5.3L Vortec V8 Conversion

[John D]

Damn those are pricey.

True, but mine works and your's doesn't :moon:

 

[Frank Z]

Ouch....that hurts John.

So the current gameplan is to get busy designing/fabricating some brackets to install an AC Delco compressor. I snagged one for 4 bucks at the local Bone Yard, looks like this:

http://shop.oreillyauto.com/product_images/img/evp/2617n.jpg


Although I'm impressed with the parts I've purchased from Novak so far, I'm just not willing to pay $600 for their A/C kit.

 

[Kiefer316]

Nice gauges Frank! Turned out really nice!

 

[Frank Z]

Thanks. I'd like to track down som blue bulbs though, the white gauges at night aren't that exciting.

 

[John D]

Ouch....that hurts John.

You know I'm teasing :smootch:

Do you intend to try to run A/C on this? I kept the 5.3L A/C pump and will be converting to OBA. My doors come off in April and go back on in November, so I couldn't justify the time or $ to make it work. I think Tyler is trying to keep the A/C on the LS2 swap.

 

[Frank Z]

Yes I want my A/C to work. I'll be adding a York 210 for OBA.

 

[jdxj]

Lookin good frank! Can't wait to see ya on the trail again!

 

[Frank Z]

Well it's been a good news/bad news kinda day. Good news is that I finally finished connecting the vapor return lines and vapor canister vent solenoid and do not have a check engine light as a result. Yippie!!

Bad news is that the latest round of 90+ deg weather has confirmed that I need a 3 row radiator. I kind of figured I would but was hoping I could get by without one. Driving around town the temp creeps up to 225-230 on long uphill grades but the temperature drops down to a more manageable 200-215 on the flats. This is after I bypassed the #1 fan and wired both fans to come on at the same ttime (195 deg. f.)

Although I won't have a problem on most days, we are just getting into summer and I really don't want to push the motor to extemes for no good reason.

So I'm looking for a viable solution and am considering a standard construction 3 row radiator or a 3 row aluminum if I can find a drop-in replacement.

So far I've not had any luck finding a 3 row aluminum, ebay is littered with single pass aluminum and those just don't fit the bill.

I've been trading emails with the folks a http://www.ffdynamics.com reguarding their radiator. They told me that it's a two row and I'm waiting to hear back as to whether or not they can supply me with a 3 row aluminum. If you've never heard of them, this is their complete fan/radiator kit (XJ of course):
http://www.ffdynamics.com/jeepradB1.html

Since I've already installed 2 (97+) electric fans I only need the radiator.

So there you have it. Everything is functonal but running a bit warmer than I like.

Now before you guys start suggesting a $750 radiator from Novak....It ain't gonna happen. No way no how. It might be a great piece of hardware, but my heart, soul, wallet, and wife all know that I'm not about to drop that kind of coin on a radiator.

Now if one of you are feeling extremely generous I'd be happy to provide you with my shipping address.

 

[in4aride]

Good to hear frank. Hope to see it out soon. Wish I could get my jeep to cool down too

 

[jdxj]

Good news Frank Glad you got most of the bugs out. I just got a 3row rad from radiator barn $180 bucks not sure if it'll fit yours but hopin it'll keep mine a little cooler on the hot days! http://radiatorbarn.com/search.php?product=radiator

I've been eyeballin the ff dynamics 3 fan setup for a while now and I think it's gona be my next mod after the cage and flares are done!

 

[John D]

How much are they asking for just the radiator (no fans or controls)?

 

[Frank Z]

About $170...but i don't know the tube size yet. I'll post more info as it becomes available.

John,
Refresh my memory. Stock radiator in your rig?

 

[John D]

About $170...but i don't know the tube size yet. I'll post more info as it becomes available.

John,
Refresh my memory. Stock radiator in your rig?

$170 sounds really good. I would want to know how much room is lost between the engine and radiator. I have no room to spare so it would need to go forward to work for me.

Yes, stock radiator. I run one XJ fand and a fan similar to the ones in the upgrade kit you posted. The difference is I made a shroud for the little fan that covers everything except where the XJ fan is.

So far it works great, but 90 degree days are hard to come by here.

