Hi,

My radiator has done its dash and its time to replace it.

Can anyone suggest the best type of rad to suit our conditions, I have been looking at the ali ones on ebay, though dont know what their like.

My mini has a mild 1275 which i want to keep cool through the summer.

Thanks

Rocco

If you can get your hands on a good condition or re-conditioned two core which has the right connections on the top tank for your motor just stick with that , before fitting the replacement give the block a good flush , I would remove the engine to make the change over easier, replace all the pipe work as well, to flush the block on the floor ( somewhere the water won't make a mess ) ,after removal of the original radiator and hoses, strip the connections off the garden hose - remove the plug at the back of the block- dip the end of the hose in hot water to soften it and push it in the bung hole on the back of the block and get someone to ease on the water - tell them to stop when you have enough pressure to flush but not enough to push the hose out of your hand , if you don't flush the block before fitting the replacement that grit, rust etc would shorten its life . Once all refitted and ready to go make sure you have replaced the thermostat with a new 82deg one, also use a new 13pound cap , don't take the fact you can fit it as gospel , the cap must be able to hold pressure for the system to work ) . Also the ratio of coolant, rust inhibitive and water is important , I,m using 30% Rust Inhibitive, 20% Coolant and 50% Water and my system is stable but try what you like , experiment . Another thing is recheck your timing and make sure your not running lean before restarting

.

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brilliant advice from 74snail...

can i just say in relation to this thread.... "here we go"

there's been a lot of debate on radiators lately... i try and stay out of it cos i've got one of the bling ebay alloy ones which so far seems ok, but it was only ever bought at a cheap fix, just haven't got around to taking the old tanks to a radiator shop for a new core yet..

http://www.minis.com.au/minis/catalog/p ... cts_id=920

This is the alloy radiator I have in my car and it is awesome!! Worth every cent

Just to save on a new debate, here's a recent one;-

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic ... sc&start=0

And yeah, some very good advice there from the snail

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I think you mean 3 core? factory radiators are 3 core...

The original radiator is more than up to the job for all but the gruntiest engines. They won Bathurst with a standard cooling system...

My three core factory one is brilliant. I had the tanks cleaned and re-cored it and it has never had a problem. They were designed to do the job 50 years ago and they worked then, no reason they wont work now.

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Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

My vote is for a reconditioned Oz 3 core. Yes, I've also used the UK 3 core and super 2 core..

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

$100 ebay alloy, best value purchase i've made on my car to date..

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ALLOY-RADIATOR-A ... 2147wt_907

yes but they were only stuck.at the lights once!!

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tim
68 Deluxe 1293, HIF44, megajolt/EDIS4, daihatsu alternator..

'a mini is for life, not just for christmas!'

I wonder if they raced with the heater on, as suggested in the S drivers handbook if overheating was a problem...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

But they didnt have global warming like we do

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Only on the AEG163 heads .........

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Well, in the 1966 race they all had one of those...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.