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Did Volvo cooler swap today!

  • Thread starter Thread starter 351wcoupe
  • Start date Start date Jun 14, 2004

351wcoupe

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Feb 13, 2003
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Jun 14, 2004
#1
  • Jun 14, 2004
  • #1
lol and now I get to do it again.

It went together so smooth, of course I would have a problem. I mounted the radiator and cooler today to the point were it looked completely stock. I used the rad. out of a pinto I've had laying around a while. It had some antifreeze in it when I pulled it so I assumed it was ok. I took the stock rad. mounts moved above 4 inches closer together and drilled new holes and put bolts all the way through rad. support. I took the stock hoses and rotated them around to line up with the outlets, then cut off any excess. I put about half a gallon of water in it started the car and started pouring the next gallon. lol Then here's comes that gallon out of the 4 holes in the rad. core.

I had to laugh, because I stayed mad at the car forever when it wouldn't run right. Now I just laugh at it and fix. There's a lesson in anger management.

I haven't made the air tubing yet. I was supposed to take it down tomorrow to bend some exhaust for it. Maybe thats out for now. The night is still young.
 

notched86

Founding Member
Aug 7, 2002
305
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Ruckersville, VA
Jun 14, 2004
#2
  • Jun 14, 2004
  • #2
LOL, that really sucks! I'm sure you have plenty of radiators laying around at your place though. Or at least one you could rob off another car.

Sounds like it will all come together nice in the end though.
 

rgosulliv

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Aug 10, 2001
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Lawrenceville NJ
Jun 14, 2004
#3
  • Jun 14, 2004
  • #3
heres my progress with mine. I went with a brand new radiator cause i was worried about holes or clogged passage ways. just finished mounting the fan today. I'm gonna relocate the battery to the trunk to give me plenty of room to run the pipes.

 

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351wcoupe

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#4
  • Jun 14, 2004
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notched86 said:
LOL, that really sucks! I'm sure you have plenty of radiators laying around at your place though. Or at least one you could rob off another car.

Sounds like it will all come together nice in the end though.
Click to expand...

yeah I'm going to try to braze the holes shut now.
Otherwise stinger and a bunch of other people used a ranger radiator which I have at my shop but not here. I'll make the drive later tonight i fI need to.

It just sucked that it looked so factory I asked dad if he noticed anything out of the ordinary. "No, when are you putting that other cooler thing on there?"
ahhhh......mission accomplished.
 

notched86

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#5
  • Jun 14, 2004
  • #5
Why don't you guys mount them in front of the radiator?
 

351wcoupe

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#6
  • Jun 14, 2004
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rgosulliv said:
heres my progress with mine. I went with a brand new radiator cause i was worried about holes or clogged passage ways. just finished mounting the fan today. I'm gonna relocate the battery to the trunk to give me plenty of room to run the pipes.
Click to expand...
hey that looks really good that is the V6 ranger radiator right?
 

351wcoupe

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#7
  • Jun 14, 2004
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notched86 said:
Why don't you guys mount them in front of the radiator?
Click to expand...
look at it close
 

351wcoupe

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#8
  • Jun 14, 2004
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notched86 said:
LOL, that really sucks! I'm sure you have plenty of radiators laying around at your place though. Or at least one you could rob off another car.

Sounds like it will all come together nice in the end though.
Click to expand...
as long as its by thursday morning
 

notched86

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Jun 14, 2004
#9
  • Jun 14, 2004
  • #9
Whoops, I see it now.
I saw a couple 2.3's at Carlisle with intercoolers behind the rad, and it had a scoop thing made out of aluminum to scoop air up from under the car to the IC. (Similar to the scoop things on the underside of "grill-less" cars) It was an interesting set up. I wonder if that cools better than the standard front mount.

Does it run any hotter with the IC in front of the rad?
 

351wcoupe

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#10
  • Jun 14, 2004
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It should be about the same since I removed the AC condensor in the process. I think stinger or somebody's I was looking at retained the AC. If if gets much hotter here It will go back on.
The buick grand national had a factory air scoop. Supposed those are really good coolers too.
 

351wcoupe

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#11
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Just finished "fixing" the pinto radiator and its almost time to go get the Ranger radiator.
 

rgosulliv

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Jun 15, 2004
#12
  • Jun 15, 2004
  • #12
hey that looks really good that is the V6 ranger radiator right?
Click to expand...

yeah.. 92 4.0 ranger rad.

Does it run any hotter with the IC in front of the rad?
Click to expand...

before i had the fan mounted i drove the car on a three hour round trip and it didnt overheat... did come close when i was sittin in traffic though... had the heat on full blast the whole time though... ... but no with the fan mounted now it seems to run as cool as it did before.

I think stinger or somebody's I was looking at retained the AC. If if gets much hotter here It will go back on.
Click to expand...

I kept my ac condensor in place. good for those road trips on the humid sticky disgusting days....



also... 351wcoupe.. you had metioned something a while back about an autozone rad hose part #L-395. I'm planning on using rad hose for the bends and straight 2 1/2 exhaust pipe for the straight sections. Is that hose worth getting... or what are you planning on using?

-Ryan
 

kiddiccarus

The first widely accepted Tranny
20+ Year Stangneter
Dec 24, 2003
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Jun 15, 2004
#13
  • Jun 15, 2004
  • #13
You better have it done and running by the time I get there, I want to see a working car to inspire me not a broken one I can see that at home.
 
1

140cilx

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Sep 7, 2001
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Jun 15, 2004
#14
  • Jun 15, 2004
  • #14
good job! That's gonna help, sorry about the troubles, but very familiar w/ that myself.

I've retained my a/c on the LX. Drive it when it's unbearably hot, svo other times. Here's an old pic of my install: http://140cilx.stangnet.com/photo4.html
 

MSM0075

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Jun 15, 2004
#15
  • Jun 15, 2004
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Looks good ryan! Let us know how it turns out.
 

351wcoupe

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#16
  • Jun 15, 2004
  • #16
hey 140 I didn't know you had already rotated your upper. That looks really good. I'm still going to get the intercooler pipes made in a little while so I'll post pics of what it will look like.
 

351wcoupe

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#17
  • Jun 15, 2004
  • #17
alright Day light is shot today and I accomplished nothing.
I have the ranger radiator now mounted and I used the factory fan. It ran for about 30 minutes and didn't get hot so I'll try it and see how it does. I didn't make it early enough to get the intercooler tubes made and I picked up another project in the process. After we looked at it a few minutes, I decided I would go ahead and use the battery relocation kit that I'm not using out of the 351w car. So thats tonights small project along with a front wheel change an dI might go ahead and pu ton the aluminum driveshaft. I'm supposed to take the car back at 7:30 AM so we can do it before they open.
The only small problem is that I usually get up about 10:30.
 

351wcoupe

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Jun 16, 2004
#18
  • Jun 16, 2004
  • #18
I got my cooler pipes made by 9:30 I was back asleep by 10:00. Turned out a little crappy, but If this works out ok I'll do it with a mandrel instead. The biggest problem is that it doesn't look stock anymore.
 
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