I looked at doing that but the lower ones are the kind that bolt horizontally through the bulkhead. I guess I could drill new holes to make space.
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JDM Journeys
Moderator
Maybe oval the horizontal holes, use external tooth lock washers, and then space the vertical bolted mounting tabs as @OGBeno suggested? It sucks, but if that's all it takes to make it work then might be worth it?
I thought mine would take a month from the People's Republic. But it's shipping from LA and should be here next week! Today I was sitting on 200ish degrees much of the way home (ambient was around 55F) up and down hills so I'm looking forward to lowering that. 169*F stat so...?
JDM Journeys
Moderator
My aluminum radiator came yesterday, so last evening I set to work installing it. The fit was pretty much perfect except no consideration was given to the shroud on the right hand side of the engine bay. There was a piece of aluminum plate running along there so I drilled a new hole to line up with my lower shroud bolt hole.
After that, I took lots more measurements just in case and then finally just said what the heck, and installed it. It went in without a hitch and used all of the factory rubber isolators and even used the factory bolts to mount the overflow tank. I did swap the cap since mine was rated for a lower pressure than the one that came with it which was 1.1 bar.
While I was at it, I of course changed the year old coolant, and put in a new thermostat to replace the year old stat. Because... Well.. I don't want to go back in there again soon.
After that it was testing time. I did my usual acid test of climbing several hills on hard throttle, getting my egts up to the 1200 degree range. Previously I was able to get the temperature on my aftermarket gauge (in my upper rad hose) to 210 at max. Last evening I only got it as far as 195 at max. So so far this appears to be a very good option. No leaks after my test drive so we shall see how it holds up. I'll report back...
Edit: I should add that it clears my PTO drive shaft, slightly better than the factory one did after I put the winch in my ARB bumper. So that's a plus!
After that, I took lots more measurements just in case and then finally just said what the heck, and installed it. It went in without a hitch and used all of the factory rubber isolators and even used the factory bolts to mount the overflow tank. I did swap the cap since mine was rated for a lower pressure than the one that came with it which was 1.1 bar.
While I was at it, I of course changed the year old coolant, and put in a new thermostat to replace the year old stat. Because... Well.. I don't want to go back in there again soon.
After that it was testing time. I did my usual acid test of climbing several hills on hard throttle, getting my egts up to the 1200 degree range. Previously I was able to get the temperature on my aftermarket gauge (in my upper rad hose) to 210 at max. Last evening I only got it as far as 195 at max. So so far this appears to be a very good option. No leaks after my test drive so we shall see how it holds up. I'll report back...
Edit: I should add that it clears my PTO drive shaft, slightly better than the factory one did after I put the winch in my ARB bumper. So that's a plus!
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I bought an aluminum radiator off of eBay and it arrived last week. No problems with fitment so far, but instead of the hose fittings for the transmission oil cooler that were shown in the listing, it came with threaded fittings. No problem, I'll just buy a hose adapter, but I can't figure out what size they are. Nothing I've tried seems to fit.
The OD dimensions are 13.57mm or 17/32 inch. No idea what the thread pitch is. I'm thinking metric? M14, maybe?
The OD dimensions are 13.57mm or 17/32 inch. No idea what the thread pitch is. I'm thinking metric? M14, maybe?
Extremely hard to tell from a pic... but what I do to figure out what I am dealing with is pull out the tap and die set and use those to test the threads until I find an exact match... then you know precisely what to order.
I just heard back from the seller. They confirmed that it's an M14 fitting. Amazon has a hose barb adapter for it. The seller refunded $50 for my trouble, but still not acceptable that their listing is wrong. Thanks for the suggestions.
JDM Journeys
Moderator
Thermocure. It is in my opinion the best way to rid your water jacket of the rusty deposits. It takes some work on your part but most things that work well require some effort... I documented my experience in my build thread... My table of contents lists it I think?
Based on experience I would advise against the cheap welded ebay/amazon radiators if you drive rough roads.
The one in my BJ73 (HDJ79 radiator) broke 3 of the 4 mounts off on a remote track at 6 months old and it had cracked tubes. When the mounts broke it also swung back and broke the fan. I couldn't get them to cough up on the supposed 2 year warranty. I replaced it with a copper brass, which has held up great for the last 6 or so years.
