Radiator express 2 row aluminum radiator question

ElCaminoManT · Jul 21, 2016

hello gents, looking into replacing the rad on ye olde 93 as i think its getting tired and id like to have a bit more cooling capacity for these warm days of off highway antics. I've been looking at the radexpress aluminum unit but due to space constraints with the electric fan I'm running, I'm concerned that i won't have enough room to run that unit as it is a bit thicker than a stocker. i have about 1/4-1/2" of room between the fan and the water pump pulley nuts currently with the factory original radiator in place. the fan shroud that i am running sits directly on the core of the radiator, not on the tanks. does anyone know how much thicker the 2 row unit is compared to a stock unit?

thanks in advance! :nerd:

kg6mov · Jul 21, 2016

Compared to my stock radiator the tanks were larger, but the largest point on each radiator (the tank seam) was the same size.

ElCaminoManT · Jul 22, 2016

kg6mov said:
Compared to my stock radiator the tanks were larger, but the largest point on each radiator (the tank seam) was the same size.

so the actual core size itself seems to be the same as stock? if thats the case, it may just work since the fan/shroud is sitting on the core and not the tanks.

kg6mov · Jul 22, 2016

Yeah, my shroud didn't sit noticeably different with the aluminum compared to the stock style.

ElCaminoManT · Jul 22, 2016

kg6mov said:
Yeah, my shroud didn't sit noticeably different with the aluminum compared to the stock style.

thank you for the info sir! :cheers2:

ElCaminoManT · Jul 22, 2016

now the question; does that aluminum 2 row actually do a better job over a quality oem single row replacement such as a mishimoto or similar unit?

chakkuchan · Jul 22, 2016

which efan do you have installed?

ElCaminoManT · Jul 22, 2016

flex a lite black magic extreme

chakkuchan · Jul 22, 2016

OK thanks, I just bought that fan been sitting in the AC wishing it would install itself. Least I know I can fit it

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Timo_90xj · Jul 22, 2016

I had to slightly trim my OEM e-fan shroud from the sides to make it fit with the Radiator express 2-row unit. Core itself is the same size, but the tanks are slightly larger and the e-fan just didn't fit flush against the radiator. Not a big deal IMO.

ElCaminoManT said:
now the question; does that aluminum 2 row actually do a better job over a quality oem single row replacement such as a mishimoto or similar unit?

Aluminum conducts heat better than brass, but about 40% worse than copper; all-aluminum radiator being fully aluminum, it certainly will do it's job more effectively compared to the OEM as long as the design, flow rates, surface area of the fins and tubes etc. match or exceed that of the OEM radiator.
Usually aluminum radiator cores have the tubes closer to each other than on brass/ copper cores, which also makes it more effective (more surface area). So usually, a quality 2-row aluminum rad. will do a much better job in cooling than an OEM 1-row or 2-row brass/ copper radiator.

In real life, I've noticed this in that my e-fan doesn't kick on as often as it used to. The all-aluminum radiator is also significantly lighter in weight compared to the OEM brass/ plastic units.

ElCaminoManT · Jul 22, 2016

chakkuchan said:
OK thanks, I just bought that fan been sitting in the AC wishing it would install itself. Least I know I can fit it

Sent from my SHIELD Tablet K1 using Tapatalk

i had to pull the radiator out to bend up the brackets to fit around the bottom of the radiator core to hold the bottom up against the core properly. on the top, i drilled a couple of holes into the radiator support bar/hood latch bar and used speed nuts to run the bolts into. that fan shroud fits the radiator core dimensions nearly perfectly, only about an inch combined show top and bottom and nothing side to side. the improvement in the air conditioning output at lower speeds/stopped is amazing!

Timo_90xj said:
I had to slightly trim my OEM e-fan shroud from the sides to make it fit with the Radiator express 2-row unit. Core itself is the same size, but the tanks are slightly larger and the e-fan just didn't fit flush against the radiator. Not a big deal IMO.

Aluminum conducts heat better than brass, but about 40% worse than copper; all-aluminum radiator being fully aluminum, it certainly will do it's job more effectively compared to the OEM as long as the design, flow rates, surface area of the fins and tubes etc. match or exceed that of the OEM radiator.
Usually aluminum radiator cores have the tubes closer to each other than on brass/ copper cores, which also makes it more effective (more surface area). So usually, a quality 2-row aluminum rad. will do a much better job in cooling than an OEM 1-row or 2-row brass/ copper radiator.

In real life, I've noticed this in that my e-fan doesn't kick on as often as it used to. The all-aluminum radiator is also significantly lighter in weight compared to the OEM brass/ plastic units.

perfect, thank you for the info! think i just might give that rad express alum unit a try. the current rad is the original unit from 93....

Radiator express 2 row aluminum radiator question

ElCaminoManT

kg6mov

ElCaminoManT

kg6mov

ElCaminoManT

ElCaminoManT

chakkuchan

ElCaminoManT

chakkuchan

Timo_90xj

ElCaminoManT

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