Cooling, Heating and A/C

The car will be civilized and have both heat and air conditioning (A/C). Cooling systems are deceptively simple, but devilishly subtle as described in this article (which I've read twenty times). While it doesn’t mention remote electric pumps or mid-engine cars, it’s the single best resource that I’ve found and its content is directly applicable.

I’ve gone through multiple iterations of the cooling system. The version with a mechanical pump and cool HCV bracket is discussed in this blog post. My current plan is to not run a thermostat, but I have ensured that there is space to add one if needed. The LS7’s mechanical pump places the thermostat on the inlet side of the engine for reasons covered in the aforementioned article. While placing it on either side would work, fitment works better for me on the inlet side.

Links:

• Radiator — Swartz Garage

SWIRL POT

The one feature that I’m going add that isn’t covered in the article is a coolant swirl pot. Apparently these are very common in race cars to separate air bubbles. The Raver SL-C has one and the following excerpt is from Engineer to Win:

I still consider the water system de-aerating swirl pot (as described in PREPARE TO WIN) to an absolute necessity on any racing car... I strongly prefer to make the header tank nonciruclating as shown in FIGURE [184'] In this case I rub a good sized hose (say, dash 10 or dash 12) to the inlet of the pump simply to facilitate the filling of the system. If, for whatever reason, the header tank is part of the coolant circulating system then the size of this line must be severely restricted (say 1/4" ID) in order to prevent any sizable portion of the coolant from following the path of least resistance from the header tank to the water pump, bypassing the radiator(s) entirely.

Plumbing

• Our A/C insulation tape is a must have when restoring classic vehicles or replacing auto air conditioning components. For use on Expansion Valves, Heater/ Evaporator Case, Low Side (Cold) Lines.

• Hoses and Clamps: http://www.siliconehose.com

• http://www.amerisafe.net/en/insulation-products/pipe-insulation-jacketing-elbow-covers/pvc-pipe-jacketing/-2-020-white-pvc-jacketingssl-35-12-wide-14402_group

A/C System

The kit comes with a Sanden SD-7B10 compressor The primary issue is that it only has 6 ribs and I have an 8-rib belt. For a variety of reasons, I had a custom 6-rib pulley machined and mounted to the front of the ATI damper to run the A/C compressor and the alternator.

VTA-04407-MCA Pulley Cover, Air Conditioner Clutch, Aluminum, Brushed, Each
(Mfr. #: 04407-MCA) $41.99

Evaporator

When I went to install the supplied Vintage Air evaporator / heater core I discovered that it was even close to fitting because I had purchased the optional removable side-impact bars. So I spent a lot of time looking for something that would fit. I even went so far as to purchase the plastic mockup from Old Air Products for their Hurricane series which would fit. Having spent a lot of time looking into that I found Restomod Air and I would up buying their Batam II evaporator with Bluetooth connectivity.

Notes:

• Hard line bending basics; Bent Custom & Performance

• Bending tips

• Ken’s evaporator drain

  • EPDM hose 9776T18
    Aluminum tubing 9929T17
    Silicone grommet 1061T39
    Oetiker clamps 52545K73

Radiator, Fans and SHroud

The stock radiator and fans have been completely replaced with a custom solution all of which is covered in this blog post.

 Notes:

• Use an appropriate mixture of distilled water and commercial coolant that contains corrosion inhibitors.

• Do not use any brass components - especially fittings screwed into the radiator as brass promotes electrolysis in aluminum

• Honeycomb Radiator Protector (suggested by Will)

Side Pods

The primary plumbing that needs to run through side pods are associated with the cooling, heating and A/C systems. Since the body needs to slide over what's installed in the side pod, the usable width is about 3". The side of the chassis tube is 6" high and the body and tub are ~9.5" high, but I might want to use that space for storage or switches. Here's the primary space planning:

• -6 (3/8”) Wall 5/32” (0.313” total)=> 0.688”

• -8 (1/2) Wall 5/32” => 0.813”

• -10 (5/8”) Wall 5/32” => 0.938”

Other considerations:

• Primary ground wire

• Primary power wire

Cooling Tubes

Electric Cooling Pump

Pierburg CDW400

Notes:

• Dual -12 AN to 1.5” Radiator Barb Y-Block Fitting

• Wilson Coolant Manifold

Pierburg CWA200 Specs:

• Operation voltage: 8-16 volts

• Weight: approx. 2.15 kg

• Current consumption: 15A (16.5A max.) / (approx. 0.2mA in standby mode)

• Nominal diff. pressure: 0.45 bar *

• Flow rate: ca. 116 l/min @ 0.45bar / 166 l/min @ 0.30bar

• Max Speed: approx. 4500 rpm

• Temperature range: -40°C – 128°C (water) / -40°C – 140°C (ambient)

• Protection: IP67

Thermostat

• https://www.motor.com/magazine-summary/electrically-assisted-thermostat/

Overflow Tanks

• Radiator Overflow Tank with Fittings | Quarter-Max (quartermax.com)