Dualie heatercore:Which to get and how to make shroud?

[afireinside]

I decided to ditch the external box when I decided I want a sleek and silent rig. I'm minimizing noise by switching to water on my GPU, turning my intake fans down, changing my out take fan to a stealth and matting my case with dynaflow. I could get great temps if I had a dualie heater core on top and with 2x evercool alu frame fans I'd have plenty of air flow and low noise. They look awesome to

SO:
when I go to the auto store probley tommorow what heatercores should I be looking for in particular? Which auto store should I go to?

What kind of tool do I get to thread the holes for the barbs?

What kind of black spray paint should I use to give it a nice finish?


Next up is the shroud. I want to mount the heatercore ontop of my case with the fans under it to make it look nicer. What should I use to make the shroud? I have limited expirences with most materials tho... How do I secure it to my case? And how would I cut holes for the tubes to run inside?

[Çhrist0ph]

Dont go to NAPA for barbs, I went there and it was a total waste of time.

As for a shroud, make it out of sheet aluminum. You'll probably need to buy the special cutters (forgot what its called) that will cut through it.

[freecableguy]

Cutters = tin snips or "nibblers"

[afireinside]

How hard is it to work with sheel aluminum and how would I go about puttting it together?

I'll be using barbs I already have or going to home depot for them... Unless you ment heatercore

[Çhrist0ph]

ive never had to work with sheet alu. but ive seen ppl making shrouds easily with alu. at other forums. didnt look too hard at all. just make a shroud out of card board then copy the design to alu.

[Stang_Man]

making something nice out of sheet metal aluminum takes some skill, and it's definitely not easy.

it is relatively easy if you take your time, measure things up exactly, etc etc.

and when you're bending angles in sheet metal, you will probably want to put it in a vice with 2 blocks of wood to protect the finish if you dont have a sheet metal bender.

[afireinside]

Screw that I'll just paint some cardboard and duct tape

I'm probley gona get a :
) 1972 Chevrolet Caprice Heater Core
2) Total Area - Length: 6 1/8" Width: 2" Height: 10 3/4"
Fin Area - Length: 6 1/8'' Width: 2'' Height: 9 1/2''
3) Hose Size: I 3/4'' O 5/8'' (Fits 1/2" ID Tubing)
4) 2 X 120mm
5) Dual Pass
6) $19.99
7) Napa Auto Parts (Item#: BK 4603026) www.napaonline.com
Auto Zone (Item#: 398219) www.autozone.com
8) Fedco 2-199
Added by Cytomax
^^from OCforums heatercore database thread

tommorow

[Mtgoat]

You could make one out of 1/4" plexi like I did. I was wanting to keep it clean and pimp and couldn't get anything pre-made to fit correctly. In the end it worked out.

[Mtgoat]

Here is the finished results.

[afireinside]

Looks good but howed you glue the plexi together?

[kommando]

Ghetto, maybe use industrial tape to hold it together...

Or that stuff they use to lay down the road crap.

[Mtgoat]

Originally posted by afireinside
Looks good but howed you glue the plexi together?

I went to Home Depot and bought some epoxy and used clamps to hold it together till the epoxy set. I also used some 1/4" wide foam weather stripping (has glue on both sides) to seal the rad to shroud and the fan to shroud. Don't get the epoxy that cures super fast as it gives you no time for assembly as is begins to cure immediately after you begin to mix part "A" with part "B".. I got the kind that has a 6 minute cure time with ready to use in 2 hours.

If you don't care much about looks you can drill and tap the ends where the joints are so you can assemble it with screws.

[DaveX]

Originally posted by afireinside
Screw that I'll just paint some cardboard and duct tape

I'm probley gona get a :
) 1972 Chevrolet Caprice Heater Core
2) Total Area - Length: 6 1/8" Width: 2" Height: 10 3/4"
Fin Area - Length: 6 1/8'' Width: 2'' Height: 9 1/2''
3) Hose Size: I 3/4'' O 5/8'' (Fits 1/2" ID Tubing)
4) 2 X 120mm
5) Dual Pass
6) $19.99
7) Napa Auto Parts (Item#: BK 4603026) www.napaonline.com
Auto Zone (Item#: 398219) www.autozone.com
8) Fedco 2-199
Added by Cytomax
^^from OCforums heatercore database thread

tommorow

Bonneville core is pretty good too.

