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Porsche 944 turbo / 3.0L radiator for M30 swap with AC

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    Porsche 944 turbo / 3.0L radiator for M30 swap with AC

    Hi all

    Been researching options to refit my M30 with air conditioning, and have solid daily driving temps - no point refitting the AC if I'm going to run into overheating issues. I have always had rock solid temps with my e28 radiator.

    I'm getting too old for 100+ F days with no AC - was fine when I was younger, but sitting in traffic on hot days is becoming a chore. Been contemplating retiring the e30 to weekend duties and buying a manual e46 touring, but ultimately I'd like to keep the e30 as my daily.

    Anyway... has anyone tried a Porsche 944 turbo / 3.0 radiator? I've done some measurements, and it seems it will fit in the front cowl like the early Alpina radiator - in fact it looks suspiciously similar. It is triple row, so much thicker than the e28 radiator. The outlets are around the right way for the M30, there's just one additional fitting for a heater hose that would need to be closed off - either capped, or chopped and welded.

    I may buy one and give it a go...

    My e30: OEM+ with M30B35

    #2
    Bump! This is an interesting idea. Did you get a chance to try it out?

    I still have troubles with the turbo + A/C + traffic on very hot days. I'm not sure how this rad would fit with the stock A/C condenser though...

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      #3
      Hi Corvallis

      Haven't had the funds to roll the dice on the radiator at this stage (as on top of the radiator, the refitting the AC system will run to close to $2k down here) - might be a few months before I can do more work on it. I still think there's potential though.

      Another option I saw on a 333i thread was to run dual small condensers down in the front velance so they don't block airflow to the radiator, but no idea how effective that would be?
      My e30: OEM+ with M30B35

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        #4
        I can envision relocating to 2 small condensers if you're not insane like I am. But since I have a bulky FMIC behind my valance, there is no room to spare.

        I had a wild thought yesterday: commission a totally custom 100% copper radiator, then run that "waterless coolant" stuff, since it does not operate under any pressure. Copper is usually much too soft to hold up to even a little bit of force, but the waterless coolant would take care of that. Massive amount of work and cost, buy hey, crazier things have been done

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          #5
          I do have an old e21 copper radiator somewhere that is 3 row (this was the hot climate early 323i radiator)... hmmm...

          I checked out the waterless coolant online - ay caramba! $280 for 12 litres - the car takes about 11L for a complete fill from empty.

          The Porsche radiator might be a cheap option :D
          My e30: OEM+ with M30B35

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            #6
            Ya it's not cheap stuff. Still, kind of a crazy/weird idea!

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