From:
twelve_second_vega_REMOVE_116574_THIS_@yahoo.com
(Continued from previous post)
Now the
question that comes to my mind is this. Why would I want
to run the engine another 50° or 70° hotter when
performance and fuel economy are currently acceptable?
Our summers are well over 100° and cooling is a
very important issue for people in our area. Everytime
I encounter someone who is having a cooling system
problem (street cars) I install a restrictor and the
problem disappears.
I know there are numerous
ways to go about this issue of cooling system
performance. I don't expect people to subscribe to my point of
view, but I find it amazing when I hear people talk of
how their cars run hot without a thermostat. I know
it is possible, but I have only seen this happen
once in a lifetime of messing around with
cars.
Now when it comes to radiators, I have always
gone overboard. I tried using the aluminum Griffin
units, but their performance was only marginally better
than some copper/brass and not as good as others. I
did not think the high cost justified having bragging
rights to an aluminum radiator.
The staggered 5
row radiator is a unique device in that ecah tube has
its own fins attached individually. The tubes are
staggered in a 'staircase' pattern so that each tube has a
direct airflow path around it.
The tubes are
monted in rubber 'O' Rings so that each one can be
removed for cleaning without breaking the solder joints
on the tanks. It is basically a rebuildable
unit.
This design is widely used in Heavy Duty Truck
and Stationary Engine applications.
The
drawback is the $500 to $700 price tag on these radiators.
I managed to get one for $225.00 after sending the
fellow a lot of high end customers.
Without the
opportunity to experiment with other people's cars and their
investments, I would not be able to learn as much as I have.
In fact, I find myself learning something new
everyday here in the clubs pages and I look forward to
reading each new post.
I do enjoy the broad
spectrum of opinons in this forum. This has certainly made
for interesting reading...Robert
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