Running a Honda radiator? [Merged 7-9] half scirocco afco smaller

[thecman02]

^^^ That's the same radiator my buddy and I will be switching to for next year. I'm debating removing the factory hood latch to get the radiator to sit even farther forward.

You should buy my Galant VR4 and then put the sirocco radiator in it

On a serious note to the OP I have been running a Koyo Civic Radiator and matching spal fan. It is virtually Identical to the STM kit only I saved 200 dollars by piecing the kit together myself. Something to think about if you have the time to shop around for the parts. I haven't had any problems with overheating, but it is still nice to have as large a capacity cooling system as you can. If my AC wasn't working I'd be ripping out my AC condenser and sticking in a sirocco radiator.

 

[99gst_racer]

You should buy my Galant VR4 and then put the sirocco radiator in it

Trust me, I wish I could afford it. I've wanted a GVR4 for a loooong time.

 

[GSTeclipse]

I left my water pipe alone. It's just like it was from the factory. I still run a 7-bolt BTW, so my water pipe connects to my t-stat housing.

I went to buy that Afco radiator yesterday and realized we're out of stock at the moment. So, as long as our stock order is on time, I'll be picking one up sometime next week. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of the radiator itself and of it mocked up on my 2G.

Ah ok .... Didn't know if you had planned on using the water pump an fitting from Jay racing and running some SS braided line ...

 

[99gst_racer]

Well, here's my mock-up pics. It won't tuck under very much with the hood latch in the way. I'll definitely be eliminating mine.

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[Jimmer307]

Any updates... I read all 4 pages of this thread to be left on a cliff hanger.

I am very interested because I will be running either a HX40 or FPred based on how well the scirrico rad tucks under the supports.

Would a pusher and puller fan be overkill?

 

[99gst_racer]

No updates from me. Unfortunately, I don't really have the time or money to be working on my car right now.

You definitely don't need both. Just run one or the other - whichever one fits best. I'd recommend a fan in the 1500-2000 CFM range.

 

[Jimmer307]

No updates from me. Unfortunately, I don't really have the time or money to be working on my car right now.

You definitely don't need both. Just run one or the other - whichever one fits best. I'd recommend a fan in the 1500-2000 CFM range.

Even if I wanted to retain my A/C? If I kept A/C could I wire a pusher to turn on whenever the A/C is active?

 

[tkrPerformance]

I ran a 1/2 size 2 core alum honda radiator in the evo 3 for 3 year's it worked great with the stock e3 16g set up and when I went to a dnp manifold and pte 5031e.

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also used a hot rod overflow tank I had laying around that was left over from my 51 mercury

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I am now running a griffin radiator in the car when I when to a top mount

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had to 45 the upper out let so it would clear the turbo

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had to cut out the hood latch

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with the turbo in the car it is still tight. there is so little room in a evo 3 engine bay over a 2g

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[PieEyedPiper]

You weren't joking about limited room! Has your hood started to peel yet?

 

[tkrPerformance]

the turbo sits right under the oem hood vents and the metal heat shield. The alum hood does not even get hot to the touch

 

[DashLaflash]

Has anybody tried running one of these with a/c yet? I know its a stretch, but what if you mounted the factory secondary fan directly to the a/c condensor. Also I think running a shroud like the one in this link will aid in cooling cxracing.com: Al. Radiator + Shroud + 12" Fan For Civic 92-00 EX SI DX B16 B18 B Series Mirror Polish MT,3 Rows.

Would running the factory main fan wired in reverse on the front of the radiator also work? It seems like the factory fans provide the best cooling. So if you put it on the front of the radiator and wired it in reverse it would now be a pusher fan and be out of the engine bay avioding clearance issues.

 

[gofer]

Since this thread really doesn't have much in it accept mock-up shots of the AFCO in a 2g I thought I'd post up my install of it from start to finish. The beginning of the install was yesterday and I probably won't be posting the final shots for a few more weeks as I take my time doing this install.