I replaced a welded alloy one in a HZJ75 troopy for a farmer that split a tube. I tried to repair it but the tubes are so thin that once you get through the oxide layer the aluminum just breaks down completely. I replaced it with copper brass which so far has held up well. That troopy lives an unusually hard life as a bull buggy getting cows in twice a day on a dairy farm. I really can't overstate that the owner is rough as guts and I don't know of another vehicle that lives a harder life (I'm a farm mechanic).
I also had a welded radiator in a Suzuki Sierra (Samurai) that also failed at about 6 months old. This was especially inconvenient as it was in remote Australia 2 days into a 3 week, 6000km trip. It cracked a bunch of tubes where they meet the top tank. Again, the seller wouldn't hold up on their supposed warranty.
A mate of mine had one in a GQ patrol that cracked the welds on the tanks on both sides at 2 months old.
I make no bones about it, all the above cars have done more than their fair share of miles on rough, unsealed and unmaintained roads. I think these radiators might hold up if used on smooth roads but as I live on gravel I will not be buying one again.
The one in my BJ73 (HDJ79 radiator) broke 3 of the 4 mounts off on a remote track at 6 months old and it had cracked tubes. When the mounts broke it also swung back and broke the fan. I couldn't get them to cough up on the supposed 2 year warranty. I replaced it with a copper brass, which has held up great for the last 6 or so years.
I replaced a welded alloy one in a HZJ75 troopy for a farmer that split a tube. I tried to repair it but the tubes are so thin that once you get through the oxide layer the aluminum just breaks down completely. I replaced it with copper brass which so far has held up well. That troopy lives an unusually hard life as a bull buggy getting cows in twice a day on a dairy farm. I really can't overstate that the owner is rough as guts and I don't know of another vehicle that lives a harder life (I'm a farm mechanic).
I also had a welded radiator in a Suzuki Sierra (Samurai) that also failed at about 6 months old. This was especially inconvenient as it was in remote Australia 2 days into a 3 week, 6000km trip. It cracked a bunch of tubes where they meet the top tank. Again, the seller wouldn't hold up on their supposed warranty.
A mate of mine had one in a GQ patrol that cracked the welds on the tanks on both sides at 2 months old.
I make no bones about it, all the above cars have done more than their fair share of miles on rough, unsealed and unmaintained roads. I think these radiators might hold up if used on smooth roads but as I live on gravel I will not be buying one again.
prwillard2
SILVER Star
PWR makes a fine aluminum radiator.
Personally, I prefer the aluminum radiators built around 1" cores. Two 1" cores have more cooling surface than the common 4, 3/8 core types, same overall width.
We had a Mexican built "Mr Goodwrench" 350 come through that couldn't drive 50 miles on a 90 degree day without over heating. Tried 3 core and 4 core
Toyota brass radiators. Tried every thermostat from none to 235 . Tried multiple pulley diameters without success. Finally installed a Ron Davis 28193 which has a 24 x 19 core with two 1" tubes. Didn't run as cool as I liked but did hold below 210 consistently in AZ. Apparently many of the Mexican cast blocks were found to have random flashing blocking some water passages due to poor quality control. People bought them because 15 years ago you got a brand new long block for under a grand.
Conversely, in 1993, running a stock TBI 5.7 in my 40 , I installed in 1990, I ran from Bullfrog Marina to Blanding UT, over 65 miles, coming off the Hole in the Rock trail with the water pump disconnected without over heating. Never dropped below 55 and the temps never rose above 200. the power of convection. Same radiator in that one
We had a Mexican built "Mr Goodwrench" 350 come through that couldn't drive 50 miles on a 90 degree day without over heating. Tried 3 core and 4 core
Toyota brass radiators. Tried every thermostat from none to 235 . Tried multiple pulley diameters without success. Finally installed a Ron Davis 28193 which has a 24 x 19 core with two 1" tubes. Didn't run as cool as I liked but did hold below 210 consistently in AZ. Apparently many of the Mexican cast blocks were found to have random flashing blocking some water passages due to poor quality control. People bought them because 15 years ago you got a brand new long block for under a grand.
