LS swap radiator options

[garretvs]

Looks like a pretty good setup. What Mishimoto radiator did you use? Nice job on the upper mounts. :)

[Q8y_drifter]

That looks like a Skyline R32 radiator.

[sgtskid]

Looks good!

[trucupey]

Skyline

I went with the Mishimoto Skyline are R32 radiator. The upper radiator mounts that are used are actually stainless steel tubing clamps from a 1989 Evinrude 300 hp V8 outboard two stroke power steering set up I had laying on my scrap metal drawer. How about that for repurposing parts. On the bottom I just welded a piece of inch and a half aluminum tubing to meet the factory BMW course support mounts. It feels nice and sturdy and it all took about an hour and a half. Thank you all for your help. Now I have to figure out what fans I want to use. Any suggestions?

[garretvs]

SPAL 16" puller and the BMW condenser fan (pusher). The SPAL fan is only about 2.4" thick
at the motor.

[Q8y_drifter]

For the GTR radiator I went with these

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=346110&page=9

[trucupey]

I like those duals.

[Nick_08]

I wanted to update this thread with the proper griffin part number which is 1-28222-XLS. Seen here: http://www.griffinrad.com/load_detai...ge&model=Racer

This radiator has inlet and outlet on passenger side with the proper dual pass channels unlike the mishimoto. It even comes with the steam tube port already in place. It is twice the size of the mishimoto which is more up to the task of cooling a V8.




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[Q8y_drifter]

How much space do you have between the radiator core and water pump? I'm thinking with vette accessories you may be able to fit 2 puller fans.

[Pootis]

That looks like a great option! Thanks for sharing!

[Pootis]

Was it pretty easy to make those brackets?

[jon volk]

FWIW I just put the first trip of any distance on my swap with a 60 mile commute to work. Coolant temps never got over 183 with the stock M20 radiator and a SPAL 16" pusher. Ambient temp was around 50 so we'll see how it goes in the summer.

[Nick_08]

How much space do you have between the radiator core and water pump? I'm thinking with vette accessories you may be able to fit 2 puller fans.

It's important to note that I have sikky engine mounts which seem to place the engine further back then some other mounts so use caution; I can't say for sure.

Measurement from front of LS1 water pump pulley to radiator is 1.25" and from harmonic balancer/crank pulley to radiator is 3". If you have an LS2 or an LS1 with an LS2 water pump you can expect to gain roughly 2" extra clearance (totally 3" clearance).

I may still experiment with a shroud and puller fans because I think it's definitely possible to fit a couple 10" fans in there if placed in the right spot. We'll see how the spal pusher performs, it really pushes a lot of air (2,360 CFM).

Was it pretty easy to make those brackets?

The brackets were purchased from Griffin: http://www.griffinrad.com/page6acc.p...sories&partno=

The lower brackets literally bolted onto the core support and support the radiator perfectly by the end tanks with no modification. In the picture you can see the factory holes where I have my fan mounted and just below, I drilled a hole and installed an M6 rivnut. The upper mounts will require some work to straighten the end of the mount (I cut and welded but, you can probably bend with some heat), I installed another M6 rivnut and bolted it to the core support.

FWIW I just put the first trip of any distance on my swap with a 60 mile commute to work. Coolant temps never got over 183 with the stock M20 radiator and a SPAL 16" pusher. Ambient temp was around 50 so we'll see how it goes in the summer.

Hi Jon the stock M20 radiator should perform well for you and it's probably 25-50% larger than a Mishimoto R32 not to mention its crossflow design.

If you study the design of the R32 radiator, most of the coolant will flow from inlet to outlet as it isn't forced to cross the entire radiator for maximum cooling. It also seems to have two 0.5" rows as the entire thickness of the core is roughly 1.25".

I am upgrading from the R32 because at slow moving speeds the fan cycles constantly and seems excessive. On the highway it performed well, it just doesn't seem to have the capacity to keep up, meaning it heats up very fast. It will do the job though as I have ran it all last year. The two 1" rows and dual pass design of the Griffin will perform much better and especially once I get on the track.