Overall length including the nipple (which looks to be an ideal spot for bleeding out air) is 30.75 inches. The height is just under 13 inches.

I will get a real test with this radiator setup at the Lone Pine Time trials. The temperature should be in the high 90s... For the NA motor I expect it to do okay.

-Tony

Yesterday I took the first step in placing the radiator up front. Namely, cutting out a hole for the cold air inlet. I painted the front and inside lip of the trunk with Zero Rust partially to clean things up and partially for rust prevention.

-Tony

with paint!

That's a huge inlet hole! How will the air exit?

I didn't get time to cut the outlet holes, but they will be on the wheel wells as is commonly done. That inlet hole is about the normal size for front radiator isntallations. I probably could have gone with less, but now I have less sheet metal weight

Now I'm trying to figure out if I want to make an aluminum shroud or a fiberglass shroud.

-Tony

I vote aluminum, all the good ones use aluminum as fiberglass is messy, it cracks, just overall not as good or strong. But that is just my opinion.

Add a brace from the latch to the floor.... .5x.125 angle works just fine. Just something to supprot the latch.

BJH

I noticed you are using a cable shift setup. Is it possible to use the stock shifter setup?

I'm interested in this conversion

Mine has a stock(ish) shifter. Had to re-make the engine bar setup so it wouldn't go through the cross exhaust pipe. Not a big deal, but takes some welding and a bit of thought.

On the NA motor, you might be able to use the factory bar if you use seperate exhaust like tony did.

BJH

What's the NA motor?I've been looking at the 1.8

What was the final cost of your instalall? How long did it take?

Keith

I did a break down of my costs HERE!!!

NA is Naturally Asperated or non-turbo in the sooby world. As far as time, i could do another one in 2 weeks pretty easy. This one took just under 6weeks. Mostly relaxing evenings.

BJH

thought the NA was part of the serial #.

HOw does yours shift? better, worse or the same.

mine shifts like a 914... GREAT w/ new bushings, but if the bushings are worn, kinda like there is a coupler made of mashed potatoes somewhere in the linkage...

Tony's should shift much more consistantly, as there are really no bushings to wear, only the cables, and they last a LOT longer if taken reasonable care of.

I went to the link and checked the costs, not bad. for the setup I have planned it's possible for about 22-2400, that's very reasonable as compared to a TIV rebuild.

My conversion cost somewhere around $3000 to $4000. It took me a lot more time to do myh conversion for the following reasons:
1. Never did one before
2. Did a ton of custom wiring and electronics
3. Fabricated the engine mount, radiator frame, scoop, etc.
4. Did a complete makeover of the engine bay

In all, mine took me really about 6 months of serious work and about 6 months prior to that getting things done very slowly.

The cable shifter works well, though not as nicely as I want. There are still several things I need to do to improve it, but I think it will eventually give me a shifter that performs very nearly to that of a modern car. Getting the improvements I want will require machining a bunch of parts, and its not at the top of my priority list at the moment.

BJ: Thanks for the tip about the latch support. I was wondering about that...

-Tony

Tony, i noticed you have the front of the car cutout for the radiator, is it installed yet? Are the mounts nd shrouds custom? where did you source the radiator?

You may have mentioned the radiator source earlier in the thread, I may have missed it.

I don't have the radiator moutned yet. I just cut the hole on Sunday, and probably won't get a chance to work on it until Friday. The mounts and shroud will be completely custom. Made with sheet aluminum and pop rivets.

The source of the radiator, price etc., are quoted on the previous page somewhere around the middle. You can find this radiator anywhere, its a pretty common one, and cheap too.

-Tony

This is probably obvious to you, but in case it's not -

When you build your shroud, made sure that it COMPLETELY encloses and seals the radiator off, so all air coming in through your opening is forced through the radiator. And so no hot air that has already passed through the radiator can seep around the edges and get drawn in through the front again.

