My custom heat exchanger & FRPP brake duct install

[A DuB]

I figured i would share with you the installation of my custom heat exchanger. You may ask yourself "Why didn't you order Van's or afco's kit" Well the answer is simple - I'm a cheap ass. Plus the fact i saved $350 over the above mentioned. My dad welded for me, but i did all the measuring, cutting, and bending.

Parts list:
1 used afco dual pass heat exchanger - $150
3 new 7.5" Spal puller fans - $45 ($15 ea)
3 new Spal wiring harness with relays $105
Misc. Parts, hoses, clamps, heat shrink... etc. $50
2 hours (approx.) of fab time - Free

On to the pictures! I apologize in advance for the crappy cell phone pictures; Its all i had

Started with a basic afco dual pass H/E

And did some cutting

And fitting

And bending

More cutting, drilling, and welding for the fan mounts

A little comparison shot

Had to make a modification at the inlet pipe to clear the fan

Fans and pump mounted

Test fitting

The fans are bumping the power steering cooler, but nothing too bad

Put the relays next to the fuse box. Mounted with stainless hardware

Taped into the fuse box for the power

Test time!
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoK6efQC_QI"]2010 Shelby Gt500 custom heat exchanger - YouTube[/nomedia]

Having a hard time burping this system. Pump comes on, but no water flow. Messed with it, got it to flow. Let it sit for 20 mins, and again no flow. Im going to borrow a tool from a friend that will pull a vacuum on the system to pull the air out and see if that helps. :shrug:

Brake ducts going on

10 mins later - very simple install

Cutting some holes

The result

Thats as far as i have got to this point. Questions? Comments?

Thanks for looking!

 

[SWAMPMODULAR]

Looks good and saved money, let us know how she cools!!

 

[Carbd86GT]

The water pump is on a thermostat, that's why it turns on intermittently.

 

[5spd07gt]

nice job

 

[DaFreak]

Yeah man. Nice fab work! Love the 3 fan action!

 

[Steve@BAS]

Keep up the good fab work. Glad to see others in USA learning the trade!

 

[GOTSVT?]

Well done.
Not sure if 3 fans is overkill?

 

[zporta]

Did you try using a plunger on the tank? I used one on nates car and it worked. You have to work it pretty good

 

[Black Sex]

Are the fan always on? If not, would that affect airflow going down the road?

 

[cjgt500]

Are the fan always on? If not, would that affect airflow going down the road?

The Spal fan harness trigger wires are tapped into the + wire on the pump which triggers via thermostat on the 11+ cars. Not sure if '10 are the same. But yeah pretty much on all the time after a few min of initial startup.

 

[kent1]

Good job. It should cool pretty good with three fans on the heat exchanger.

 

[jenkins_1120]

as stated above i would think that three fans might be over kill. either way looks good and keep up the fab work.

 

[A DuB]

Still having a hard time with the air in the system. I borrowed a tool from a friend called Snap-on radkitplus. It puts vacuum on the system and that pulled a lot of air out. I thought i had all the air out as the pump was pushing fluid on several start ups after cool down. I went for a drive today and when i got home i checked to see if it was pumping and it was not. I put the vacuum tool back on and pulled out even more air. Im confident that there are no holes in the system because it holds vacuum. Not even a slight drop. One thing i noticed when the fluid is circulating is that there is a thin layer of foam on the top. Does that mean there is still air in there? I refilled the system with distilled water and some of the oem antifreeze.

Looks good and saved money, let us know how she cools!!

Thanks! I can definitely feel the difference. No drop in power

The water pump is on a thermostat, that's why it turns on intermittently.

I realize that. When its up to temperature it doesn't pump. The fans come on, which means the pump should be pumping, but no dice. Having a hard time getting the air out of the system.

nice job

Thank you

Yeah man. Nice fab work! Love the 3 fan action!

It move a lot of air! :thumbsup:

Keep up the good fab work. Glad to see others in USA learning the trade!

Thank you

Well done.
Not sure if 3 fans is overkill?

Nah

Did you try using a plunger on the tank? I used one on nates car and it worked. You have to work it pretty good

I have not tried that yet. Thanks

Are the fan always on? If not, would that affect airflow going down the road?

