Radiators in streamliners

[Jerry O]

Do any of the streamliners use radiators or are they all using water tanks. I am building a streamliner using a motorcycle engine in the I/GS class. I am trying to decide what will be the best way to go. Most of my running will be at the Maxton mile so I don't have much time to get up to speed. If I add a water tank it will add about 50lbs to the car. If I use a radiator I will use a naca duct and a fan for air supply. Whats going to hurt me the most. The weight or the areo from the duct. If I was just going to run at Bonneville I would naturally choose the water tank. Anyone have any opinion on this. I am new to LSR so any help will be great.

[RichFox]

Conventional wisdom is that your building a streamliner to defeat areo drag. A radiator with ducting will add drag. I don't think you would need a very large tank to cool a liter engine for a mile. Surely less than 50 lbs.

[Speed Limit 1000]

We hold the I/GL record at Bonneville with the "Bockscar" car 1000. We have a little less than 5 gal. in our water tank and have run up to 230 mph with no overheat problems. No cooling air for the tank.
John

[Viking Biker]

Look closely at the latest version of Bub #7.





Jason

[Stainless1]

Well that ought to slow him down....  it does not look like it is a properly constructed NACA... (just my opinion, not necessarily that of the staff and management) unless the piece of aluminum is there to hide something...  Hope he put in an exit...
I guess we will see in September

[Dean Los Angeles]

Another option is to run a radiator with no external ducting. On the short run at Maxton it will provide some cooling and storage capacity.

[Jonny Hotnuts]

Another option is to run a radiator with no external ducting. On the short run at Maxton it will provide some cooling and storage capacity

Just what I was thinking. You could also run a few fans.
If it is a flat bottom design why not duct the flow under the car near the rear or out the back if it has a kamm back. The air flow is so minimal I dont think it would slow anything down.

[Jerry O]

Thanks all for your input. Speed Limit, where do you have your tank mounted and do you use the stock water pump. In my car the only place to put the tank will be in the front. The car is so small there is no other place for it. I am not even sure I can get 5 gal of water there. My car is very small, only 8 inches wide in the front with the steering shaft going straight down the middle. My car is designed and shaped a lot like the streamliner Jack Costella built and Rick Yacoucci drove. The only way I can have a tank that size in the car is to make it rectangular shape. I'm thinking I will have problems with it bowing out when it is under pressure. ( 12 to 18 psi) Do you run yours under pressure and how is your tank shaped.  Thanks again for your help.

Jerry

[krusty]

Jerry - the radiator tanks (on either side of the core) on almost every racing radiator are rectangular, and are regularly pressurized to well over 30 psi. My experiences in NASCAR  racing showed no pressure split failures on the Cup stuff I managed a few years back. Here in the Charlotte area, if you need a custom radiator, contact Steve at Arrow Thermal Products in Harrisburg; he used to run production for one of the big aftermarket suppliers. vic

[Stainless1]

JO, the tank in the Bockscar is L shaped and in the back.  I has a 14-16 cap if I remember correctly.  You can build your tank to fit your space.  We don't really have a large car, but I can tell you we are not as efficient with space as Max Lambky.  Make a tank with either a u channel or or tube for the steering shaft.  If you are worried about bowing, weld in a brace/baffle to keep everything in place.  If you are at WOS stop and see us.  Or catch me and SL1000 at speedweek with Bike 278.
See ya on the salt