View Single Post
  #250  
Old 13th July 2015, 21:22
8 Valve Ed 8 Valve Ed is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Sunny Cumbria
Posts: 470
8 Valve Ed is on a distinguished road
Default

Robin, Thanks for the info.

I called at my local breakers yard this morning, I know they have some BMW cars in, I was directed to the BMW corner and it was suggested I was looking for a 3 series car. There was a 325 complete with radiator, not like the one you pointed me to at the Aaron site but the core size seemed about right.

I remembered from my previous search of their radiator store that the rad in the 325 looked very similar to one I had seen in the store, so I went to find it. They charge £10 per Radiator.



I have bought the rad from the store and have easily pulled the left hand header tank from the radiator, this header incorporates an expansion tank. My plan is to go back when it's fine and get the other rad off the 325, if they both match exactly, which I think they will, I will buy that one and use the best core with both right hand header tanks.

That will then mount vertically and should fit perfectly, according to my measurements. I will then HAVE to install an expansion tank, which I have already started to make from stainless.

Today I acquired a new cylinder of Argon gas, so I will soon be able to weld the stainless tank together myself, and other stuff!

If this works, and I see no reason why it shouldn't, it will provide a good means of making a simple and effective radiator, even if you use a new one, it's very easy to get the tanks off by prizing the crimped tags back. They just need gentle straightening and then crimping up again on a fresh header tank.

The measurements are:

Height, including the two small header tanks, 570mm - (22.5 inches)

Width, including the plastic side protection pieces, 470mm - (19 inches)

Core thickness, about 38mm - 40mm?

Tank thickness, about 60mm

The core area is about 440mm by 440mm.

The radiator I got today has a fin spacing of 1mm and 15mm spacing of the tubes which are staggered.

The radiator I have is dated November 1997 and is marked as having come from a 320.





This is the rad with the header tank removed.



By the way... it's exactly 2 years since I collected the Berlinetta from it's PO. A lot of water has gone under that bridge since then.

# 9,255

Last edited by 8 Valve Ed; 13th July 2015 at 22:50..
Reply With Quote