Move over Monsta Rad, the new King has arrived! (car radiator)

[fallwind]

Finally got my car rad cleaned, painted and assembled so I thought I'd post some pics. Here we go!



This is the front. Cooling surface measures 13"x26" or about the size of 5 triple rads. The metal screen is there because I have 2 young boys who would just love to smush all those pretty delicate fins! This rad has 2 rows and is constructed out of brass and copper. I got it used from a local radiator shop for free. Took a bit of work to clean it out but hey, nothing beats free! It's very heavy and holds a gallon of water.



This is the rear. The fans are Antec "Big Boy" 200mm units with a 3 speed switch for 400,600,800 RPM. The shroud and stands are made out of 1/2" MDF, the inlet/outlet are 1.25".



A close up of the 1.25" to 1/2" adapter. Just some genereic fittings from the outdoor plumbing section at the hardware store.



Here is my desk, but where did I hide that massive rad?



Ah, there it is! My feet will be warm this winter.



And the reason for all this madness: my temps with a Thermochill 120.3 and the CPU running at 100% load. That's ambient on the left and coolant on the right. I'd like those numbers to be closer together. Ignore the fan RPM's, the controller is just hooked up to my Dominator GT fans.



Temps with car rad installed. Ahhhhh, much better! A nice ambient to coolant delta improvement of over 7C ! My coolant temp probe in located in my GPU block, the last component in my loop, so that likely explains the remaining 3c delta.



CoreTemp SS. A cool 45c with Gulftown running at 4.1GHz! And alot more room in my case for future hardware.

[shazza]

Wow ... Gulftown must run crazy hot. Nice job with the new radiator.

For comparison, I'm seeing less than a 5 degree Delta (air temp-water temp) for the i7920 @4.0GHz and Vcore of 1.38 on the MCR 320, GTs @ 1400, and the EK Supreme-Lt block.

[plzdontbetaken]

nice! =)

[fallwind]

Wow ... Gulftown must run crazy hot. Nice job with the new radiator.

For comparison, I'm seeing less than a 5 degree Delta (air temp-water temp) for the i7920 @4.0GHz and Vcore of 1.38 on the MCR 320, GTs @ 1400, and the EK Supreme-Lt block.

Yeah, I never did figure out why my delta was so high. My Thermochill had a shroud and Noctua NF-P12's running full speed. I've see many others with much better temps and lesser rads so I dunno.

Gulftowns actually run quite cool. A good 10c cooler than i7 clock for clock I'd guess. I had this rad project underway while I still had my 920 where it would have been useful. But it really wasn't necessary with the Gulfy. My temps never went above 60c while priming.

[aka_GK]

OMG
freaking huge thing
my termochill is like a toy compared to this

[Baulten]

Nice foot-warmer!

No, but seriously, that's pretty awesome. Probably cheaper than a Monsta too

[fallwind]

^^Id say! Total cost was about $50 for the fans and fittings. Rad=free, paint, wood, etc, I had laying around. It's quiet too @ 600RPM. I can't hear it over my case fans.

[shazza]

Gulftowns actually run quite cool. A good 10c cooler than i7 clock for clock I'd guess.

That's what I thought. Weird results with your PA120.3, but certainly can't complain about the new rad performance.

[Utnorris]

Doesn't the huge reducers kill the flow? Just curious about that. I can't wait to get a Gulftown and put it under my phase unit. Until then, my 920 will have to do, although I have been tempted to get a 975 for the unlocked multi. Anyway, nice job on the rad and your right, nothing beats free.

[fallwind]

A rad this big has unlimited flow, in PC cooling terms anyways. The end tanks are connected together with nearly 100 cooling tubes all flowing in parallel. You can stick a garden hose in the top, crank it on full blast and it will all just flow out the bottom without backing up and overflowing the top. This rad was designed to cool a big V8 engine afterall. When I look in the fill hole, I can't even see the water moving. If we assume my flow is 1.5GPM, divide that by 100 tubes and you get 0.015 gallons, or roughly 2oz per tube per minute.

The big rads that have huge restriction are the tube style rads like the Mora 2. They have no end tanks and have a single tube that winds it's way back and forth across the cooling surface. The massive tube length and dozens of 180 degree U bends create alot of restriction.