It makes a big difference.

you finally caved in - good form you : )

this is one of my favorite threads - have you ever had second thoughts about using 901 trans versus using subaru trans ???

jim - got me a 1972 with sbc v8 and a 1975 with 2.0 - no sub yet : )

I have thought about using a Subaru transmission actually. I really should start thinking about it more because my 901 is going to need a rebuild soon. I think the cost of rebuilding a 901 would be higher than using a Subaru trans. I never did find out what is going on with the special axle/CV adapters though.

6 speeds might be fun

-Tony

If I do another engine conversion and I am sure I will, I will use an engine and transmission thats a factory package, no more adapting one engine to a different make transmission. They work but not like ones made for eachother....

I'm still working on that part! I have to pester my machinist for the flanges.

Cost wise the Suby trans parts are WAY more reasonably priced than 901 parts - I just got a used helical gear LSD for about $200. New ones are in the $750 range. Close ratio gear sets start around $800 for a complete new set of gears.
Steve

So last weekend I got the front opening for the radiator cut. This Friday I cut the exhaust holes, and today/yesterday I built the radiator shroud. I ended up going with sheet aluminum. Turned out very light weight and fits nicely. It will be riveted into the car and I'll use some silicone to seal the few gaps.

Powder coated flat black.

-Tony

Nice work...

we need installed pics!

Maybe by this weekend. I've got to rivet on some angle-stock to the sides so the radiator can be held in place. Right now its just sitting there. Also have to mount the fans and run fan wires to the front.

My plan is to have this new cooling system completely ready to plug in. basically unplug the fan connector to the current system and the two hoses and conenct to the new system.

-Tony

so what did you ever do with the fuel pump return? did you cap it off or tee them together? I didnt see it mentioned.


Great lookin build, i am taking the easy way out with the renegade kit, now i'm just waiting for it to get to my door.

Also did anyone ever find out if you could just use the stock subaru in-tank fuel pump. I have a full 2.2 litre legacy that is my parts donor, so if i can use as many stock parts that i have, the better.

Thanks!!

pankopp

If you don't want to go with the cable shifter I suggest the RennShift shifter. Makes a totally different transmission out of the 901, with no slop, if you have $475 to spare.

Also, this is the way I modified my shifter bar. It's important that you keep the geometry intact. I used the stock shifter bar to start with. Then I bought some 1/2 conduit. I decided where I needed to cut the shifter bar one spot at a time and marked the cut. BEFORE doing any cutting, using a permanent marker you draw a straight line intersecting the cut line. That way I could realign the pieces and not lose the geometry (i.e. twist the shifter bar). I inserted into each cut a small piece of the conduit, notched the conduit out and bent it using trial and error until I got the angles I needed. Then I welded up the shifter bar at each joint leaving the conduit in to help hold the angles. I believe I ended up with 4 cuts. Just make sure if you do this you weld up the shifter bar really good, otherwise it will crack on you and make you think you've lost the transmission (been there done that), making it hard to get into gear.

That way you don't end up with an ugly shifter bar that looks much different than stock, there's less guesswork, and you can keep the geometry pretty much intact.

My $.02 worth.


Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

Here's my shrouding from the cutout (which looks like Tony's except that I left a strip in the middle for bracing) into the nose. I riveted in the shrouding and sealed it up with that really nasty clear silicone. I'm interested in seeing what Tony comes up with for the radiator install. I used everything Renegade had and I personally think that the Ron Davis Radiator ($1000) is overkill for the EJ20. It almost runs too cool.

Click to view attachment

Ed aka W9R1
lots of conversion pics at community.webshots.com/user/fat73

Awesome job.

Ed aka W9R1

Instead of the holes through the fender wells, has anybody gone the GT40/Ferrari F40 route and modified the hood? I think that's what I'm gonna do on the one I'm building now.

Ed aka W9R1

Fat73 ,
How big is the Ron Davis core ? .. I'm trying to size mine right now ...
Thinking of a 13" tall 2.5 or 3" core Scirocco style for my turbo 2.0 ...

