Manky Monkey Motors

is there a reason why i can not put the radiator at the back of my trike. can get the long flexible pipe easily enough. will the pump cope with the distance, guess it pumps water the same no matter how far or is it limited. perhaps the pipe diameter could be smaller to increase pressure.
 any ideas.

Wouldn't get much airflow through it would you?

only be a small goldwing one i have biker gran, would nt get much flow at the front because tucked in too tight. got a fan for it too thats quiet. could have a nice  scoop thing too. more interested in the pump being strong enough to push the water that far.

Mr M has done it, check it out with him..Morrag

T'aint nuthin' new under the sun as they say.
Yup, been there & done that several times -but wander round any decent bike museum & you'll see the idea's been around for the best part of a century.
Both my red & green Reliant trikes had rear mounted Ford Fiesta radiators, with standard Reliant water pumps pushing the water around the bottom loop of the frame -yeah, the coolant ran inside the frame, rather than in rubber hoses. I had to jack the back end up to bleed the air out of the system as the rad sat slightly lower than the top of the engine, but it worked fine. The red one was the prototype & also had a rear mounted fuel tank with electric pump. You can see the raised radiator filler neck at the back in the second photo.
Rode them both for several years, all around the South of England, with no problems.

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Youre a poser Andy!!!

I'm a Postie.  ;D

does it matter if you mess with hose sizes. if you ran yours through the frame ii cant,, can it??

1" bore ERW tube, same as I always use for trike frames. Not that dissimilar tp the standard Reliant rad hose bore.
To be honest, I don't overthink stuff like that too much. The Try It & See method's more fun! 

seems the way to go m/m

Dobber if you need to add length and can get your hands on some of the old alloy vacuum cleaner pipes they are just the right size.

So there you go, arguably two of the nicest looking,and engineered 3 Wheelers you'll see anywhere, methinks!...Morrag

Yes love the green one,like the tank alot. 8)

does look good....

 ;D
Having the rad at the back meant I couldn't use the normal sloping rear hardtail design cos I wanted to mount it inside the line of the frame, rather than hung behind it. So the back end had a sort of flat deck area. I used the space either side of the pillion seat for a box with flush mounting lid. One held the battery & the fuses, while the other was a storage box, big enough for my gloves, goggles & a few tools. I fitted aluminium runners with rubber inserts, as used on the running boards of some vintage cars, across the decks to give me somewhere to strap luggage to without damaging the green powdercoat.
Only problem I ever had was the coating would sometimes soften a little on a long run because of the heat of the water running inside it -I could push my fingernail into it after a couple of hundred miles. Never did any permanent damage but meant the bottom loop of the frame, that carried the water, wasn't quite as shiney as the rest.
I started with a standard Harley Sportster tank & welded a steel "tail" onto it to give that sloping look, then during it's first Winter rebuild, sent that to The Tank Shop in Scotland, who made a copy in aluminium. The speedo was set into the top of it.

both veeeeeeery nice............i remember when the red one was in AWOL mag years ago, hit me instantly as a well engineered & alternative styled piece of kit.......spent many hours drooling over it !

Dobber, then narrower the pipe, greater the pressure at the pump, lower the pressure at the rad, lower the flow. The pump will develop a max pressure, the least resistance to flow will result in the greater flow, so keep them pipes wide :)

MM did you even need a rad if you used the frame - I bet that did most of the cooling work? 

Were there any corrosion issues using a steel frame, alloy engine ?

crossed my mind Andy. we have a radiator maker in wakefield. going to see about a custom made one for the front. got no  practical route for the water pipe to the rear.
you got one for your build. got a goldwing one with its own filler neck and cap, few mm too wide to fit in mine.   no forward planing.... again...

I have a reliant rad here, but have been thinking of one at the rear with a fan.  Had this in mind :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAUXHALL-CORSA-COMBO-DIESEL-1993-2000-NEW-RADIATOR-/190556582949?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2c5e0eb425

mondeo rad is another rear mount option along with the like,s of citroen AX,,, puegoet  106,,,306 etc,,

how do you put the filler/cap set up in?

http://www.cbsonline.co.uk/product/In-Line_Radiator_Filler_Neck_25mm_INF25

Perfect!

with a bit of lever jiggery pokery you could even allow hot air to go to yoiu passenger on cold days, to keep them warm :)

but for what its worth i think unless your going to hide it Andy that most modern rads are just downright ugly  :)

aint nowt you cant get.. rethink time on mine

Couldn't agree more! It will be hidden if I go that route.  My build is planned a 3 seater, with the rear end looking a bit like a cut down Morgan, ie sweepy back mudguards and some form of enclosure around the seats, possible a bathtub appearance.  So I can hide the rad under that, of have it crosswise at the rear behind a nice grill.  I want to keep the seats low, if possible down between the wheels rather than above, and keep the wheelbase as short as possible.  Moving the rad to the rear *may* help on the wheelbase slightly.

Still drawing / redrawing / cursing at the moment :)

 what you need    is  an IZAL bog roll and a pencil next to the throne in the ,lavvie,,

oooh i remember that from infants school we called it slip and smell  :D

Izal bog roll, and that smelly stuff they always put down when some kid was sick

There was always lots of discussion over whether it would work by simply circulating the water around the frame, doing away with the rad altogether. Quite possibly. I used a lot of antifreeze/coolant, probably 75% coolant, 25% water, because it contains a corrosion inhibitor. Seemed to work fine.
I used a Fiesta rad, partly because it's quite low, so the frame could be low too -but mostly cos I just happened to have one.

IZAL,, :D :D was like the big bully at school

rough  tough  and wouldnt take sh#t of anyone  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

As Andy said, Fiesta radiator. I used same, with electric fan, water running through frame.

 :)

I like the idea and look of that.  how did yoiu make the water all go the right way ?

That's how I first met TrikerPete. He got in touch about building a replica of mine & we conversed by email for ages before we met.
Me & him.  :)

Spooky or what!!!!!! I was on the bog this morning and had the recollection of schooldays and Izal bog paper, it was kept in the cupboard in every classroom, so if you went to the bog you had to take paper with you (everyone knew you were going for number two`s then) and teacher would say "Only two sheets, only two sheets!!!!!" Well after the first sheet had skidded up your a**e coz it was soooo shiny, the second one had to be screwed up into a ball so you could scrape the skidmarks off (if you were lucky). I hated having a c**p at school.  ::) ::) ::) ::)

I rememeber visiting my sister in hospital in London anout 40 years ago, went to the loo and the bogroll had    "Hospital Property - not to be taken away"    printed on every sheet!

Well what would you have done...............?   ;D

nicked it ------------------------------------------any way  ;)