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Replacement Radiator Option Mk2 Vitesse


Paul H

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The standard hoses definitely arent going to fit without modification Paul. The original rad had curved pipes top and bottom to meet the hoses which that unit doesnt have plus the inlet is further towards the centre. Im sure you could make up something but its too expensive to have to do that!

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Unfortunately the choice for the vitesse is quite limited. There are a couple of other offerings on ebay with the proper connections but north of 444 pounds! Its annoying as theres much more choice for TR6 which is quite similar but goes a bit too deep for the vitesse...

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I run one of these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313372577154

Upgraded 4 Row Radiator + Shroud+Fan For Honda Civic EK EG CRX DEL SOL 1992-2000 - Picture 1 of 7          

 

It does need some mods, brackets put on the side, and the bottom hose connector re-angled, but these may be readily done by a local fabricator with TiG welding skills, without the cost going anywhere near that if the above.    
No connection with the seller, except as a satisfied customer.

John

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3 hours ago, johny said:

Ive got the same after Johns recommendation and Im very pleased with it although mine is more of a home made installation with no fancy welding involved😁

Will this rad / fan fit without any mods 

Paul 

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No, it needs mounting brackets fitting and right angle hoses on both connections that meet the standard hoses via a short lengths of aluminium tube. The latter is probably the same as you would have to do with that rad youre looking at...

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Just now, johny said:

No, it needs mounting brackets fitting and right angle hoses on both connections that meet the standard hoses via a short lengths of aluminium tube. The latter is probably the same as you would have to do with that rad youre looking at...

Sorry @johny I meant depth wise 

Paul 

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Ok. I doubt it because thats a 4 row version plus the aluminium fan shroud will add even more width! I used a 3 row, spal fan direct on core and did away with the old crank fan boss to give approx 15mm clearance...

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If you open my avatar and zoom in you can see my setup,standard Vitesse hose locations and mounting brackets .

Spal 11 inch sucker fan.It is Very close to the water pump pulley.

Works well though.

S,

Edited by Steve P
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10 minutes ago, Steve P said:

f you open my avatar and zoom in you can see my setup,standard Vitesse hose locations and mounting brackets .

Steve, what radiator is it?

It's very tight with a Spal fan. With my Bastuck rad and fan it has fag paper job clearance!

Edited by Iain T
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If I did mine again I would use an escort mk 1/2 aluminium rad. Some are the same dimensions as the original and going by the efficiency of my civic unit you could probably use a thinner 2 row version and then of course the fan could also go to one side to give maximum clearance. The pipe connections would still need to be hooked up but thats more straight forward than the civic rad....

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Depthwise (from above).

The rad I recommended is a tad tight in a Vitesse.   Triumph had to mount the OE rad a bit further forward and made changes to the brackets on the front of the chassis and the front valance to accommodate, so new rad brackets must match that, and I had to fettle the fan mount and shroud to get them a few mm nearer the core, which is A/ a good thing and B/ avoided fouling the front of the engine.    But beauty and/or efficiency are always hard won!

John

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This is an interesting thread and I can see it coming in handy in the near future.

I’m struggling to see Steve P’s avatar photo clearly after zooming in.

Can anyone provide photos of the individual areas that require modification including brackets, hoses and adapters plus any other modifications?

Pete

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1 hour ago, JohnD said:

Depthwise (from above).

The rad I recommended is a tad tight in a Vitesse.   Triumph had to mount the OE rad a bit further forward and made changes to the brackets on the front of the chassis and the front valance to accommodate, so new rad brackets must match that, and I had to fettle the fan mount and shroud to get them a few mm nearer the core, which is A/ a good thing and B/ avoided fouling the front of the engine.    But beauty and/or efficiency are always hard won!

John

As I say very pleased with mine but it is almost 4" narrower than the standard rad so if you can fit something wider you should be able to reduce the thickness especially as the first is much more effective for cooling than the second...

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45 minutes ago, Puglet1 said:

Can anyone provide photos of the individual areas that require modification including brackets, hoses and adapters plus any other modifications?

Pete

Pete,

I recommend CAD!  That is Cardboard Aided Design.    Mount your rad where you want it to be, propped, clamped or whatever, and make cardboard patterns of the brackets required.  Unfold them and use them to mark out the sheets the bracket is to be made from.   OR, take the pattern to your TiG welder and let them cut it out.

Similar process for hoses and connectors.  I use silicon hose as it's extremely tough, doesn't perish and is easily cut to length.  AND in lots of cheerful colours!   But pricey, so use rubber hose to make a pattern.    Cardboard tube can be roughly curved by cutting wedges out to make a pattern.

Good luck!

John

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7 minutes ago, JohnD said:

I recommend CAD!  That is Cardboard Aided Design. 

😂
Hi John.

 I’m not currently at the replacement stage - but can foresee this happening in the future.

 I will train myself to fully understand how to operate your recommended CAD method and In the meantime I’ll start saving up for the equipment that I’ll be using.

To make sure I’m fully proficient, I’ll also consider enrolling on a Blue Peter course 😀.

 It was great to meet you at Malvern and as always I appreciate the advice and help you offer.

Many thanks.

Pete.

 

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1 hour ago, JohnD said:

I recommend CAD!  That is Cardboard Aided Design. 

So do I. We are 90% sure our new kitchen worktop will go up the stairs to our apartment, the lift being too small. A cardboard template takes away all the guessing.

Iain

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