Will This Work?, V8 Conversion - Different Rad Placement Options

[riverman]

I am seriously contemplating a V8 conversion for my project and I am in the bodywork phase right now, so I figure if I'm going to put a rad in the car I might as well do it now. However, I am also concerned about loosing too much trunk space and/or the spare tire. I'd like to use the car as 'week-ender' to drive up and back to the cottage, perferably with a passenger, so some luggage space would be nice.

I was reading a post by Special K about V8 Radiator Venting and Tom73 mentioned an idea that no one responded to about tilting the rad back and venting with the help of some duct work through the floor. He thought it might still save enough room in the front for the spare (therefore leaving the rear trunk available for luggage).

To take this idea one step further, why not lie the rad on the floor (horizontally), or with a slight tilt, and duct the air to it. The rad would lie directly on top of the vent hole and would be very easy to vent. It appears like you could do this in the space previously occupied by the spare tire and the upper portion of the front trunk could then hold the spare (plus overflow container and some hoses).

I'm no engineer or aerodynamicist, so I need someone to explain the pitfalls to me. Are there coolant flow problems associated with a non-vertical rad? Is there a problem ducting air to a rad vs. ducting it away? Anything I'm not considering?

Feedback would be nice, but I don't want to hear, "Just do it the old way because it is easier." I would like some thoughtful critisism or ideas (or actual knowledge) on this subject. "There are no problems, just solutions."