[DeTomaso] radiators

[Ken Green]

     A few years ago I bought two Ron Davis "super speedway" radiators that had been built for a NASCAR team.  I talked to the tech guy at Ron Davis and he said they were for 200 MPH speeds and would overheat on the street because they were too thick.
 
     I sold one to Dennis (Mad Dawg) which he has been running for 3 or 4 years, it works great everywhere and is the only radaitor he has ever had that worked.  He said the fans almost never come on.
 
    I have also talked the tech guys at Evans Coolant.  They worked with a guy racing a Pantera and ran a lot of tests to understand the issues.  They concluded that the restrictions in the cooling system were the killer, and a monster water pump would just cavitate if it tried to move a lot of coolant.  
 
    This all seems like a balancing act, and some engines just run hot, and others run cold, so you can't always just copy what worked for someone else.
 
Ken

From: Charles Engles <cengles at cox.net>
To: 'Bob Lehmann' <bob at longwood2.com>; detomaso at realbig.com 
Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2012 8:30 AM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] radiators

Dear Bob,


          I asked Ron Davis, the big cheese and cooling smart guy of Ron
Davis Radiators, about the good news/ bad news of Brass versus Aluminum at
the official Tech Session on Cooling at the Phoenix Rally.


          He said---and I summarize:

Brass: less expensive; easier to repair; more durable.    Bad news: heavier;
thermodynamically a bit less than aluminum and construction also lessens its
thermodynamic efficiency.

Aluminum: thermodynamically more efficient and becoming more common and
price is trending down--a bit; lighter.  Bad news: less durable; much harder
to repair; can chemically react badly to more things than brass.

He said that if *whatever* you're currently using is working---then that is
great.  Don't change it!  Both of my cars are running brass upgraded
radiators that are about 15-18 years old.  Both have had one or two minor
repairs.  Only during last year's Heat Storm of monster 100+ temps did the
old brass radiator and the 485 hp cause coolant temps greater than 205
degrees.

                      Warmest regards,  Chuck Engles

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
Behalf Of Bob Lehmann
Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2012 8:39 AM
To: detomaso at realbig.com
Subject: [DeTomaso] radiators

Why is everyone going to aluminum radiators over brass/copper radiators?  Is
there really a large difference and if so what is it?  Thanks.
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