Bullbar as an external coolant cooler?

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 6:29 am

As I was moving along watching my Brums temp gauge hover above half and a bit more towards 100C (temp of the head itself) I looked a little further afield for a moment and wondered if my chunky chube bullbar by TJM was all sealed in the tubing ....wondered how if it was, a couple of heater hose barbed fittings screwed in each end, (see where I am going with this?) what if I ran heater hose to it and coolant through it, I would be increasing the coolant capacity by almost 100% but would it assist much in cooling being up front in the 40C air or 50C in the sun and not being a very thin cooling tube in the first place? World first bug BBQ ?

Post by **TOONGA** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 9:29 am

Just get a known working heater core, a thermo fan of similar size and tap into the heater lines. plumb it all up and you could even put a secondary heater tap in place. set up the thermo with a relay and toggle switch and hopefully watch your temp drop. where you put the secondary radiator is your choice

TOONGA

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 2:15 pm

An interesting idea, not very practical though

All those welds aren't done to any pressure standards, there's bound to be a pin hole somewhere. Not to mention the ire of the occupants of the other car in a crash, being sprayed with hot coolant

Just get your radiator flushed/rodded/new radiator or the extra heater core trick. My brum has been getting 3/4 up the temp gauge on a hot day, and even some cool ones! Interesting that my wagon never got above half way and the thermo fan didn't even work. I think I might put the wagons rad in the brumby, see if it makes any difference.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 6:24 pm

This unit never got past half on the hottest of hot with heater on hot its fan full blast and both rad fans.....then it sat about for a year . Am about to try the old caustic soda mix in it, sit flat and soak for a few hours. I have got a 30mm welch plug to fit a tubeless tit to in order to give it a back blast of compressed air, fit welch plug in hose end. Used to use a borrowed money making gadget that, um, well, looked a bit like a horses donger - steeped at one end to fit numerous hose sizes, the other end bit of a bulb shape and water inlet as well as air, to keep water flowing, air behind it.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 12:20 am

The bull bar's welds should hold up to the pressure of the cooling system, after all, I believe it's somewhere around 15psi, nothing over the top!

Really what you need to be looking at is how a negative pressure is built up in the engine bay - still got the factory plates that mount beside the bash plate? If not I'd be putting them back on as these play a part in keeping air moving through the radiator. Another thing you can do is add a strip of rubber or something flexible (incase you hit something) that's at least an inch wide that is mounted below the radiator as far back as possible without any gaps before it. This is mounted verticle and will create a negative air pressure situation that will draw air through the radiator.

The larger the strip is, the more effective it will be, particularly at low speed. This is what I need to do with Sunnie the Brumby to have a good cooling system as everything is up to scratch else where.

Cheers

Bennie

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 6:48 am

A closer study or a Vortex front would show their efforts in directing a lot of air towards the radiator with all the extra plastic panels. Just know it was all once bulletproof in the cooling without any other design stuff. Also been thinking about the guy Greg Tambox has mentioned with his cooling system mods that sound like he redesigns the water pump with tighter clearances? so it must flow water when it spins not just agitates and causes cavitation. It also uses a thermostat mod fitting it to the lower hose (ala EJ ) close to the water pump and a connection between top and bottom hose - likely stops the pumps caviatin and gives coolant somewhere to flow until thermostat opens- system runs way cooler radiator apparently!.

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 7:21 am

Why not set up a washer bottle and pump, and spray a mist of water over the front of the radiator when it gets too hot. The evaporation of the water will help cool you radiator by quite a bit. But you may need a fair tank for extended driving

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 7:32 am

Or refit my AC so it blows the cold air onto the radiator instead of in the cabin

Nah, think the rad needs attention or replacement. Don't think it is the age of the donk - 496,000km and counting. Self control to get to 500,000 mark and then fit my mongrel EA82 (carb block, mpfi turbo heads, cam and inlet manifold) Just not certain if the EA82 is gonna work with Brumby radiator , no point getting new now if not.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:45 am

Gannon wrote:Why not set up a washer bottle and pump, and spray a mist of water over the front of the radiator when it gets too hot. The evaporation of the water will help cool you radiator by quite a bit. But you may need a fair tank for extended driving

This is what I'm looking at doing. I've got some parts sorted already. Just need some time to mount the tank and wire it up etc. Then the jet size will be played with to get the best result, thinking the smaller the better for a fine mist.

Cheers

Bennie

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:23 am

Just waiting on the crud to settle in the bucket from my caustic soda trick yesterday