I now need to purchase a radiator for my BMW 2.8 (i.e. straight 6) Viento build. I'm not really sure how much cooling I will need. What is the collectives view on whether the following will do. It seems to be about as big as I can fit in - the slightly larger version of the same thing is too tall (I think)


LONDON TAXI TX1 2.7 T / D AUTO RADIATOR NEW | eBay

It's a viento... You must have room for one of these

Tried it but ran out of copper pipe by the time that I got to then end of the street.

Also the space under the nose is only about 600x500 (and before anyone asks, that's mm!)

I'm probably talking through my bum but is there any reason that you couldn't fit two rads, one behind the other, suitably plumbed. ie; engine to back rad then to front rad and back to the engine. This way you have a rad that is not too tall or wide but has twice the depth.
Could work out cheaper too with s/hand rads.

Would a capri style rad would fit the bill as ive got one for sale if you think it will work.

I used a London taxi TX1 2.7 TD/Fairway driver/FX4S in my Viento and it cost £69.75 from ebay seller coolpartsuk. It was the largest radiator I could fit into the nosecone and it is also very very thick. It seemed to me that some radiators are thin but this beast is 40-60mm thick (from memory).

To mount it I used the existing Luego mounts and some aluminium 90 degree angle chopped into little brackets. The radiator itself is mounted using rubber washers and rubber mounts to reduced vibration. I had to grind away some of the brackets on the radiator itself to allow it to fit at the bottom.

I used a single SPAL fan and I can find some specs on this should anyone be interested. This however required some fettling to make it fit.

At the bottom of the radiator are two brass fittings which I have guessed must be for a small oil cooler. I haven't used this nor am I 100% certain it is an oil cooler. I haven't filled the water system as yet so maybe water will spill out of these holes.

I have uploaded some pics to my archive in a folder called 'radiator'.

I have no way of knowing if this is a good solution to Viento cooling but I cannot see how any other radiator could be a tighter fit.

I hope this helps

K

Thanks. That looks like a tight fit and, as you say, it would be hard to imagine getting much more radiator into the space. I think that I'll go for the same solution as it should be plenty for my 2.8 straight 6 and future proof for the inevitable M3 conversion in a couple of years!!

Might be worth doing a search on here as I'm sure Viento rads have been covered? ISTR someone using a Volvo rad?

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Originally posted by rusty nuts
Might be worth doing a search on here as I'm sure Viento rads have been covered? ISTR someone using a Volvo rad?

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Took my nosecone off the other night so I can post up some more photos.

The TX1 radiator more or less fills the nosecone so little air can get round. I think there is about 5-10mm either side, zero at the bottom and maybe 50mm at the top. The tops so big to allow for the rad cap. I was thinking of making a flap so the air cannot escape this way avoiding the radiator.

No point going too large, find a similarly powered car and use that (assuming there are no oddities to their airflow etc).


I used an Audi 100 one for my chargecooler recently, but it's a thick one and about the same size and fin density as the stock ST185 one which deals with a turbocharged 300hp 2 litre no problems...


570x305x42mm twin-pass core. £26.50 new on ebay!

ST185 Audi100 rad for CC

[Edited on 4/7/12 by coyoteboy]