[ChielScape]

the mora in specific has 3 tubes in series, actually. in PC cooling terms its indeed pretty restrictive, but its not that bad. your rad though... where do i sign? :p

[Titan7171]

The Mo-Ra already had the Monsta beat....

[Hsusy]

I normally have unlimited distain for externally mounted radiator... but you sir, are a gem to the water cooling community!

[Titan7171]

That is one sweet rad though

[Ketzer7]

Fallwind that is pretty friggin sweet. Very nice job

Do you happen to know what make and model of car that rad is from, and/or who made it? I suspect it might just be an OEM pull, but I was pretty surprised when you said it was made out of brass and copper. Most car-type rads I've seen have been made pretty much exclusively out of aluminum.

Man with the size and kind of flow that thing has, I bet you could even do double or triple loops through just it with a simple manifold at the inlet and outlet and still reach the kind of delta you're seeing.

[NeedMoMegaHurtZ]

That's just awesome! And free to boot!

The silence alone must be worth it!

On average, how much would one of these go for at the auto junk yard ?

[Tackleberry]

I bet all the cats from neighbourhood would like to spend winter in your office

[duckbillclinton]

Dude, that's a nice job you did, but I suppose you could have used car radiator on the title. I have been trying to search similar threads on this forum, and only found a few. I am thinking about doing 2 similar projects later this or early next year, will see

[jadeskye]

Dude, you're a legend!

[eponymous]

Lol, very nice

[Manicdan]

i would put an air filter in the rad, considering how good temps are and how little airflow is needed, might aswell keep it clean. (i think an air filter for a house AC unit would be perfect, and they are quite cheap)

[jadeskye]

Quick question for ya, how are you moving all that water? the rad must hold twice what an entire normal W/C system does alone.

pumps in series?

[OldChap]

I'm liking this as an idea but as a relative noob to watercooling I've got to ask ....what car(s) still use this type of rad (copper/brass) most European makes have used aluminum/plastic for years. I need a resource of what to look out for

[fallwind]

Fallwind that is pretty friggin sweet. Very nice job

Do you happen to know what make and model of car that rad is from, and/or who made it? I suspect it might just be an OEM pull, but I was pretty surprised when you said it was made out of brass and copper. Most car-type rads I've seen have been made pretty much exclusively out of aluminum.

I don't know what car it is out of. I went to a local radiator shop that I do regular business with and he just let me go in the back room and pick one out. I don't think any late model cars use brass/copper rads. They mostly stopped using them in the 80's. Here's a great reference site: www.radiatorbarn.com They list dimensions and material type in the descriptions. You just have to search random older cars to find something suitable. The easiest way is still junkyard crawling though. It just takes time to find something with no leaks and damage.

Man with the size and kind of flow that thing has, I bet you could even do double or triple loops through just it with a simple manifold at the inlet and outlet and still reach the kind of delta you're seeing.

Like this?



3 loops, 9 OC'd quads, no problem!

That's just awesome! And free to boot!

The silence alone must be worth it!

On average, how much would one of these go for at the auto junk yard ?

That's highly variable. Shouldn't cost much for something this old though. Just have to inspect closely for damage and leaks and then get it dipped and flushed at a rad shop to get the crud out.

i would put an air filter in the rad, considering how good temps are and how little airflow is needed, might aswell keep it clean. (i think an air filter for a house AC unit would be perfect, and they are quite cheap)

Good idea! I'll check out the furnace filter selection next time I'm in Walmart.

Quick question for ya, how are you moving all that water? the rad must hold twice what an entire normal W/C system does alone.

pumps in series?

Just a single MCP655 with DetroitAC top located in the case. I think I will add a second pump right on the rad though, I had a heck of a time priming the pump with the res(rad) so far away.

The whole system holds about 4L (1 gallon) of water. That's not an issue though, the pump just treats the rad like a giant res. It draws what it needs from the bottom outlet, pumps it through the loop and returns in to the top inlet. Gravity pulls the water through the rad.

I'm liking this as an idea but as a relative noob to watercooling I've got to ask ....what car(s) still use this type of rad (copper/brass) most European makes have used aluminum/plastic for years. I need a resource of what to look out for

You'll have to look at older cars, like back in the 80's. As you said, everything now is plastic/aluminum. I found out the rad cooling my crunching farm is from a 1987 Nissan Maxima. Had to do alot of searching for that info when one of the fan motors died...lol!

[cobra_kai]

Both those setups are sick man! Awesome work