Split Front Mounted Radiators

[Fraser D]

Dave the setup looks excellent.

I am sure if the setup works well on the track it will also work well on the street. The track is a great way to both push yourself and your design.

One thing I found on the track that I did not expect might help you out.

I was surprised by all of the rubber bits that end up finding their way into cracks and crevices. I have not yet installed the splash guards on the front fenders and i end up with a pile of rubber bits in the foot wells after every weekend.

When you plan on hitting the track you might want to consider using a fine mesh screen to keep the rubber bits out of the radiators both front and back.

John

Great advice John

I was planning on repurposing the FF5 mesh from the original radiator hood exhaust for my radiator intakes
Do you think that the mesh size will work for the rubber issues?
I had not planned on any other mesh other than the stone guard that I currently have for the back of the radiators but will change that now
Funny that you mentioned getting rubber inside the cabin as Linxs and I were going over the car looking for heat entry points and the foot boxs especially around the top are wide open.
I need to invest in an assortment of different seals to take care of that.
Thanks for the feedback

[kabacj]

Great advice John

I was planning on repurposing the FF5 mesh from the original radiator hood exhaust for my radiator intakes
Do you think that the mesh size will work for the rubber issues?
I had not planned on any other mesh other than the stone guard that I currently have for the back of the radiators but will change that now
Funny that you mentioned getting rubber inside the cabin as Linxs and I were going over the car looking for heat entry points and the foot boxs especially around the top are wide open.
I need to invest in an assortment of different seals to take care of that.
Thanks for the feedback

Hey Dave,

yes the factory five mesh has roughly 1/4 inch holes if I remember correctly. That might be just a little big to block everything but the vast majority of the bits are 1/2 to 1 inch long by 1/8 to 1/4 inch in diameter.

I ended up using duct tape to block all of the openings where the aluminum touches the bodywork in the front wheel wells. Bulb seal would most likely work in these places.

I wanted to maintain the vent where the leading edge of the door and the front fender meet.I would think you also would want to keep this airflow path open as it exhausts air from the front fender. I can tell by the amount of brake dust on the leading edge of the door that air is definitively following this path.

The down side of not having splash guards of course is water in the rain and the rubber bits.

The other thing to consider is the aluminum you might add under the nose.

Without any aluminum you are going to have plenty of airflow as air will exit under the car and any debris just falls out on the ground. If you add aluminum to channel the air then you might need to be more concerned where the air exits and what enters that area.

You are going to have a blast on the track.

John

[LCD Gauges]

Awesome! I just realized by glancing through your first page that you've redesigned the rad layout. Version two looks much better!
You may be the only one that will have effective use of the louvers over the tires.

By the way, I'm jealous of your trunk space.

[Fraser D]

Well there is something to be said for spending a little time recuperating from surgery to get the creative juices flowing. The bad part about recuperating from surgery is that I can’t do the work myself for the next couple of months.
Continuing on from the physical mounting of the radiators it became a challenge to make the brake ducting and the AC condenser operational while the hood was in one piece.
I looked at the different approaches to making the hood two piece that have been tried on GTM’s so far and different production cars and decided on the approach in the below photos.
A jig was made to align the hood when in two pieces to allow the fiber glassing of the weather-strip and any reinforcing, (although the pieces are very thick and did not move once cut).
The pieces are just laid in place with no alignment or positioning and I was surprised to see that the natural lay of the main hood piece is almost perfect.
Having the front piece separate from the hood itself gives me a lot more options for the radiator intakes, (profile will change) and the center AC and break intake, (yet to be cut).
So what stands between me and success right now will be my ability to not backseat drive and piss off the help
It is early in the process but I am very happy with how it is turning out.

[Fraser D]

Taking the next step in fiber glassing in the weather strip overlap and I am not sure if the panels or my jig have moved some or both but the two pieces are not settling in as well as they did previously. I will leave them on the jig overnight and all day tomorrow to see if the alignment gets better.
If not I will pull them back into position with some screws and glass in some reinforcing strips to hold the shape.
I have all the mounting points identified for the two pieces and some design drawings for the hood hinges which are just waiting on material.
The process of putting things on the car then pulling them back off is getting old but I only have myself to blame.

[Fraser D]

The day started off with a thunderstorm and local flooding so I was not very optimistic at getting anything done today but managed to get the fiber glassing for the weather strip completed.
I will trim the fiber glass back in the morning, finish the mounting of the nose section then make it all pretty.

[Fraser D]

My shoulder is starting to feel good enough to do a little light work so I made some progress with a few things.
The AC condenser is ready for a date with the TIG to weld in the fittings and mounting brackets.
I have rough cut the center opening that will supply air to the AC condenser and cooling air for the front brakes via some ducts. The opening still needs to be finished with a lip fiber glassed in.
The radiator opening are getting a little tweaking. The shape is having all the angled corners replaced with radiuses so I made up some fiberglass pieces to graft in. One corner down two to go.
The internal frame for the mounting and support of the front clip is almost done along with the hood hinges.

