fiddling with me waterworks!

[the coppersmith]

I reckon that's a result. My dolomite sprint engined kit has the rad lower but has a big brass plug in the thermostat housing to fill the system and a small pipe that I have taken to a golf sealed system tank, works better then ever I could have expected. I flushed out the system with a central heating cleanser, safe for all materials, amazed at what came out after a week of hot running, flushed it and used central heating inhibitor in the system, its all very good now after 3 years of being in the system.

[ROD]

ON ...yes trying to fit it inside rails, but no go, as it fouls the alt gubbins!
Coppersmith...so the catch tank is fitted to the stub on the thermostat housing? Pipe goes to a container , which has small amount of fluid in it, so that pipe is dangling in the coolant?Im presuming as coolant expands it vents to container, then as it cools it pulls back in? Roughly how much lower is the rad to its 'normal' height? Thanks.
just been looking at golf tanks, they all seem to have a smaller pipe stub on top and a larger diam stub at bottom? Hows yours plumbed then?

[terry t]

So ive just stripped down the rad and trial fitted it in a new position.It will just about fit , but means the top hose stub on the rad is now HIGHER THAN THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING  by about 2 or 3 inches. Comments?

Rod on a standard reliant rad setup the top of the rad (not the cap} is just about level with top of rocker cover

[hunter]

Rod this is how the racers do it.

fiddling with me waterworks!

fiddling with me waterworks!

fiddling with me waterworks!

Sorry about the last pic,But you get the idea.

[hunter]

It's fitted to the rear of the motor in this one.

fiddling with me waterworks!

[ROD]

Thanks, thats very interesting!. I remember seeing that second pic on here before.
The setup Coppersmith described sounds good. Ive just started on fitting a filler to the top hose(which is already partly 25mm stainless).I'll also 't' off from the fitting at the back of the head and put a  filler there as well.

[the coppersmith]

sorry for the delay, someone wanted a cast iron lamp post welded after she reversed into it before her husband finds out. And a pretty woman always wins Yes mine is simple, tapped the top of the thermostat with a 38 bsp plug screwed in, where the temp take off is there is also a tapping, 1/8 bsp ?, and a adapter to 10 mm pipe. this leads to the golf expansion vessel which I keep 1/4 full of fluid. I believe the blow off of this is quite high but dont remember what it is. This vessel is placed as high as the top hose. I always top up through the brass plug on the thermostat housing, though saying that it seems to stay OK now that I cleaned the system out and replaced every hose. I have tried to put up a picture but it says it to large and I'm struggling to get it any smaller. Once the son gets home from surfing if he is sober enough I'll get him on to it as a picture paints a .............etc. Anyway it works and works well, despite some spirited drives across Dartmoor it never boils, plus I fitted an electric fan with a stat operating it, it seems to warm up better. Good luck and I hope this is of some help.

[ROD]

Sounds good, but dont quite understand that, will have to wait for the pic.Which pipe goes where? Are there 2 pipes?

[the coppersmith]

No, one pipe tapped into the housing that goes to the expansion vessel and that sort of breathes, or expands and contracts I suppose, Oh, plus the top hose to the rad of course.

[ROD]

Sorry, Im having a senior moment here!!!
So to recap...the top of rad is lower than the thermostat, you have the main top hose connected from thermostat to rad, main bottom hose from w/pump to rad., a smaller pipe from stathousing to bottle (is there a pipe stub on bottle then?) ? What other pipes?? (Whats "top hose to rad"?)
Sorry!

[the coppersmith]

sorry, you got it spot on. there is only 1 hose to the expansion tank, yes the rad is 1" lower then the thermostat housing hence the tapped hole in top of thermostat housing which is 3/8 bsp with a brass plug to fill it initially. There is a blow off hose on the expansion tank the same as a rad cap filler would have. Do you know, I never think any more that I'd be glad to see that son of mine home and here I am wishing he was sat next to me right now, telling me how cr*p I am at computing

[ROD]

I recognise everything youre saying there ..pmsl!
So wheres the b****y pic then? Lol

[hornet6]

Rod. If you need some type of expansion tank making in stainless ....drop me a message and I can see what I can do... Not promising anything , but you never know....just send some dimensions and sketches.

[ROD]

Thanks,I'll keep it in mind.
I really dont know what the best thing is to do.leaving the rad where it is and adding header tanks and pipework is all very well, but in nearly all the accounts Ive read (locost site and elsewhere) there has been issues almost identical to the prev probs I had.Some accounts are uncannily similar!! Im very tempted to alter the frame to accomodate the rad in front of the engine at the height as per reliant intended.I certainly cant afford to b****x another engine with trial and error pipework etc.Im seriously thinking about slightly modding the frame down tubes to allow the rad to sit in between them.decisions, decisions!

[ROD]

So I decided the cheaper option if it all went wrong, would be to try modding the radiator itself.After cutting part of the side mounting plates away , I think with a bit of trimming of the corners of the bottom tank it may just fit at the correct height.VERY tight for space in every direction! Think I 'll get the radiator firm to mod the corners, as Im not having much luck soldering stuff lately, but he does it really quick, and makes it look so easy!
I also need to turn the stat housing through 90degrees. IE BOLT HOLES WONT LINE UP .Im sure this was done by somebody once on here.Was it ANDY who did it? Cant remember.