The fans are on when the pump is on. Which comes on when the car reaches temperature.

The Spal fan harness trigger wires are tapped into the + wire on the pump which triggers via thermostat on the 11+ cars. Not sure if '10 are the same. But yeah pretty much on all the time after a few min of initial startup.

Yep same deal

Good job. It should cool pretty good with three fans on the heat exchanger.

Yea so far i can tell the difference on longer runs.

as stated above i would think that three fans might be over kill. either way looks good and keep up the fab work.

Thanks

 

[zporta]

So your pump turns on but then won't stay running?

If it was circulating then the pump was primed, I doubt there are that many air pockets.

If you keep having an issue, drain the system into a clean bucket. Get the air lift tool to remove all the air out of the system (must be done with coolant out of the system) then let the tool refill the system.

I don't know if this is the snap on tool you were referring to...

UV 550000 - UView Airlift Cooling System Leak Checker and Airlock Purge Tool Kit

 

[A DuB]

So your pump turns on but then won't stay running?

If it was circulating then the pump was primed, I doubt there are that many air pockets.

If you keep having an issue, drain the system into a clean bucket. Get the air lift tool to remove all the air out of the system (must be done with coolant out of the system) then let the tool refill the system.

I don't know if this is the snap on tool you were referring to...

UV 550000 - UView Airlift Cooling System Leak Checker and Airlock Purge Tool Kit

The airlift tool and the snap on tool are the same. I did not fill the system with it however. Maybe thats why im having so much trouble. If it looses prime again, i will drain it and refill using the tool. Thanks!

 

[Carbd86GT]

Ate you using the factory reservoir? If so, use a cooling system pressure tester while the pump is on and apply a little bit of pressure. Or jack the front of the car up to make sure the reservoir opening is the highest point in the system.

 

[zporta]

I'm almost sure that the tool doesn't work with coolant in the system.

The way I do it is:
With an empty system hook the airlift to the coolant tank and attach the air line.
Open the valve too suck all air out. I can't recall how many psi I shot it off at. Either half or 3/4 of the gauge.
Switch the hoses to the screen hose and drop it in the coolant bucket.
Release the valve, and bam. All your coolant gets sucked in

 

[dirtyo2000]

I did mine the cheap way. Used the 5 buck siphon pump. You take your time you can stick it in the reservoir hole where the dube attaches to. Pump the anti freeze from the container into the system. It forces the the fluid through the pump and the air out. Worked for me. Just takes a little patience to get the hose to go through the top of the reservoir and guided into the bottom drain hole in the reservoir.

Cheap pump but I use it for everything. Best 5 bucks I ever spent at Harbor Freight.

 

[A DuB]

Ate you using the factory reservoir? If so, use a cooling system pressure tester while the pump is on and apply a little bit of pressure. Or jack the front of the car up to make sure the reservoir opening is the highest point in the system.

I am currently using the factory reservoir. I plan on making my own tank in the future though. I put a pressure tester on the system and it still was having issues with air. Good thing is that there were no leaks

I'm almost sure that the tool doesn't work with coolant in the system.

The way I do it is:
With an empty system hook the airlift to the coolant tank and attach the air line.
Open the valve too suck all air out. I can't recall how many psi I shot it off at. Either half or 3/4 of the gauge.
Switch the hoses to the screen hose and drop it in the coolant bucket.
Release the valve, and bam. All your coolant gets sucked in

It does work with water in the system as air has come out the inlet hose to the pump. It will probably work better if i used the tool as it was intended. If i continue to have issues, i will drain the system again and fill it using the method you suggested.

I did mine the cheap way. Used the 5 buck siphon pump. You take your time you can stick it in the reservoir hole where the dube attaches to. Pump the anti freeze from the container into the system. It forces the the fluid through the pump and the air out. Worked for me. Just takes a little patience to get the hose to go through the top of the reservoir and guided into the bottom drain hole in the reservoir.

Cheap pump but I use it for everything. Best 5 bucks I ever spent at Harbor Freight.

Thats actually not a bad idea as it forces the liquid through the heat exchanger. Thanks for the tip

 

[A DuB]

I think i got my problem fixed. I kept putting vacuum on the system and pulling air out in small amounts. All of the small bubbles are gone now, no more foam.