[Taz Rules]

I think the rounded corners will really make a difference. They make it look more refined. I like it

[Fraser D]

I think the rounded corners will really make a difference. They make it look more refined. I like it

Ash,

After I made them I was not very impressed by how the profile turned out. My skill level did not match my imagination very well and while it bugged me I was happy to keep in way down the list of priorities.
A couple of months ago a friend drove my car while I followed in my truck as I wanted to see how bad the oil seal blow by was on one of the turbo’s. I led the GTM onto the freeway and I looked back in the rear view mirror and was not happy how the intakes violently contrasted, (in my mind at least) to the rest of the car. It’s a small change that I should have finished over the next couple of weeks but it should allow me to get back to the important stuff.

[Fraser D]

Slowly chipping away at the hood.
The ally plate bonded to the hood still needs to be glassed in.
A little more bracing to be done from the hinge back to the chassis and from what I am seeing I may not need additional reinforcing in the hood but I have a few ideas if it looks risky.
I used rod ends to give the hood some alignment flexibility.
The gas struts supplied by FF5 for the hood are too strong and cause the hood to bend when closed and latched so I am looking at some lower or zero rated units.
The range of motion is enough to get decent assess to the trunk and battery etc.

[Fraser D]

The hard part is done and the hood works.
Still some adjusting to do along complete welding out the frame work, the body work and painting but it operates very well.
I will have to do a little reinforcing of the hood but I am very happy with how this is turning out.
So glad that I was able to spend a couple of hours in the shed today.

[Taz Rules]

That looks really nice and clean, Dave. Did you bend the hinges yourself?
That's a really elegant solution.

[Fraser D]

That looks really nice and clean, Dave. Did you bend the hinges yourself?
That's a really elegant solution.

Thanks Ash.
I bent the hinges myself and will post photos once I have them cleaned up, pre and post powder coating.

[Fraser D]

I have a couple of days of vacation to burn so what better way to pass the time than to spend it than in the shed.
Got the fiber glass work completed, (radius’ d the corners) on the radiator openings and will start the body filler in the morning to make it pretty.
I increased the center opening and have started marking out the mold so that should be glassed in and smoothed out by the end of tomorrow.
Fingers crossed for paint on Friday.

[Fraser D]

Tried using the florist foam for the center section mold and I have to wonder why it took me so dam long to try it. Magic stuff!
The recess for the AC condenser and front brake cooling ducts is molded and I think turned out pretty good.
Ran out of time to do any body work on the front but I did get the hinge brackets tweaked and ready to powder coat tomorrow.
I tried to stay as true to Ash’s photoshop idea as I could but the size of the number plate forced a slight change.
Looks like tomorrow is a Bondo day!

[Taz Rules]

The recess for the AC condenser and front brake cooling ducts is molded and I think turned out pretty good.
...
I tried to stay as true to Ash’s photoshop idea as I could but the size of the number plate forced a slight change.

Actually, Dave, I think I like your way better!
(Damn big license plates...how come everything in Texas is oversized? )

Glad I could help out, even if only minimally. Make sure you plug my vendor status so I can do this for others, too! (Shameless self promotion! )

No, seriously, I really like what you are doing with your car! You deserve a lot of credit for your originality and design/fabrication skills. This is a truly unique build.

[Fraser D]

Actually, Dave, I think I like your way better!
(Damn big license plates...how come everything in Texas is oversized? )

Glad I could help out, even if only minimally. Make sure you plug my vendor status so I can do this for others, too! (Shameless self promotion! )

No, seriously, I really like what you are doing with your car! You deserve a lot of credit for your originality and design/fabrication skills. This is a truly unique build.

Thanks Ash!
I am almost done with the body work for the front and am saving the next set of photos for the final product probably around mid this week.
It was your concept that solved the problem of both form and function and I can’t emphasize the benefits enough of having a few variations of a concept on paper to help guide the process.
Very glad that you are now able to offer this as a service to fellow builders.

[Fraser D]

It was a busy weekend with a lot of good progress made.
The two piece hood modification is done bar the final assembly after the entire car was primered then plasti dipped. I was getting tired of the primer grey look so purchased some plasti dip then bribed a couple of friends who had the spray equipment with booze and food.
All that is left is to install the mesh in the openings and bolt the bits back together.
As I am so close to getting back on the road so here is a teaser pic.

[Edgeman]

That looks amazing~! very nice work on the 2 part hood.

[Fraser D]

That looks amazing~! very nice work on the 2 part hood.

Thanks, It took a bit of head scratching but it got there eventually

Agreed, it does look amazing. Being on Ontario, I've thought about 'glassing in some sort of bracket the rad opening for the license plate.

Your design, or something similar just might work (depending on air flow to the rad).

Thanks, it may be a way to reduce the original radiator opening without looking to goofy

[LCD Gauges]

Agreed, it does look amazing. Being on Ontario, I've thought about 'glassing in some sort of bracket the rad opening for the license plate.

Your design, or something similar just might work (depending on air flow to the rad).

[Fraser D]

We I have finished messing with the body for a little while. Just a couple of bits and pieces to tidy up then the focus will be on the mechanicals for upgrades.
Unfortunately the only photos that I have from this weekend the car was either covered in dirt or rained on.
Now back to the track.

[kabacj]

looks great Dave! When are you back out on the track?

[Fraser D]

Thanks John.
I am looking at a couple of opportunities to run in late March with a goal of running at Texas World Speedway before they turn it into a housing development around the middle of this year.

[Fraser D]

Putting the hood to use