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Thread: '01 vs Fox Radiator

  1. #1
    Senior Member skidd's Avatar
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    '01 vs Fox Radiator

    I'm doing a non-donor base-kit build. I'm getting ready to start on some of the cooling system parts. In particular, the radiator. I know the conensus is to go with a Fox radiator... but I don't love how it's mounted, so I'm planning different mounts for it. Rubber isolators, non-sheet metal lower supports.. that kinda thing. Then, when snooping at radiators for mustangs, I saw how the 2001 mustang radiator is setup. It has no radiator cap opening that I'd need to block off. It uses rubber isolated posts at the 4 corners. Fabricating custom brackets to mount to those 4 corners, with rubber grommits would be a snap. It even looks like fabbing up a decent fan shroud would be pretty easy too.

    So.. simple question... is there a good reason why I should not give the '01 radiator a try? I know it measures a little smaller than the Fox radiator... but does it have insufficient cooling capacity for my build? They make 1" and 1.25" "stock" single row aluminum cores with plastic tanks. And are all under $100.

    I'll be plumbed to a mild roller 302 with an E-cam, GT40p heads, and 600cfm carb in front of a T5.

    Link to an '01 rad for reference
    http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo....372643&jsn=450

  2. #2
    Senior Member skidd's Avatar
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    Well.. I guess there is nothing obvious about not using an 01 radiator.. or I'm sure someone would have said something... so... think I'll just have to try and and see. I'll post my results.

  3. #3
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    Keep me posted. I am doing the same build as you. So far the only difference is a B-cam instead of E.

  4. #4
    Senior Member skidd's Avatar
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    Will do.. not sure when exactly I'll get to this .. but.. I'll drop a post in here when I do. Also.. I'll post if the cooling is sufficient in the .. rater toasty summers down here.

  5. #5
    Senior Member AC Bill's Avatar
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    I cannot see any reason that would fail to cool your engine properly. The size is approx the same as the Fox rad. If you have a plan for mounting it that will work, I would go for it.
    The only reason the Fox rad was commonly used was because the FFR mounting set up designed was for them, IE Donor rads. FFR's method still left a lot to be desired though, and it wasn't long before builders came up with far better rad mounting methods.
    If you isolate it completely from the frame using rubber mounts, it might not be a bad idea to ground the rad to the frame, via a ground wire/strap. Apparently this can help prevent Electrolytic Corrosion, and help save your aluminum rad..

  6. #6
    Senior Member skidd's Avatar
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    Thanks for the heads up about the corrosion. I have a pretty good idea how I can so a nice mount for that 01 rad.. So... Imagonnadoit.

  7. #7
    Senior Member skidd's Avatar
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    Update... got a smokin' deal on a brand new 2001 radiator.. so.. I snagged it. $25 off Craigslist was too good to pass up.

    Short answer.. it'll fit... but I don't love it.

    Long answer.. this radiator appears to be about.. 1.5" (or so) wider than the fox radiator. As a result, it doesn't fit cleanly between the nose square tubes at the bottom. I can't just gently fit it up between those square nose tubes. I have to fit it in one side at an angle, and then fit it across to the other side. Translation... if I ever needed to replace this radiator.. I'd have to remove the body, and the aluminum panels. Doable, but far from ideal. Granted.. radiators do have a pretty dang long typical life.. my Subaru Impreza didn't lose it's stock radiator (plastic end caps gave out) until it was 15 years old... but.. worth the risk?

    So.. now I'm at a little bit of a cross roads. I practically stole this radiator.. and I can make it fit nicely... at the cost of any future removal. not sure what I'm going to do yet.

  8. #8
    Senior Member skidd's Avatar
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    Scratch that.. I went back out to re-think things a bit.. looks like it "could" indeed be pulled out the bottom.. with 2 minor mods.
    #1.. on the lower passenger side.. there is an integrated drain valve. it sticks out quite a bit. I could easily cut it off, and plug the hole with a plug, or some high temp plastic epoxy. Lots of fixes for that.
    #2.. the top corner posts are taller than I'll need, if I cut them down by about 1/2, it looks like it should give me the side-to-side wriggle room I'd need.

    so. that said.. I'm going to go with it.. I'll post my results when I get there.. but I'm pretty confident it'll work. The corner mounts look like 4 pieces of angle steel, and some rubber grommets will be an easy fit.

