine running and engine ran about 190+- most of the time.

i'm thinking that when the summer rolls aroubnd, i will need to seal up any gaps in my radiator ducting and may need to go to a 180 degree thermo switch?

right now i have a 190 thermostat in engine and a 190 thermo switch on radiator hose.

i did end up using pipe tape to make the seal in the npt thread between thermo switch and the aluminum radiator hose housing. the tape though may have contributed to keeping the switch from going in deep and keeping it more away from the main water flow then had i not used it. though i did not think the switch would be deep enough to be in the flow no matter what i did.

Are those HF hose clamps? If so, you are the first person to ever get one of those to tighten up without stripping out. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

[jimkelly]

they came with the housing but i did over tighten one and had to replaced it. i think i'll order a few nicer ones from mcmaster carr the next time i place an order from them.

jan 22 2016 wintery mix drive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkLs0AxzgrM

[jimkelly]

leaky stamped steel valve covers. so i got me a vintage set of aluminum valve covers that arrived today. will install on next nice day, raining like crazy today. cleaned them up and used form a gasket 2A on the seal surface between covers and gasket, setting up now. gonna try no sealant between gasket and engine.

[Andyrew]

I've had good luck with Valve cover->sealant->gasket->engine. Thin layer of sealant is basically there to keep the gasket in place.

[jimkelly]

that's what i am doing. thanks. dropped screws in holes to keep them in place while setting up.

[jimkelly]

wound up putting valve cover replacement on hold. after further analysis with my coworker, it turned out that the 2 inner bolts holding my intake manifold on were seeping oil thru their threads. added some sealant and got 3 taken care of and redid the 4th today. further turns out that I have other oil leaks, maybe front crank seal. gonna have to pull the engine when the weather gets better and blow a weekend getting dirty.