• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Radiator delimna

Share this page

Trevor Jessie

Trevor Jessie

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
I was originally going to attempt to use the original bugeye vertical flow radiator in my sprite when I put the supercharged 1275 in the car. However, the guys at the radiator shop quoted me $250 to get it repaired and refurbished. I think I could buy a reproduction for that amount. So... now I'm thinking about using a crossflow (I just happen to have a spare that only needs minor tank repair). I'm not concerned about originality, but I want something that looks like it belongs.

Should I:
A. Have the original vertical flow repaired/restored and use it?
B. Buy a reproduction vertical flow to use?
C. Switch to a crossflow?

I'm leaning towards C, because I'm thinking that it may function better than the vertical flow, but I really do not know.

Anyone have any comments or suggestions? If so, I'd be grateful if you would share them with me.
 
IMO i would go with the resto as long as the guy/shop did solid work. i have not heard of any problems with the vertical flow that would warrant going to a crossflow. the repros look too expensive. i've always been on the side of making it look original as much as possible. for me a cross flow just would look out of place.
 
What does the supercharged engine look like? If it looks period correct go with a re-core vertical flow, if it looks more modern go with the spare cross flow.
 
The guy does excellent work, but he is going to charge me just as much as a reproduction unit costs.
 
The supercharger is the modern eaton-45, so it does not look period correct...

Does anybody have a picture showing a crossflow in a bugeye?
 
These are from Drew's site:
l5.jpg

and
l6.jpg
 
Heres some thots 4U....

A crossflow radiator of the same frontal area and thickness (rows) of a downflow unit will not be any cooling advantage.

A cross flow will work better in a situation where the slope of the nose/bodywork is such that the top tank of the radiator is at or below the water level of the motor, and there is no room for a high radiator or a cap on the top tank.

So frontal area and rows (thickness) is where it's at for additional cooling of added horsepower.

Unless you want to modify the core supports on your bugeye your limited in width. The steering rack position limits the thickness. you can probably add one row to the stock radiator dimension and still get it to fit.

The saving grace is that the original style radiator has a HUGE top tank. You might be fine with a stock radiator in a three row and a good electric fan. A belt driven fan is severely limited in diameter and is a waste of time.

Recoring that radiator might be the answer...and in the long run cheaper than a custom copper/brass or aluminum unit.
 
not to switch topics, but is the copper top only a bugeye thing or did later models have it as well? if so up to what year? the PO sprayed painted everything so i wouldn't know if mine was copper unless i scratched it.
 
I was planning an electric fan. So I should find out how thick he would have to make it to squeeze three cores into it and how much that would add to the cost? I think I trust his work more than I would a reproduction unit. I'll need to ask him what sort of guarantee he can give me.
 
The other thing that just occurred to me: with the vertical flow radiator, I don't need an overflow tank. right?
 
All bugeye tank tops are brass underneath the factory black paint.
 
""""""". So I should find out how thick he would have to make it to squeeze three cores into it and how much that would add to the cost? """""""

Take your stock rad and fit it in the car and see what kinda room you have in front and in back...... count the rows in the now tank......may be it's a three row now.....see if you have room for a four row.....and if your rad guy can get a 3 or 4 row core.....see if the tanks will accept more rows. Usually the row tubes are about 1/2" wide. yor rad guy can help you measure and show you whats what in thickness??

Have him presure check at 25 psi...use a 12 or 14# cap.SOME of those early top tanks use a goofy neck so only the very early cap fits...have him put a neck on the tank that will accept the later Ford/Chev two gasket cap.
 
so just paint it black and be done with it right? no copper showing (unless you like that it that way)
 
Exactly Fred, Paint it all gloss black. Copper is fine if it is your thing I suspose. I like the black look, orginal.
 
""""" don't need an overflow tank. right? """"

Another benefit of using a newer two gasket cap (above post) is that you run a coolant recovery bottle....fill the radiator up all the way an run to purge all air out of rad. the overflow bottle accepts hot coolant and returns cold coolant back to the rad after shutdown. (look at a late model car 80's). Take a look at Radiac #222 coolant recovery unit. comes w/ a cap, hose , bracket.

if your confuzled have a talk w/ Radiator Man.
 
i agree ... i'm always interested though in knowing what the original look was on parts like this. it's all a learning process for me ... thanks jack
 
OK Jerry, I think I understand where you are going. I need to do some careful measuring and ask him what he can do. I also need to still consider if I want to use an alternate radiator.
 
TJ.....

you got the idea......

$250 even close to 300 for the right/good piece might be about right. Measure 3x and cut 1x. Have fun.
 
Hey, I recognize that engine bay. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

AFAIK, that's the original downflow in the Tunebug. I kinda like the bare brass top, even if it wasn't stock.
 
Back
Top