Description first - then my question....

I Need a new radiator. SNG Barratt offers the replacement part as well as one that seems to have a beefed-up cooling fan. The sales guy that I've been in touch with (Frank Vieira - he is very knowledgeable about their parts catalog and very helpful) told me:

If you are just replacing the radiator and using the old cooling fan type I would recommend part number C24252U at $918.75 and if you want to replace the old cooling fan with a new type cooling fan and radiator I would recommend part number C24252A/2 at $1240.31 this would only be good for car that are non-points shows.

First off - I love that he was thoughtful enough to point out that one of the parts is not for point shows. Secondly - if you have a Series II FHC don't go with these part numbers without checking - they depend on your particular car #.

Question - what do you think I should get? I have a very original car that I'd love to put in a show or two for fun, and also want to have as a weekend driver. I so far have strived to keep it original but think that maybe for the sake of the life of the engine I may go with the better cooling ability of the "beefed up" product. General thoughts appreciated. Thanks everyone!

Jason

Submitted by jerry@moutons.org on Sat, 12/21/2013 - 11:09

Edited on 2013-12-21 11:14:16
The CoolCat fans are the real deal. Check http://coolcatcorp.com. I'm not sure about XK120 applications though.

There is another radiator option: A certain Corvette radiator is a good fit; Ray Livingston has published the details and instructions on the Jag-Lovers E-Type forum. I have used the recoring approach for many years (twice in 40 years) and it has worked very well for me: no overheating.

Jerry

Submitted by bruce@bluejagc… on Sat, 12/21/2013 - 10:24

Jason, I have a 1970 E-Type 2+2. I recently upgraded my radiator and cooling fans after a backup at this year's British Invasion in Stowe, VT left a lot of us with cooling problems. In my case the immediate problem was just that the fuse for the radiator fans failed. Interesting, a 20 amp fuse had somehow found its way into the slot that should have had a 30 amp fuse. When I replaced the fuse everything was fine again (although those old original fans move very little air, they do help when stuck in traffic!) but I decided to review the cooling system function as I last worked on it back in the late '70's. At that time a put in a new radiator core as several people have suggested in this thread. I can report that the new core work quite well and I was able to use AC in Massachusetts, where I lived at the time. After draining and flushing the radiator we found that a lot of sediment and debris had accumulated in the radiator. I considered a new core (and you can get a heavier duty one as people have said - I did that back in the '70's). But I also looked at CoolCat because the original fans really don't push much air and obviously draw more than 20 amps! CoolCat offers a very nice Aluminum radiator along with the fans. It costs about $700 as opposed to the $900 + you were quoted. With a little more research a found another Aluminum radiator offered by Ron Davis Racing Products. They make custom aluminum radiators (website www.rondavisradiators.com). I ended up getting the Ron Davis radiator at dealer cost, which was under $700, so I'm not sure how the retail cost would compare with the CoolCat radiator. Anyway, this radiator is a real "work of art" if you are into that type of stuff. It is also a big performance boost with 1/2 again the thickness of the standard radiator. I added the CoolCat fans (very impressive - over twice the air flow for about half the current and easy to install). The radiator fits like a glove and has all the mounting for the fan shroud and even the AC condenser. I replace the thermostat, otter switch and temperature gauge sending unit as the same time. Now my cooling system is working great. It maintains the thermostat temperature (70 C or 158 F for the standard Jag thermostat), the fans come on at about 180 F and do a great job of keeping the cooling system from overheating. All temps were verified with an IR thermometer.

My car is a driver, not a show car, so points are not an issue for me. My car is in very good shape and I keep it as original as possible unless something like this can make it much more reliable and fun to drive.

Bruce

Submitted by DavidBarnes71@… on Fri, 12/20/2013 - 12:32

George the Coolcat fans I have are for the twin fan set up on the Series 2 E-type that bolt into the existing brackets and fan shroud. They have a multi-blade fan that flows more air than the original 4 blade. A bonus in my case is that they do not draw as much current as my old originals so the fan fuse does not get hot like it used to. I assume now my originals were tired and drawing too much current and needed to be replaced anyway. Looks like they have a website coolcatcorp.com. I think the guy who runs the company is a JCNA member who posts so he may chime in and say if they have something for the 120. Like Alan I am quite pleased with them since they were the piece of the puzzle to keep my car from running hot in Houston.

David Barnes
68 E-Type FHC

Submitted by alan.barc@veri… on Fri, 12/20/2013 - 11:20

Jason - I too went with a modern re-core of the original radiator, done at a local radiator shop at about $350 a few years ago. Works really well. Then I replaced the old fans with CoolCats - a simple direct switcheroo. My S2 has been third in the JCNA Driven Division for two years as that class does not cover engine compartment mods. So, unless you plan to enter Championship, I too recommend the CoolCat Fans. The only cooling issue I have had is failure of two 'original equipment' Otter Switches (thermostat), which has caused sudden boil overs in slow traffic on hot Dallas days. Now I have a CoolCat Otter Switch and no problems so far even with added A/C.

Submitted by SE12-52152J on Fri, 12/20/2013 - 10:56

Gentlemen,

I have been following this because I have an XK-120 which also has some cooling issues. I know of at least one good, old-fashioned radiator shop (but not close by, so shipping would be involved) which could re-core the radiator, and also heard of one (but need to find that source again) close by, obviously preferable.

David - can you tell me more about these "Coolcat" fans? There is currently a pusher fan on the front of the radiator (from Scott's Fans), but I've often wondered if there were one I could install which would move more air?

As the rebuild on this engine is older, I also wonder about what might be lurking in the cooling passages and if a good power flush would do me some good.

Not meaning to highjack the thread, just hoping some general cooling discussions might benefit more of us....

Thanks.

Submitted by DavidBarnes71@… on Fri, 12/20/2013 - 10:10

Jason I have a 68 with the Series 2 style engine / cooling system. I put a new original looking radiator in my car several years ago. It looks basically stock but has 7 more core tubes in it than the original. It helped a little but the thing that really helped my car was the Coolcat fans. If I had it to do over again I think I would have my original re-cored. The Coolcat fans bolt into the original brackets with no modification so the original fans can go back in easily if I ever want to.

David Barnes
68 E-Type FHC