  9. #9
    Senior Member AC Bill's Avatar
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    Wouldn't hurt to throw a picture up so we can see what your talking about, fit wise?
    FFR6803RD, MK 3.1, 302 EFI, fr/rr disc brakes, WC-T5, c/w Hurst Competition Plus shifter, 3 link rear, Koni adjustable coil over shocks, dual roll bars, BBK 4-4 headers, 3.55 rear gears, BBK rear lower control arms c/w poly bushings. Ivy Green Metallic Arrived-02/08, On road 09/2010

  10. #10
    Senior Member skidd's Avatar
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    Yeah.. I can do that.. I lost a timing belt idler pulley on my Subaru last weekend... gotta get that fixed first... then I'll throw up some pics of the radiator.. and my ideas to make it fit.

  11. #11
    Senior Member skidd's Avatar
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    Update....

    I managed to get the '01 radiator installed just the way I wanted to. It's mounted using it's factory 4 posts.. with nicely isolated rubber grommets. It's pretty solid, but nicely flexes in the mounts with a bit of pressure. Even built a simple fan shroud along the way. Now the rad sits mounted independent of the body.

    Mount:
    - On the lower passenger side of the 01 radiator is a drain valve. It's just molded in the plastic. It gets in the way of the lower 3/4" tub.. so.. just cut it off and plugged the hole with a piece of the valve and some JB Weld.
    - Top mounts are made from angle aluminum and a piece of FI fuel hose cut and turned inside for grommets.
    - the top posts sit just outside the width of the upper 3/4" frame.
    - The bottom mounts are made from angle steel for a bit of extra strength given it's holding the bulk of the weight. The grommets are factory ford lower radiator rubber mounts.
    - the bottom posts sit just inside the lower 3/4" frame.
    - 1/4" x 1-1/2" grade8 bolts (anything worth doing, is worth over-doing)

    Shroud:
    - 1" square aluminum top and bottom for the fan shroud.
    - 1" angle aluminum on the sides of the shroud.
    - Galvanized&painted sheet metal where fan is mounted.

    P.S. Sorry for the darkness of some of the photos.. the bright aluminum wreaked havoc with the white balance.







  12. #12
    Senior Member AC Bill's Avatar
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    It looks like it should work good .

    Curious how the shroud is attached to the rad?

  13. #13
    Senior Member rich grsc's Avatar
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    I'm not sure how well that shroud will work? With it having almost no room behind the radiator fins, the only place for air movement is the area of the fan. You need room for air movement, its just trapped in a 1" dead air space.

  14. #14
    Senior Member skidd's Avatar
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    ^ I thought about that... but... Given that some electric fans are placed directly on the face of the rad, I figured at least a 1" gap should be enough to pull air through. I hot-wired the fan to my battery after I mounted the shroud .. and was managing to move lots of air. It easily held a small piece of paper on any part of the front of the rad. So.. I "think" (emphasis on think) it should work. At least I'm only into that shroud for about $30 and time. .. if I have to do something different that is. (edit: also.. seems that even big names like Mishimoto build very low profile shrounds also https://www.mishimoto.com/chevrolet-...oud-67-69.html). Bodes well for my design.


    @AC_Bill
    Flange head bolts over the lip of the aluminum. I used a burr bit to dig out a notch in the aluminum where the shank of the bolt falls into. It's kinda hard to see in that photo, but the shank of that bolt is a hair more than half way into the aluminum of the rad. These are inside the 1" square. 2 on top, 2 on bottom.

    Last edited by skidd; 04-03-2017 at 09:54 AM.

  15. #15
    Boydster's Avatar
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    If the dead space becomes an issue, many shrouds have holes placed in the dead ares with a soft flap on the engine side, attached across the top, sort of like a big truck mud guard. The idea is that at speed, the air flow will push the flaps open and allow air through, but at slow speeds when the fan runs, the flaps will pull shut and the fan will pull through the radiator. Just something to think about. I think it's great you made your own.

    An example:
    http://www.srbymichael.com/index.cfm...prod/prd24.htm
    Last edited by Boydster; 04-03-2017 at 11:10 AM. Reason: added link
    ---Boyd---
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    Delivered Feb 2017, Graduated Nov 4, 2019

  16. #16
    Senior Member skidd's Avatar
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    ^ Excellent idea with the flaps. Would be pretty easy to retro-fit after the fact too. Hopefully gravity due to the steep angle the radiator sits in these cars doesn't hold those flaps open when the fan fires up. Obviously I'll wait until I get it driving and watching the coolant temps and fan activity before I tackle it though. Might be enough air-flow as it sits.

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