DownSizing to a different radiator
 

Would it be possble to use a different radiator, say A civic radiator or Gtx radiator...Or just in general using a smaller raditor :bigtu:

Yes, but I bet you'd find yourself over heating- especially in FLA in the summer. What's the plan? Are you just looking for a more narrow radiator? That's what I did. I'm using a circle track double 1" core, crossflow, double pass. Made some custom mounts, extra piping with a coolant reroute and it works superbly. I've got about double the stock rad capacity with a more efficient coolant flow (plus double pass). - rob

Hey Rob, you got any pictures of the rad? I'm curious, I've seen one done with a al civic rad, but it was "small".... <G>

Dave,

YEA iM LOOKIng for a more narrow radiator, If not a lil smaller than stock...where did you get yours??

I would like to see this too. :bigtu:

Why not just take a regular double-width Miata radiator (like a Koyo, or even an all-metal A/T model) to a competant radiator shop and have them cut out a few columns worth of tube and weld the ends shut? This way you keep the stock fan mounts, water I/O and mounting positions.

I assume you're looking to pass an intercooler pipe through the space saved.

Yep Exactly

I ran narrowed aftermarket Miata aluminum rad on a couple of race cars, and then on my current street Miata. At the time it just wasn't enough capacity for 2.3 liters in 95f ambient temps and traffic. That was with 2 11" fans pulling the same cfm as stock and shrouding. The rad I'm using now is a PRC unit (the smallest core), ford inlet/outlet set up. I got it from Randy's Racemart. I paid $20 extra to have the inlet and outlet resized to fit my application and picked up a 16psi cap on ebay for $4 delivered. It takes the standard issue american rad cap. The rad is pushed up as high as it'll go for mounting. The puts the bottom above the bottom of the front lip (and subframe). I just ran some plastic shrouding from the mouth piece to the base of the radiator. What's nice is this gives the rad some direct air from the mouth. Before the old rad was covered by the condenser, IC and oil cooler. I haven't charged my a/c compressor yet, so I don't know what effect it will have on the a/c temps. The rad sits on a cradle type bracket that just drops into the stock mounts and the top is bolted to the rad support cross brace with some aluminum "Ls". The nice thing about this rad is that it's well built- looks "race tuff" IMO.
http://ebersol.com/FE3/radfan.jpg
Here it is from the back side with a super slim Spal 16" fan. Note the IC tube coming through on the intake side. I reworked the stock brackets on the condensor so I could slide it flush to the exhaust side and that left about 4" of space to pass the pipe through. You can see my crossover pipe for the cooling reroute too. A stock Miata would need something similar, yet shorter (could probably use just a hose from another application). But if one went with a standard cross flow (single pass) the inlet would be on the intake side.
http://ebersol.com/FE3/shroud1.jpg
Looking from at the bottom, shows the the "cradle" style bracket that runs to both stock mounts. And the shrouding extension from the OE mouth piece to the rad bottom.
http://ebersol.com/FE3/mouth.jpg
Looking into the mouth- shows the rad peaking below the condenser. Of course this path will be partially blocked if/when I go to a larger IC.

This is what I'm doing on my miata, using a 4-core daytona rad thats narrow enough to run my i/c pipes around it and keep em nice and straight.

4-core? Mine's a double 1" core and it's 4" thick. Or are we talking 2 cores deep by 2 cores high? (that's what the double pass, double core is).

I just posted a similar question here
https://www.miataturbo.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4534

the radiator Im looking at is 21.5x13.25x3, dual core, double pass...

I guess its the same, we call em 4-cores usually...

so now my question is, are the miata/ford thermostats the same dimensions as the GM stuff? Cause if the bolt spacing on the thermostat housings are the same i would be getting me one of these for my coolant reroute!

Anyone got a small block chevy housing they want to compare?

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...rt_1911_680169

dc- makes sense. usually the rad is a single core, double rows deep and the end take orientation is what makes it a double (or triple) pass. But as long as we're all talking about the same thing. If the (a given unit) coolant spends double time in the rad, it should loose more heat. This is out of my league tho, perhaps an engineer should speak on it (loki?). All I now, is all my temps are gone. I hope to see no/little change once the a/c is charged. At the rate I'm going that'll be next summer.

sir- are you talking for the back of the head? I ended up using a 323 part for the fe3 that had the same bolt spacing and then tapping a hole for a barb fitting that ran to the heater hose. I used epoxy as a thread loocker/sealer and it's held well. If you're going to run the heater you'll need to resolve that too (if that's what we're talking about). - rob