Prying open heat exchangers..., ... and crimping them closed again Options

[DaveO90s4]

Hi all,

It looks like the top section and the bottom section of OEM heat exchanges are simply crimped at the seams. Does anyone know if it is feasible to un-crimp them, take them apart and later on re-crimp them?

If so, then I'll have a go at using the spare set of heat exchangers I have (with some modifications) for the heat exchangers on my to-be-built exhaust for my 2.8L Corvair transplant.

Thanks all,
Dave
Oz

[bdstone914]

Hi all,

It looks like the top section and the bottom section of OEM heat exchanges are simply crimped at the seams. Does anyone know if it is feasible to un-crimp them, take them apart and later on re-crimp them?

If so, then I'll have a go at using the spare set of heat exchangers I have (with some modifications) for the heat exchangers on my to-be-built exhaust for my 2.8L Corvair transplant.

Thanks all,
Dave
Oz

So how do you adapt 4 cylinder heat exchangers to a 6 cylinder Corvair engine ?
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[DaveO90s4]

So how do you adapt 4 cylinder heat exchangers to a 6 cylinder Corvair engine ?
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Thanks all for the confirmation that it is doable.

Envisage the RH heat exchanger and exhaust intact.
The cold air inlet part runs inboard front to back, then does a U turn at the back to wrap around the exhaust and runs forward to the heater flapper unit.
I will open it up into two complete halves, top and bottom.
I will use one half as a guide to bending the new exhaust so it will fit back inside the heat exchanger once recrimped.
I will remove most of the inboard parallel cold air inlet section in the immediate vicinity of the engine - it would be in the way of each exhaust tube from the heads
The top half and bottom half will each have three half round holes in the correct position to line up with the three exhaust tubes (these are J tubes and will run horizontally into heat echanger)
The shortened cold air inlet section will have an end to receive cold air - a longer concertina cold air hose will run from engine bay heater fan and down through the new engine tinware I've already made to feed cold air to this point of the heat exchanger,
Trial fit, finesse and once all is good recrimp the top and bottom two halves together with new exhaust in situ.
Repeat for LH side.

Assuming I plan it properly and execute it carefully I can't see why it wouldn't work - now that I know it is feasible to uncrimp and recrimp the two halves.

Cheers
Dave