For you V8 guys. I'm getting close to installing my Renegade adapted 350 engine and I need to source (low budget) a complete cooling system. What will I need? Already started looking for the Gates Green Stripe hose. JEGS sells it in 10' lengths for around $135. Seems expensive.

I need to check dimensions but I was considering this radiator: http://www.ebay.com/itm/110799074907?ssPag...984.m1438.l2649
Can anyone offer advise on whether it will work? It doesn't have a drain.

Cooling fans seem reasonable and again I will need to figure out dimensions but I was looking at these:http://www.ebay.com/itm/230669549138?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I know I will need more "stuff". Is there a thread on a SBC cooling system? Can't seem to find one.

Let me know. Thanks!

Pete -
That radiator is not remotely the right size...
Ideally your want a radiator under 15" tall and about 28" wide.
Do a search using the word radiator, and you will find a lot of info from this site -

Thom

My radiator is 20x 20 inches and three inches thick. It lays at about a 45 degree angle. I think it came out of a truck. Go to a wrecker and look for radiators that cool V8 engines, that would be a starting point to get the right capacity. then figure if you will stand it up, lay it down, or tilt it. One guy (Phillip Haun) made this 914 called Blue Thunder, and his radiator lays down flat in the trunk, nice insall, even has room to store a spare tire on top of it. One of the slickest radiator installs I have seen.

Link....http://members.rennlist.com/bluethunder/engine.htm


A cooling fan IS needed, mine is run off a dash toggle switch. i turn it on at over 190F per my gage. Never need the fan on the freeway but around town I need it.

Yes green strip is expensive compared to garden hose, but it will likely last the life of the car, it has to be tough cause it may take hits under the chassis. It is tough as truck tires. Well worth the price, and cheap in the grand scheme of a V8 conversion.

Here is a prior thread on the subject including links to radiators and fans.
Conversion cooling

Pete -
While Phillip's set up may appear to be one way to set up a system, be keenly aware that Phillip's car is a V6 car, and does not require the efficiency of a V8 car. The more cubic inches you have, the more cooling that will be needed to get the job done.

That was my thread. I'm still unsure of exactly what parts I will need and where to install them. There seems to be an issue with air in the system which I'm a little confused about.

Air in the system is bad and you need a way to get it out.
This means you need access (a port) at the high point and a way to make sure the air gets there.

So am I running one of the 1 1/2" radiator hoses to a remote filler neck mounted in the engine area higher then the engine? And connecting a catch can to it as well?

Bottom line, don't short change yourself on cooling. If your car overheats then you cannot drive it, thus you will not enjoy it and you will have to spend money later to correct any problems. That is, if you've kept your sanity long enough not to sell the problem off to somebody else to dump more money into. Don't ask me how I know.

Are you going to build your shroud, have it built or buy one? You need one, my temps dropped dramatically once I installed one. I also purchased fans that will fill the maximum space of the shroud so there is very little "dead" space.

This is the setup I have:
Radiator
I built my own shroud with aluminum I purchased off of amazon here
Coolant Catch Can
I got a pair of the highest flowing 11" electric fans I could find at my local auto performance retailer for 60 bucks each which is pretty steep, but I sure as hell don't worry about overheating.

Get all these items first then worry about getting out the air trapped in the system. For that its actually quite easy. Before installing, drill a couple small holes in your thermostat for air to escape, fill the car with your desired fluid mix (I use 80/20 - 80% deionized water 20% antifreeze, 1 bottle of water wetter). Fill your catch can halfway with antifreeze and connect it to the fill port Renegade provided. I use 16lb lev-r-vent so I leave the cap ON but the lever open and the catch can cap OFF. Jack the car up from the back, start the engine and let it warm up. DO NOT rev past 3k rpm until the thermostat is open (depends if your are running 160 or 180 so it might take awhile), cavitation is a bitch and a real problem with these water pumps. Once water starts to sputter out of the fill port I close the lever, then check it frequently to see if water or air is coming out. When the engine cools down it will suck water from the catch can not air. Do this cycle a couple of times until eventually when you check the fill port it is full, now you are done. Still sane? Not me.

And one more thing, put a 25lb cap on the radiator if you get one with a fill port, that way the rear fill port will open, not the front one on the rad which will flood your trunk.

Yes, I know all this because....just do as I say not as I do!