It pretty much fills up the distance from the edges of the headlight buckets to almost the floor of the trunk. It actually sits on a Renegade aluminum platform that is about 3 inches high.

Here's a link to give you some idea. The radiator itself is about the thickness of the bend in the top of the shroud.

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2122880320076795939jgizNP

Ed aka W9R1

I don't want to hijack Tony's thread with my stuff, AND I suggest you take a VERY close look at what Tony's done. Excellent, excellent, excellent work. I wish he lived close to me.

I think his setup will work as good or BETTER and you won't spend nearly as much money on it.

I have a '72 that I'm going to start another thread on soon. In the mean time you can reference most of what I've done on community.webshots.com/user/fat73.

Good luck.

Ed aka W9R1

One more thing you'll want to take into consideration then I'll shut up. If you're gonna run A/C in your car, the A/C condensor will have to fit in front of the radiator to get air flow on it to keep it cool, and you'll have to allow for the A/C lines to run into your shrouding. If you can get a radiator that'll fit with a condensor on it, that would be ideal. I'd suspect stock subie condensor would be best if you can make it fit. I managed to get the stock compressor and A/C lines with my WRX Engine, so the A/C line fabricator used the ends at the A/C compressor off of the stock lines. I used Renegades condensor and dryer but then again I used the radiator setup too. Just my opinion.

Ed aka W9R1

Thanks for all the great advice ..
I wasn't sure if the stock style was enough against the turbo and the So. Cal 115º days .. especially if I do some up grading ....

Putting the AC back would sure be nice ....

And not to steal your thread either .. thats a hell of a job on the ducting Tony, can't wait to see it finished ...

Installed radiator.

..

Next step is to fix up the front trunk area for some storage space. I want to at least be able to fit a good size set of tools in there and there seems to be plenty of room.

-Tony

As usual, nice work Tony.

I wish I had more front trunk space. I wonder if a couple of sets of 90 degree elbows would be feasible to route the radiator lines over to the right and directly up to the radiator?

Hmmmm.....Probably would work.

Ed aka W9R1

Click to view attachment

Whose motor mounts are these?

Snicker.

Exactly why I ask

The crossbar is a Renegade unit and the mounts are actually STI mounts.

Ed aka w9R1

Any information on fuel Pump? I asked earlier, but you may have missed it...

Thanks!

I did see the question but didn't get a chance to look at it. As I recall I have a T junction in the fuel return line, one end comes from the pump, one from the fuel rail. Thats what I recall at least...

-Tony

Hey Tony,

Nice work on the radiator. Just curious : what did you use to cut the openings in the body ? Seems like the standard tool is the sawzall, but I still have a hard time imagining getting results that smooth.

Here's a price breakdown of my front radiator installation.

1. Radiator (dual pass, "scirocco" style, aluminum, for a late 80's Jetta) $75
2. Radiator Fans (12 inches, pusher style, bought at local electronics swap meet) $10
3. Coolant hose (bellowsflex, 1.25 inch I.D., 20 feet) $180
4. Metal to fabricate shroud $10
5. Metal to fabricate hose adapters $11
6. Misc. hose bends (taken off the engine, previous radiator install) $0
7. Hose Clamps $10
8. Clamps for hose $7

Total: $303 (or 1/3 the cost of the commercially available alternative)

Bellowsflex is almost twice as expensive as the normal stuff from Napa which is definitely as good. The radiator fans would probably cost $150 for new ones but can easily be purchased at a pick and pull for less.

-Tony

I used an air body saw from Harbor Freight. $19.99 on sale currently

It looks like everyone is routing the air out of the fender wells. Is there a reason not to vent it out of the bottom of the trunk, under the car?

I'd rather go out the hood. Did fender wells on the last one. Anybody got any comments on vending out the hood?

Ed aka W9R1