[Weapon]

dual 120 heatercore.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...threadid=25182

shroud (little project I laid out tonight):

^slight mods to the shroud that was in my heatercore thread.

[afireinside]

Weapon, your the heatercore GOD! I'm not exactly on your level though Whats that NPD tapping whatever crap called? Like what do I look for at homedepot or where ever? Or how could I just braze/solder it on?

Where can I get that epoxy and whats the best way to cut thicker plexi? I got some 1/8" lexan I can use some old wire cutter things to cut but 1/4" I'd need something else...

EDIT:
hum I just looked at the caprice heatercore and it does look like a PITA...
"3) Hose Size: I 3/4'' O 5/8'' (Fits 1/2" ID Tubing)"

How can the inner be larger than the outer? Is that backwards?

[Andrew]

When looking at heater cores the I and the O are Input tube and Output tube.

[chilly1]

Plexiglass can be glued together with PVC cleaner (Not Glue). Use a very little and use very straight edges, brush both edges once and clamp. Dries in about 20 minuets to full strength.

The trick is the edges. Plexi must be cut not scored and snapped.

[afireinside]

Whats PVC cleaner? How the hell do I cut thicker plexi? I think I'm gona do cardboard

[Weapon]

Originally posted by afireinside
Weapon, your the heatercore GOD! I'm not exactly on your level though Whats that NPD tapping whatever crap called? Like what do I look for at homedepot or where ever? Or how could I just braze/solder it on?

Where can I get that epoxy and whats the best way to cut thicker plexi? I got some 1/8" lexan I can use some old wire cutter things to cut but 1/4" I'd need something else...

EDIT:
hum I just looked at the caprice heatercore and it does look like a PITA...
"3) Hose Size: I 3/4'' O 5/8'' (Fits 1/2" ID Tubing)"

How can the inner be larger than the outer? Is that backwards?

taking these Q's in order.
none of the stuff I did in the bonneville mod thread is that difficult - you just have to take your time - don't rush any of it.

3/8" tap - home depot prolly won't have it. call some local auto parts stores. I found the one that I use at a nearby mom&pop type auto store for about $5. I just use my socket set as a tap handle. on the other hand, the tap is not absolutely required. It just makes it a little easier. you can drill out the hole in the tank to where it is just a tiny bit smaller than the threads on the brass fitting and then thread it into the tank. the brass on the fitting is quite a bit stronger than the material on the heatercore tank so it will go in but it is a little bit tougher to keep it perfectly straight this way.

torch - the basic berzomatic plumber's kit is usually enough for the entire job. You can get it at Walmart, home depot, lowe's etc. I use one that is a few notches above the basic kit but I have done a few of them with the same torch, gas (propane) and solder that is in the plumber's kit and they work fine.
solder - a little better version of solder for heatercore work can be gotten from AutoZone - just ask them where the acid core solder is located - should be about $4 and the flux is in the solder so it is easy to use and works at fairly low temps.

the brass fittings that I used are 3/8 thread x 1/2" barb. I get them at one of the local autoparts stores but you can order them from most watercooling sites as well. get the plain-jane brass ones. the label on the box says "male hose end - 1/2" ID hose, 3/8" NPT"

you can build a shroud out of 1/8" plexi that is fairly strong. you just need to place 1" nylon spacers between the top plate on the shroud and the core for reinforcement.

regardless of the thickness, I use either a jig saw with a fine-toothed blade or a table saw to cut plexi, lexan, polycarbonate, PTEG, etc.

