DIY NA over radiator piping question
 

How low does the radiator need to be dropped down to clear 2.5 inch ic piping? I debating if I need to make new brackets or just modify the existing radiator brackets.

For mine I used the original brackets. I just re drilled the hole for the lower rubber mounts higher up and made brackets to tilt it back. Fits 2.5" piping without cutting the hood. Depending on your setup you may need slimmer fans though.

Are you trying to go between the rad and the core support or are you trying to use the holes the factory put for over the rad piping? Because for the 2nd one dropping the rad isnt going to help too much, you'll just have to cut the hood and hammer the pipe a bit. Though cutting that little fork off the end tank that holds the over flow line helps considerably.

I didn't have to lower my radiator. It did require some trimming of the underside of the hood bracing and a creative route around the expansion tank on the radiator

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369154940

This makes it slightly easier to conceptualize the upper charge pipe I'm going to have to make in a couple days. Any pictures of the hood cut? Did you go all Fael on it or use the angle grinder with a cutting disk?

I lowered my rad an inch by cutting and adding material to the brackets that hold the radiator in. If you search over the top intercooler pipes there are other threads.

I cut the hood with a plasma cutter and grinder as well.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369188063

I also made a custom rad support to hang the IC from but that wasn't "necessary"

My friend royce has my old IC setup and might have pics of his radiator brackets

My set up uses custom radiator brackets (both lower and upper). I gained room for the 2" pipes by angling the radiator and moving it back roughly 1" (note - this set up wouldn't work with OEM fans). The silicone 90deg elbows have a minimum of .75" of clearance from the OEM hood. Given that I will be running an MS/Delrin engine mount combo the .75" of clearance should be plenty.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369325199

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369325199

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369325199

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369325199

Picture of lower brackets:

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot..._5588073_n.jpg

I'm happy with the set up, though I have not put any miles on the car so I haven't been able to evaluate intake temps or affects on radiator efficiency.

-Zach

Really ugly ugly pictures, only ones i really have.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369505569
lower radiator brackets, all we did was unbolt the j hooks, cut them and extend them about 3".

mocking everything up.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369505569

Ug, seems like a simple setup but there are far too many sacrifices for an over-the-rad setup. My hood never closed properly, I cut up my pretty hood, I put dents in it from clamps, and my current around the radiator setup uses an intercooler that's half the price and uses no more couplers, and only a few more bends.

Mines all setup now besides the hood and hood prop. I'm going to get to that once I finish the axle back section of exhaust tomorrow.

I have the nb kit for trd, dont know how different the na is but the nb uses the antisway bar mount bolts. All you gotta do is redrill one of the holes on the stock radiator supports since the sway bar bolts are a bit different spacing. The antisway bar mount bolts are perfect height.

All i have is this shitty picture of my broken bolt solution but you see the hole on the left, and then you see the 2 holes on top that are the original mounts for the radiator mount.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369652851

Just curious, does any one ever go under the radiator?
(It seems easier to trim the splash tray than the hood and in cases where the turbo outlet points down then the piping should be relatively straight forward.)

Problem with that theory is ground clearance. Perhaps if you lift the radiator an inch and a half to 2 inches you should be good but then you're still left with the pipes from the radiator to the engine going in the small space between the radiator fans and the engine. Thats a lovely benefit to the over the radiator setups. All the piping is straight forward.

A single bend per pipe.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369688951

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369688951

I go under the radiator on mine... its not too bad, but it puts the pipes closer to the (fast moving and hard) ground than i would like them to be. lol my splash tray has been trimmed and ziptied where necessary... needs a little more work though, as i got run off the road by a semi, and bottomed out pretty hard. ill post a few pics in just a bit

cold side top view

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369690027

hot side top view

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369690027

frumunduh (cheese)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369690027

the tray is all hacked and fudged up

If you drop the rad you'll never have to touch the hood.

Good info Ryan, It seems like there should be enough room for 2" piping. Too bad about the semi. Did you post the pics?

I was curious about the frumunduh reference so I did a google image search. It came back with this:rofl:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1369867100

Hi triple88a - in the photo you posted showing how you have redrilled a the rad mounting bracket to lower the rad using the sway-bar holes...the photo is of hotside, right? Did you replace the PS lines with flexible pipes specifically so you could do that? I have hard pipes attached to the bracket - dropping the bracket wouldn't be an option...

Rich

lol, sorry... i forgot all about this thread til it was brought back up today. no, i havent posted any pics of the accident... everything is back together now though... bumper rattles a little, but ill be securing that pretty soon.
yeah... im sure that lady has some frumunduh going on too...... lmao

The rad mounting brackets get redrilled because the swaybar bolts are closer together by like half an inch. Both of them. The PS lines get switched out for flexible pipes. The PS lines get cut so you still keep the loop.

Step One: Removal Of Factory Parts


Step 8

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1371914669

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1371914669