Ally Rad Source?
Turbo Mini Forums

I know these are dear, but does anyone know where one can purchase an ally rad for a Mini that is cheap? Is there a radiator off a scrapper that might fit and do a better job of cooling than the stock metro turbo unit?

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1967 Cooper 's' Turbo build @ www.drjing.com

i got a brand new metty one for ?15 off ebay. its alloy with plastic end tanks. hoping it will easily do the business.

Wow! That's a deal!

What I've seen are some aluMINIum radiators that hold 30% more coolant than standard ones, and are supposed to be the bees' knees. However, they are something like ?150 and up. I'm looking for something equivalent, but a bit cheaper...

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1967 Cooper 's' Turbo build @ www.drjing.com

I think these are what you are talking about

http://www.radtec.co.uk/gallery.php?category=1

Bit expensive though.....

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

A cheap way to achieve the same thing if you know someone good at TIG welding is to get an ally radiator off a more modern car, and then chop the end tanks off and cut the core up to the height you need.

Sorry to sour the thread with Peugeots, but at the moment my mate is converting a standard alloy rad (about ?40 brand new) into a twin-pass rad that is shorter than standard, to fit in a slightly different location on our track car.
By virtue of taking the easiest route, water flow across a radiator with diagonally opposed inlets/outlets (as a mini rad) is less than ideal. By forcing the water to take a more tortous route, cooling efficiency is gained, but without the need for a physically larger radiator. In actual fact, by converting to a twin-pass rad, the size can in most cases be made physically smaller, and yet retain the same amount of cooling as original.

Something to lob into the pot of thoughts anyhow.....

Thanks, guys. Good thoughts!

And, yes, Ben, that be the monster! ?185! Yikes!

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1967 Cooper 's' Turbo build @ www.drjing.com

Toms referring to the Rad having both the inlet and outlet on the same end. This means the water has to go down the red and turn through 90 degrees and return up the rad to the outlet.
This is achieved by placing a divider in the end tank opposite the inlet/outlet. (Forgot to put my thinking hat on)

Think of a U bend and you get the picture.

Edited by Doodmeister on 13th Sep, 2005.

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.

Yep exactly as Mr Dood says, you have the inlet and outlet at the same end, send the water down 50% of the rad tubes to the tank the other end, and then send it back through the remaining 50% of tubes. If you think about how the water will flow "diagonally" in a normal rad, the "corners" away from the pipe stubs do not get a good flow through their tubes, hence cooling efficiency is not being utilised well in these areas.
However, the divider has to go in the end tank containing the inlet/outlet, so as the water does go through the rad, as otherwise it would just flow straight through the end tank!!!!!!!

Another method that could be used here would be to make the end tanks artifically large, so as to gain some extra water capacity in the system. Not an issue on modern stuff with header tanks etc, but useful maybe on minis where sheer lack of volume of water can sometimes not aid matters.