adhesive for plexi (and plexi-like other stuff):
1. go to mcmaster carr (www.mcmaster.com), in the search box, type in "cement for acrylics" on the page that pops up, scroll down until you see "cement for acrylics" - one is low-viscosity, one is high-viscosity. the high viscosity is available in a smaller tube and should be plenty for a shroud build. $1.69
2. just another option for adhesive: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...onate+Adhesive
3. another good one for acrylics:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...Solvent+Cement

if you are going to use the caprice core, just cut the tubes off about 1.5" from the top tank. you do not want to try getting those fittings out of the tanks if it has the barbed-type, soldered-in, locked-in-place-like-a-bastage tubes.

hmmm....gimme a pic of the tubes and the tanks on the core you are going to mod -- I will come up with a specific plan of attack for that sucker.

edit: for all the tools to make just about anything from acrylic, check this link:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/cat...n+Tools&Page=1

check the price on the 12" Forrest No-Melt carbide-tipped saw blades for cutting plastic....ouch.

[afireinside]

Thanks I have a TS4000 torch in the other room with MAPP gas and some propane I am going to use as refrigerant

MAYBE tommorow I can get out and get my core... I'll probley get the caprice core and solder some barbs in the tubes...

I'll order some adheasive stuff for the plexi and hopefully I get it here in time for my intel rig

What spray paint brand do you use and how do you prime the core for it?

[Weapon]

Originally posted by afireinside
Thanks I have a TS4000 torch in the other room with MAPP gas and some propane I am going to use as refrigerant

What spray paint brand do you use and how do you prime the core for it?

TS4000 is more than enough to handle the job.

core painting -

1. scrub down the sides, the top tank and the bottom tank with cast aluminum wheel cleaner (bascially acid) and a brass brush - rinse it off with lots of water and let it dry.
2. lightly rough the sides and tanks with 400 grit wet/dry paper, once again, rinse with lots of water and dry off with lint free paper towels or terry cloth.
3. 2 mist coats of Duplicolor adhesion promoter as per can instuctions.
4. 2 coats of Duplicolor Hi-Build sandable primer - lightly sand with 400 grit between coats, if you sand thru to metal, add another primer coat.
5. 2 coats Duplicolor Primer Sealer
6. 2-4 coats of Duplicolor Enamel paint
7. 2 coats Duplicolor clearcoat.

let dry for about 5 days minimum if you go with the above painting scheme.

how to speed up the process.
1. steps 1-4 as above.
2. skip step 5 from above.
3. 2 coats of Duplicolor Truck and Van paint in whatever color you like.
4. 2 clear coats.

bake in oven at 125 deg F for 1-2 days.

[DaveX]

Originally posted by Weapon
how to speed up the process.
1. steps 1-4 as above.
2. skip step 5 from above.
3. 2 coats of Duplicolor Truck and Van paint in whatever color you like.
4. 2 clear coats.

bake in oven at 125 deg F for 1-2 days.

Haha, I think that's what most people follow

[afireinside]

Is there any way I can just sand it down and spray some paint on than coat it with some clear coat crap to make it shiney and scratch resistant?

[Weapon]

Originally posted by afireinside
Is there any way I can just sand it down and spray some paint on than coat it with some clear coat crap to make it shiney and scratch resistant?

I was still in process of testing this but I think it is safe to say that it works...least it did on the one I just tried.

1. clean the sides and top of the core in the sink with an SOS pad and then dry it completely with air duster and paper towels. Use the air duster once again to get rid of lint.
2. heat the core to 125 deg F in the oven for 5 minutes, grab the hot mitt, yank the core out of the oven and then off to the garage to spray it down with 2 mist coats of duplicolor adhesion promoter (4 minutes between coat 1 and coat 2) and let it dry for 10 minutes
3. hit that sucker with 2 quick coats of Duplicolor truck and van paint (5 minutes between coats).
4. clear coat that sucker - 2 light coats, 5 minutes apart.
5. off to the oven for an overnite visit at 150 deg F.

that fast enough??

[afireinside]

Yea