I'm going to run -20AN lines/fittings and mount the AFCO radiator to the stock A/C condenser mounts, perfectly centered on the frame. As you can see running a push fan I had to eliminate my hood latch and it seems I'm going to have to modify my bumper support as well. Fortunately I've got hood pins so I'm not worried about the hood latch and it never hurts to shed some weight.

Enough babbling, onto the pics.

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[banishedmunk]

Must be nice getting to finally utilize that new garage.

 

[Blurred Talon]

Looks sweet Corey!

Make sure there is a gap between the factory steering cooler and the fan. The cooler will get hot enough to melt the fan. I'd opt to replace the metal loop with an actually cooler personally.

Also make sure to block off that dead space on either side of the rad and make some ducting so you get good air flow and cooling. However I'm sure you knew that already

As for people that want two fans. There's an option. Tim Zimmer (Twicks69) had a custom rad built for his car by C&R. He posted the spec sheet in one of his threads. It will completely fill the front end and tuck in nicely. However, since it's a C&R be prepared to spend some money.

 

[gofer]

It's nice to have room to work for sure and no "honey do's" on my days off so I can actually get something accomplished. Your dyno runs was enough to get the mod bug going for me. Thanks, my bank account hates you.

Anthony, I'm currently in the process of tucking my P/S steering lines too so the stock P/S cooler will be addressed then. If I don't get to them right away I'll probably just eliminate it for the time being seeing as its a sorry excuse for a cooler and I don't plan on AutoX'ing my car anytime soon.

Ducting is also planned if it's necessary, I want to see what coolant temps look like first without it. I'm sure this radiator setup is going to get put to the test come summer time out here in AZ, last August I was driving in 115* weather and my CTs were holding at 200* so we shall see.

I did see that rad setup Tim posted however, I like the space around the sides of this one to allow airflow through the bay too as long as it keeps CTs down just like a full size.

Stay tuned.

 

[crash89]

Gofer, whats the reason you bent the upper part of the core support? Other peoples pictures show that the rad fits cleanly under it. If I have to bend stuff in my newly painted bay Im not going to be too happy! haha

 

[gofer]

The brackets on the AFCO from Summit are flat on the bottom with holes in them to bolt it down so typically it would slide right in there. On this AFCO there have been posts welded into those brackets to hold it into the radiator support so I had to pivot the radiator into place rather than slide it.

 

[gofer]

I'm embarrassed to say it but it took me 4 months to get these 20AN lines together. Having a sturdy bench-vise is CRUCIAL assembling these things and I couldn't find anyone that had a vise I could borrow. FINALLY, the hard part's over... Just a few more hours of trimming/fitting things up and I should be back on the road by July to test it in the 115* weather.

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[gofer]

Alright. I'm at the end of my install so I've gone back and took more detailed pictures of everything so DSMers interested in running the AFCO radiator can get a better idea of how it's mounted and the work done to fit it properly.

First you'll need the AFCO Scirroco 80107N, notice the brackets already welded on the sides of it.

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I recommend getting these brackets modified, welding stands in them to support the bottom of the radiator. Here's a shot of what mine looks like after welding.

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To support this upgrade you'll have to remove your A/C, including the condenser core. The core has factory mounts inside the radiator support bracket that are perfect to mount the AFCO to, you'll just have to get these brackets welded onto it.

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The first thing I did was remove the hood latch and the bracket that holds it, both have to go. Then I measured the distance between the posts on the bottom sides of the radiator and drilled into the lower radiator support frame using a step bit. After I got the holes drilled I re-used the OE lower rubber radiator grommets, I just cut them in half and put them in the new holes.

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Then I took a scroll saw and a metal blade and cut the upper radiator support bracket in half, going around the bolt holes that hold the front bumper support bracket on.

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Because I was installing 20AN lines I also had to get 20AN bungs welded onto the radiator and the t-stat housing. This is completely optional though and doubles the cost of this install, you could get away with using standard rubber hoses.

