hello all!

im having radiator troubles at the moment, its pretty bad as when i pour the water in, it pours straight out, and i am overheating within about 10 minutes. so i got a "new" radiator (amongst other parts) and i was going to put in in this morning. i flushed it out both ways, and i noticed that the top radiator hose comes out the front, not the back like my current one.

Question one: is it possible to turn the thermostat housing around to accomodate the new direction of the top hose? it is the one with the holes to screw in the anti pollution gear (which i dont have). if it is possible i will need new gaskets right?

so i went out to my car and i'm looking at the engine, and i notice the plumbing for my heater (which doesnt work) it comes out of the block or head (can't remeber which) and a rubber pipe goes through the bulkhead/firewall to my heater, then back up and connects to a small pipe going doen the front of the radiator.

Question two: the new rad doesnt have this pipe. can i fit it? how will i bypass the heater and plumb the brass elbow by cyl. 4 back to the rad?

cheers fellas, ill be in touch soon!

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

Yes you can change the thermostat to the earlier type to point to the front and use the same gaskets.

To fit the heater return pipe, you will need another radiator bottom hose with the return pipe plumbed into it. It has a little rubber attachment added near the water pump end for the return, you'll need a short length of copper pipe to join the two as well.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

no i mean can i cange the orientation of the current thermo housing.

re. the bottom rad hoses, do they look like this?

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

Not really the studs don't form a nice equalateral triangle so they won't be turned around nicely.
Anyway that original Air pump mounting boss would foul the rocker cover and it will turn it around 120 degree and not 180 so it will either point to the radiator neck or the rocker cover.

They cost less than 20 bucks.

I can't see the picture on my network, but it has a rubber pipe thingy pointing directly up fbehind the water pump end

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

how`s about you either----->

(1)
get the right radiator or have your original one fixed/repaired

(2)
get an early thermostat housing to suit the early radiator that you have now got, get new gaskets & also buy/get an early type top radiator braket to suit with 2 new rad brkt grometts to boot

yeah?

the heater outlet in the back of the head can just be blocked off for the moment , especially if the heater doesn`t work anyways

& if you do intend on using that early radiator then that pic you showd with the bottom hose heater outlet type, will work, that`s the early type bottom hose, otherwise just block off that outlet on the back of the head & don`t worry about the heater for now

easy-peasy?

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

Dylan, I checked at Bellarine Mini Centre and the thermostat housing wont turn around without a) fouling on the rocker cover, and b) the bolt/stud holes wont line up. The housing will only fit one way.

Solution - there's a guy in Ballarat somewhere called Neville Purdew. (Donny Muntse has his addresss and phone #). Neville will probably have one of these older type housings. Get the thermostat housing to go with that radiator and buy some stuff from the hardware store called 'SEAL-A-GASGET' - it's clear glue sort of stuff and you don't need new gaskets. However, gaskets are dirt cheap!!!! AND Neville will have them too!!

While you're at the hardware store, buy a bolt. Cut off about 3cm of your existing rubber hose (the one that goes from that little elbow) and push the bolt in to the hose - now clamp it with one of those clips that you screw tight on the heater hoses. (Use the one from the rad. end of the heater hose). The other heater hose that goes to the radiator - just leave that hangin' for now.

The spare radiator in the garage - I've got to take it to the repairer tomorow on my way home from work. The guy was having today off!!!

Hooroo

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Rod
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v607/Rodney/

What radiator do you have that has the top hose at the back??

the late ones, its a 78 mini.

i think ill go the block-off direction, ill see if i can't get my curent rad fixed first.

block off will only be temporary, i dont want to have to buy too many parts, and i need my mini saturday

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

fixed!

i bought the 2 part epoxy stuff, worked weel, got me from ballarat to geelon, then to melbourne and back. then put another radiator in, the right sort this time which was reco'd and pressure tested. and i even pained the top

put it in, tured it on, but had a leak! turns out i didnt put the bottom hose on properly, where it connects to the block. easy fixed, and now i can be happy

cheers fellas

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince