13 replies to this topic

[redmini]

:wales: can anyone give me the exact measurements of a turbo bulkhead box please? There is no way I'm gonna pay £40 when I have the facilities available to make one for the price of the steel,also can anyone tell me if it's poss to fit a front mounted rad on an older mini as I'm contemplating putting my oilcooler where the rad currently is,god knows how I'll plum it in but where there is a will I'm sure there is a way!

[siggy]

I belive that the last Mini's had a front mounted rad as standard.
I have seen one fitted with a Metro rad, but that had the lower valance cut away and you could see the bottom 4 inchs of the rad.

Why would you want to change the rad just for the sake of an oil cooler?

Siggy

PS can't help with the turbo box, but I will mail a guy who has an old GT of mine that was fittted with one.

[redmini]

had a bit to drink last night so got it wrong,I want to move the rad to create space for my intercooler not an oil cooler.Doubt I'll even fit one of them, not yet anyway (short on funds now)

[Turbo Phil]

My engine's out at the moment, so i'll go measure the box for you and let you know in a while.

You can install a front mounted radiator with a little work. All Minis 96 onwards had a small front mounted rad. These are an excellent bit of kit.
Or with a bit more work you can install the Metro one, i used to have one of these on mine.
I had a Renault 5 intercooler mounted where the side radiator usually is and the Metro rad up front. I have now gone back to the side mounted radiator and i have a big alloy intercooler across the front.
It doesn't cost a lot to install an intercooler i got this Renault one from a scrap yard for £5 & hoses can be used from other cars to connect it. Get hunting ! :grin:

This is how it used to be.........

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[Turbo Phil]

The reason i went back to the side mounted rad and moved the intercooler up front is simple. To be most effective the intercooler needs to have a much cool air passing across the cores as possible, so for maximum efficiency it needs to be mounted in the air stream. When i had the intercooler mounted at the side it did have some effect but nowhere near as much as the front mounted one.

New install...

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[Turbo Phil]

Bulkhead box is roughly - 14.5" width , 6.5" height & 2" deep.

Phil. :grin:

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[mighty_mini]

ahhhhhh i recognise that bulkhead box... thouht it may have been u

[redmini]

:grin: marvelous guys, thanks for that. I've got an intercooler from an rs turbo, very unfortunate having to resort to fitting ford parts on a proper car but at the end of the day needs must I suppose. What's the side mounted rad you've used then? I was thinking along the lines of keeping the engine as cool as possible by having the air forced through the rad but as yours is obviously up and running maybe your system is more favourable? I've done a few mods on normally asperated engines but this is the first time for going turbo so any advice and guidence is greatly appreciated, I'd rather accept advice than learn the hard way plus I've already gone a month without my mini so the withdrawel pains are unbearable. Not something I want to experience again in a hurry!!!

[Turbo Phil]

What series RS is your intercooler from ? the series 2 is the better flowing unit.
I run a Minispares super 2 core radiator, with a Metro Turbo electric fan mounted under the inner wing for when it's in traffic.
A front mounted radiator will always be more effective as it's in the air stream, but the same goes for the intercooler.
I would mount the intercooler up front, use a side radiator & if you have any overheating trouble then add an extra small radiator or heater matrix between the cylinder head and the heater take off pipe.

Hope this helps.
Phil.

[redmini]

:wales: Cheers Phil, that helps a lot. Unfortunately I aint got a clue what the intercooler is other than an rs one. My mate has a scooby sti8 which sprays cold water onto the cooler an it makes quite a difference, you dont know of any similar kits available do you? If not I may try and cobble something together myself, my priorities lie with getting the car up and running so that could be a project for the future. I'm still having trouble sourcing a down pipe, I ordered one last week from minispeed but it hasnt arrived yet so I'm not to amused with their service. What brakes are you running, I'm on standards but thinking of metro turbo vented.

[Turbo Phil]

The series 1 is the all alloy one, the series 2 is the one with the black plastic end tanks.
Yeah water spray will work, i wouldn't pay for one of those kits though it's simple enough to rig something up yourself. I'm working on an idea for one at the mo.
The Metro vented setup is very heavy, i use solid 8.4" drilled and grooved discs EBC green pads and Minispares alloy 4 pots. No probs with stopping, and pretty light.

Phil. :grin:

[redmini]

nice one Phil, thanks again. I've followed your example and got myself a 2 core rad so that should be in next week as I've now got everything together for the engine instalation, and it's the plastic cooler I've got. Do the four pots bolt straight onto the original carriers or do they need changing too?

[Turbo Phil]

The Minispares ones bolt straight on as far as i remember, the Metro ones require the threads to be re-tapped as the bolts are slightly bigger.
If you've got your engine out you can grind some of the block away where the water pump mounts.This will help waterflow a little, Check Vizards book for info.
Also i would advise installing an electric fan under the inner wing for traffic jams.

Phil. :grin:

[redmini]

Ye I've got my vizard book (or bible as it's known in my house) I've got an eleci fan off an astra but I get the feeling it may be to big, I'll have to dig it out to check. Still not having much joy with minispeed as the downpipes are out of stock, I keep increasing my order anyway and will soon have to consider re-mortgaging to fund this project. :tongue: never mind, I only intend to do it the once so I want to do it right