 

[Frank Z]

Thanks John.

AFAIK, The FF Dynamics radiator is a drop-in replacement with the same basic footprint as the OEM radiator.

My research as simply confirmed what I already knew...
Thermodynamics is a B*tch.

Increased row quantity, while not necessarily bad, won't solve cooling problems. larger than stock tube size is far more important. It creates a greater area for heat transfer and holds more coolant.

FFDynamics is a slow to respond to my inquiries but rest assure that I'll post up all relevant data as it becomes available.

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

I don't have any idea how mine is going to cool, but I purchased a generic Northern radiator for a Chevy and it uses two rows of cooling as almost all of their product does.

http://www.northernfactory.com/storefrontB2CWEB/browse.do?action=browse

For packaging, I think if I were to do it again I would get a Double Pass aluminum radiator. It sends the coolant across the top group of fins, and then back across the bottom group of fins. It puts the in and out connections on the same side. At least in my frankenstein 5.3 in a narrowed MJ setup, having the in and out on the same side would have worked out nicely. I've also read a few posts here and there from buggy guys who said the double pass product solved their cooling woes. That's the only input I can provide. Jeff

 

[John D]

Makes sense that two passes could offer better cooling, you would just need a pump that could push it fast enough. Its going twice as far before coming back to the engine with a setup like this.

 

[Sponge Bob]

I installed a double pass in a CJ from Ron Davis with no added pump volume and works great. you might be able to modify yours with the plates to make it a double pass.. How many CFM's are the fans. the 2 installed on the Cj are 3000 each Spals.

 

[Frank Z]

For what it's worth, Dual pass radiators aren't necessarily any better than single pass. From The Cooling Bible on Pirate4x4.

Let's take a closer look at why all this is so and what it means to our cooling system performance.
Many people mistakenly believe that a dual-pass radiator cools better because the coolant "goes through the rad twice" and therefore "spends longer in the rad and cools more". We know that this is not the case, because "time spent in the rad" is not a defining factor of how well a rad cools, and that flow, turbulence, and delta-T have a far greater effect on cooling efficiency than time. In addition, there are a great many aspects of radiator design, including tube width, tube height, number of tubes, tube construction, and fin count that, in addition to flow pattern, all combine to determine the cooling efficiency of a radiator.
So, the question is - does a dual-pass rad cool better or worse than a single cross-flow rad?
The answer is "it depends". To understand why this is the case, we need to recall the principles of Pump Performance Curve and Total System Pressure Drop and apply them to the dual-pass rad to see what is happening.

And on another note:

So I'm heading home with my wife and daughter n the heep, feeling oh so proud of myself for building a street/trail beast and hoping I get asked to take someone to the mall so I can show off a bit....

As I glance into the rear view mirror I see that I'm being tailgated by a billowing cloud of white-ish smoke. My first thought was that the radiator blew.

The steering was getting really tough and then i heard the tell-tale squeal of the power steering pump. Son of Bitch! Not again!! Another ruptured power steering line!!! This is the second time that this has happened. The damn line developed a tear/cut/rupture right at the end of the return nipple on the reservoir.

So WTF am I doing wrong here folks?
Stock 5.3L pump for an 03 Tahoe, stock location as well.
PSP Pulley is from a Ford E150 van (3/4" smaller than the oem pulley).

I did not install the OEM PSP cooler....did I screw up by not doing so?

 

[John D]

Seriously doubt the cooler could make a difference cruising the mall.

Is there an ede on the nipple? Sharp bed putting pressure on the nipple?
What are you usiing for the return line? I think I used fuel injection rubber hose (just because I had it laying around). It's pricey, but then again I don't have to repair a line every week :dunno:

 

[Frank Z]

I finally got a reply from FFDynamics regarding their 2 row radiator.

The Cherokee Radiator consists of 2 rows of tubes each tube is 16.5mm wide.

Are you looking for just the radiator or the radiator with electric fan conversion? As we have a radiator, electric fan and shroud system that can handle the Cherokee with the v8 swap. There are a few Cherokees out there with 360 Dodge Magnum engines and this system is able to keep them cool.

Thanks!
FFD

So do I take the chance and try one? Really tough question.