Conversely, in 1993, running a stock TBI 5.7 in my 40 , I installed in 1990, I ran from Bullfrog Marina to Blanding UT, over 65 miles, coming off the Hole in the Rock trail with the water pump disconnected without over heating. Never dropped below 55 and the temps never rose above 200. the power of convection. Same radiator in that one
I just replaced mine this weekend. Very impressed with the improved cooling. Only a couple minor issues with fitment.
- I had to modify the mounting holes in the fan shroud to match those in the radiator
- The new radiator mounts locate it about 1/2" farther aft of the old one, making it harder to install the fan and shroud, but no clearance issues once installed
- The bash plate under the radiator no longer fits. I think I can modify it somewhat with a hammer to make it fit
None of these custom radiators seem to actually fit the vehicles they're custom made for.
That‘s why one keeps duct tape and wood shims on hand.
I just ordered one for my LJ79 for this reason, hoping the extra cooling capacity can bring down a notch my highway temps.
My 3L did not come with a cap on the thermostat housing like the 2L-T, but it's located on the radiator top tank. The chinese manufacturer kindly did that for me at no extra cost. Hopefully it'll arrive by next week and I can install it with minimal issues.
This weekend I installed the new radiator and learned that my factory rad is about 20mm shorter than that of an LJ78. In fact the shroud left a gap at the bottom (forgot to take a picture). Everything else lined up pretty well, just had to grind a little the edge of the bash plate so it can slide through, still left good clearance though. Oh and as CRSWA said it sits a little more aft so a little harder for re-assembly but not too bad either.
Interestingly how I managed to drain and re-use my recently changed fluid and it went back in all except a cup. And cooling has improved drastically! Can't really test it on a highway cos we have none
but I drove it fast up some hills last Sunday, it was 30°C (86F), with AC on, and where it usually would go up to 97°C now it stayed at 90°C, maybe even lower. Overall very pleased!
Interestingly how I managed to drain and re-use my recently changed fluid and it went back in all except a cup. And cooling has improved drastically! Can't really test it on a highway cos we have none
but I drove it fast up some hills last Sunday, it was 30°C (86F), with AC on, and where it usually would go up to 97°C now it stayed at 90°C, maybe even lower. Overall very pleased!
Awesome work as always Dave!! 
Question:
While you were figuring out the interference issue with the bash plate, did you contemplate fabricating a different radiator bash plate that hangs lower? any obvious conflicts jumping out?
I have this long term plan to try to fit a much larger Denso modern radiator from a yet to be identified application into my KZJ78. My truck came with a new looking OEM radiator that operates flawlessly in the Florida heat, but I have a pathological fear of overheating and plans for performance increases coming up. Let me know!
Cheers!
Moe
Question:
While you were figuring out the interference issue with the bash plate, did you contemplate fabricating a different radiator bash plate that hangs lower? any obvious conflicts jumping out?
I have this long term plan to try to fit a much larger Denso modern radiator from a yet to be identified application into my KZJ78. My truck came with a new looking OEM radiator that operates flawlessly in the Florida heat, but I have a pathological fear of overheating and plans for performance increases coming up. Let me know!
Cheers!
Moe
Awesome work as always Dave!!
Question:
While you were figuring out the interference issue with the bash plate, did you contemplate fabricating a different radiator bash plate that hangs lower? any obvious conflicts jumping out?
I have this long term plan to try to fit a much larger Denso modern radiator from a yet to be identified application into my KZJ78. My truck came with a new looking OEM radiator that operates flawlessly in the Florida heat, but I have a pathological fear of overheating and plans for performance increases coming up. Let me know!
Cheers!
Moe
Hey there Moe
Thanks!I actually did thinker around that idea but it took very little effort to make it fit, and currently doing lots of work on the house so definitely gonna stay like that for now
I think you'd be better off just buying one of these, there isnt much room to get a bigger one anyway, and they also make a specific model for the KZJ. They are built using two 1" cores and the build quality is very good.
JDM Journeys
Moderator
I have to agree. My 1hz alum model has been (knock on wood) very good all summer. It was a real eye opener how much the temperature varied on a *real* gauge versus the factory... Umm... "pointer". So a little built in capacity feels like insurance.
Getting a proper coolant temperature gauge is definitely the first thing to do! Mine sits half way and only starts to go above that at 100°C
