routing cooolant

[busteddrum]

Since my '29 tudor is going to have the engine at one end of the car and the radiator at the other I was thinking about building the frame and running the coolant through the main 2 side rails. The coolant should prevent rust on the inside. Any thoughts?

 

[gold03]

You might end up with a lot of coolant volume to deal with when servicing the system. If you blew a hose it could look like the green mile.

It would take a while to come up to temp in winter. Would also be another source of cab heat though.

You could run tubing inside your frame as an option. For that matter, with enough frame tubing you might not even need a radiator. Weld on fins or build an aluminum heat sink down the inside of the frame. Sure get guys scratching their heads. Depend on the amount of heat and engine size and power.

I'm rambling... But you have got me thinking...

On the rust issue, my car hauler had rectangular tubing for a frame. I put oil in it. Hadn't thought of antifreeze.

 

[busteddrum]

Thanks for the thoughts 03. There is not a lot of room in my T and I was wanting to get the seating as close to the floor as possible while still channeling the frame inside the body. Instead of using 2"x3"x.180" I started to consider using 1.5"x 4" then the thought of running coolant through them came up. After reading your post now I'm thinking of standing 1.5" x 3" or 4" on each side and 2 1 x 3 tubes laying down 'L' shaped (welded to the vertical)for the coolant back and forth. I was also thinking of running trans cooling lines, fuel lines, brake lines etc. in channel facing down with retaining brackets inside so they can be serviced from underneath.

 

[King Herald]

Run a thermostat in the cooling system and your truck will come up to temp as normal. With those huge reserves of coolant you might not even need a rad. Just run a hose across the rear from one rail to the other, so you can plumb a small one in, just in case.

I hope your welding is fully waterproof.

 

[busteddrum]

"I hope your welding is fully waterproof."

HAHA! Me too! I will tack it up and get a real welder to finish it.

 

[Hunter1]

can't wait to see how this works. At Cruzin the Coast in Mississippi, I seen a set up like what was described. He did run a rad though in the rear. Look awesome!!! also ran his alternator off the drive shaft.[P

 

[RPM]

Just setting here thinking about this and did some quick math. If you use 2 x 3 3/16 wall tube . 1' of tube would hold .22 gallons or almost 1 quart. So one frame rail, say 8' long would hold almost 2 gallons of coolant. 2 frame rails 4 gallons. That is a lot of coolant and a lot of surface area on the frame rails to dissipate the heat.

To check the frame for leaks simply drill and tap a small 1/4 pipe thread and screw in an air line fitting, use a pressure regulator set to say 20 psi and check for leaks with soapy water.

Sounds like you might be onto something!

 

[busteddrum]

Thanks for all the brainstorming

I was just trying to get the coolant to the radiator. Now y'all got me thinking about axing the radiator altogether. How's about this: finned copper tubing snaked back and forth under the car each 1" id and 2" od 5 fins per inch. Probably running down the road it would work but maybe not so well sitting in traffic. I would like to see a bystanders face when they saw the engine spinning the fan but no radiator. HA! You could look shocked and yell out "CRAP! someone stole my radiator!"

 

[Anarchy]

Something that might help get rid of the radiator, about 2 years ago i rebuilt
a hot water boiler about 3 milliion btu and it used 1"copper tubes with copper fins down the lenght of it the cool thing was the fins were machined out of tubing not brazed or soldiered on. I saved them to use on a set up like yours but when i moved last july i scrapped all my copper. If your interested I can swing by that job and get the info off that unit and you could see how much 1 or 2 tubes would cost new. I dont remember the cost of materials for that job.
btw the tubes were about 10' long

 

[busteddrum]

Thanks Anarchy for the offer. I already have the radiator and electric fans that I am going to set up facing the ground pulling air through. This thread got a bit off track ( I helped ) but was a funny direction.
Thanks again.

 

[justsomeguy]

Just setting here thinking about this and did some quick math. If you use 2 x 3 3/16 wall tube . 1' of tube would hold .22 gallons or almost 1 quart. So one frame rail, say 8' long would hold almost 2 gallons of coolant. 2 frame rails 4 gallons. That is a lot of coolant and a lot of surface area on the frame rails to dissipate the heat.

To check the frame for leaks simply drill and tap a small 1/4 pipe thread and screw in an air line fitting, use a pressure regulator set to say 20 psi and check for leaks with soapy water.

Sounds like you might be onto something!

Also, you could use the rear crossmember at the end of the frame for your to connect your return!

I was just trying to get the coolant to the radiator. Now y'all got me thinking about axing the radiator altogether. How's about this: finned copper tubing snaked back and forth under the car each 1" id and 2" od 5 fins per inch. Probably running down the road it would work but maybe not so well sitting in traffic. I would like to see a bystanders face when they saw the engine spinning the fan but no radiator. HA! You could look shocked and yell out "CRAP! someone stole my radiator!"

can't wait to see how this works. At Cruzin the Coast in Mississippi, I seen a set up like what was described. He did run a rad though in the rear. Look awesome!!! also ran his alternator off the drive shaft.[P

This is about what I am doing, except I'm not even running a grill or any front tin! Just a motor and a couple headlights out front.

 

[zzrodder]

Running coolant through the frame was discussed in another thread - forget where... having the pipes leak proof may be a problem - lots of expansion and movement to accommodate. Using the rails themselves seems like a good idea, what with all the volume and surface area but there is a big problem with the whole idea - it becomes a better hot water heater than radiator. Once it gets warm, it's very hard to keep it at the proper temp, especially in hot weather and traffic. Compared to a radiator which has lots of thin tubes, the ratio of surface area to water in the tubes is way, way greater. Big pipes or frame rails would hold a much higher volume of water versus cooling surface area - it would never stay cool without an auxiliary radiator - but you butt would sure stay warm...

 

[King Herald]

I think a large water mass (chassis rails) would hold a much steadier engine temp than a small radiator would. A small rad at the rear just to bleed of some heat in traffic, and road wind would cool the rails when under way. Have an adjustable temp switch located at the rear of on of the rails, and an electric fan on the rad, and you'd be good.


You could soon find out if the fan actually ever came on and you'd know how good the system was. I don't think a stock water pump would have any problems moving the extra water around.

 

[bob w]

zz is right. Also, steel, as in frame rails, is not nearly as good a heat transfer material as brass or aluminum. I like the idea of using the frame rails as coolant tubes but would use a radiator and not count on any cooling effect from the frame.

 

[busteddrum]

Thanks for all the ideas. I am collecting parts now and have not decided whether or not to use the straight 8 engine. I have a line on a cheap Caddy that may change the whole plan.

 

[zzrodder]

Thanks for all the ideas. I am collecting parts now and have not decided whether or not to use the straight 8 engine. I have a line on a cheap Caddy that may change the whole plan.

I'd like to cast my vote now for the Buick straight 8 ... there's just something so cool about those looong engines .

 

[busteddrum]

ZZ I'm with you on the straight 8s. The only catch is that the Buick to chevy trans adapter is almost a grand which might be a game changer.......but I REALLY like the str8 8. A new wrinkle is that there is a local guy that has a mercruiser 170 engine for almost free. It is half of a ford 460 in an inline 4 configuration and a chevy bell housing bolt pattern to boot. So many engines - so little money.