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Slip the radiator posts into place and tilt it into the existing radiator support.

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That's the gist of it. I'll post the modifications I made to the stock front bumper support bracket tomorrow.

 

[-red97rum-]

Looks great Corey, nice job! I've been contemplating going with an AFCO radiator for some time now. I'm just finding it hard to spend the money on one haha, I'm a cheap bastard

 

[gofer]

Thanks Dustin. Yea, I hear what you're saying on spending the money side of the AFCO switch. I plan on upgrading to a t3 tubular manifold and a larger frame turbo and I wanted to free up some space. I could stand in there now though, that little 16g looks even smaller...

I was hoping to get some weight savings out of doing the AFCO switch but if I did drop some weight it was less than 10lbs, unfortunately. Doing the swap only makes since if you need to replace your radiator or you're running a huge frame turbo that you need to run a Honda half radiator (or this) to free up space in front of the engine.

 

[gofer]

Back to include the final pictures to finish up this install.

I used a spot weld bit to remove the lower section of the front bumper support, you might put a few holes in it but it will be covered with the metal bracket that goes over it.

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To install the FMIC I had to use rubber spacers and longer SS bolts, that way it would clear the push radiator fan. Adding these gave me about .25" from the back of the IC core to the front of the radiator fan.

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I used (4) M6 x 1 x 20mm SS button head allen bolts and a lock washer to secure the front bumper support to the upper radiator bracket. The OE bolts are too long and protrude out the back and could potentially gouge the top of the radiator.

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I didn't like the way the AFCO drain plug sat. It was on the vertical edge of the radiator so if I ever needed to drain it, once I pulled the plug, it would dump down the side of the radiator and be hard to control. I bought a 1/4 NPT 90* fitting to a valved male Q.D. and threaded it on. Now, when I need to drain the radiator, I just connect the female Q.D. fitting onto it that's got a 6AN line going to the back of it and it will begin to drain instantly without making a mess!

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Installed my Mishimoto 143* t-stat.

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...then finished up the install attaching my 20AN lines going to the radiator.

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Here's the finished shot of the engine bay after I assembled everything back together. The 4" FP intake fit perfectly between the 20AN lines, I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out.

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[-red97rum-]

Thanks Dustin. Yea, I hear what you're saying on spending the money side of the AFCO switch. I plan on upgrading to a t3 tubular manifold and a larger frame turbo and I wanted to free up some space. I could stand in there now though, that little 16g looks even smaller...

Either way, more room is always better as far as I'm concerned. I'm also looking to move to a full T3 setup pretty soon here, which is why I've been contemplating using one of these. I found one made by griffin, has similar dimensions, it's just a little cheaper and may also be a viable option.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/gri-2-78185-h

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Looks great Gofer! Geez those hoses are purdy. It seems like everyone is going solid rad hoses these days. I always assume they must have solid mounts at all points.
Question; is the thermostat installed in the correct orientation with regards to the bleed/weep hole?

 

[gofer]

Yea, Dustin. That Griffin radiator is the same thing. I'll let you know how this thing performs though, I don't want to get too excited about this and it overheat like a mother the first 5 minutes of my drive.

Looks great Gofer! Geez those hoses are purdy. It seems like everyone is going solid rad hoses these days. I always assume they must have solid mounts at all points.
Question; is the thermostat installed in the correct orientation with regards to the bleed/weep hole?

Thanks for the compliments. The radiator hoses are solid but also have plenty of "give" if the motor decides to flex, notice the slack in them? Besides that, I am running solid motor mounts and roll stops and the radiator is mounted in rubber too so it can move a little.

Good question about the weep hole. To answer your question, yes. The t-stat is installed correctly taking into account the orientation of the weep hole but, that's the incorrect orientation in the photo. The photo I took I oriented the t-stat like that so you could see the "Mishimoto 62*C" etched on it, then I spun it so the weep hole was at the top before I buttoned everything up. Good spotting though...