At 05:19 PM 6/11/2004, Editorgary@aol.com wrote:
>Research over the past few days to find a replacement radiator for my MGA
>race car surfaced the following alternatives, if anyone is interested.
>
>Kelvin Dodd reports that the replacement (reproduction) radiator now being
>sold by Moss for the MGAs incorporates several improvements over the
>previous version they had been selling (someone on the racing list had
>reported that the previous version had some problems) and he believes it
>is as, or more, efficient that the original stock radiator. My Moss
>catalog shows that radiator at $229.95. However, he doesn't have any
>information on how effective it would be in a racing application.
>
>Cloverleaf Auto Services (www.cloverleaf-auto.com) can recore a stock MGA
>radiator with a heavy-duty core that significantly increases its cooling
>efficiency for racing for a cost of $650 (plus $100 if they have a used
>MGA radiator to use and you don't supply one).
>
>Ron Davis Racing Products (www.rondavisradiators.com) in Glendale, AZ, has
>given me a quote of $616 plus shipping, to make a new aluminum radiator to
>the specs I've provided from my old aluminum radiator, which matches the
>standard mounting brackets and hose positions of the MGA radiator.
>
>Cheers
>Gary Anderson
>Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
I would like to respond just a bit to this; The "Heavy Duty" core
described above is a bit misleading. If you did nothing else but changed
the stock car to a "R" core the cooling efficiency is raised approximately
33%. This is achieved by a louvered fin that causes the air to twist and
curl around the tubes so more air is in more contact with the tube for a
loner time. The tubes are also staggered which again helps. Now a stock MGA
has 33 cooling tubes our cores have 69 so we have just increased the amount
of water carried in your radiator by 36 tubes. So now we have more water, a
better fin design and since I have more tubes more area to transfer heat to
the incoming air.
If weight is an issue Alloy is a whole lot lighter than Brass and Copper.
Alloy does not transfer heat as well as Brass and Copper. Yes an Alloy head
is the ticket to reduce heat but it is replacing a cast iron head! Just ask
your electrician friends, what transfers more over the same gauge wire,
Alloy or Copper? Heat is energy. removing heat, energy, from an engine
through the water jacket is one of the reasons an internal combustion
engine is so inefficient.
Now saying all of that buy anyone's radiators anywhere you want but if
you are going to give facts on mine please give all of the facts.
Ralph Steinberg
Cloverleaf Auto Service
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