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MG MGB Technical - 'Aluminum Radiator

My 78 MGB had an Aluminum Radiator installed to help with the A/C Unit. The BIG issue is the Hood will not close properly and actually pushes down on the Radiator Cap causing Fluid to blow out while pressurized. There are also two small dimples on the hood where it hits the cap. Re: possible lowering the Radiator there is a few inches below yet there is a Petcock for letting out Coolant and already can not take out the rubber screw due to the fact it is right on top of the Sway bar!! Any Advice, recommendations etc will be received with a GREAT DEAL of Gratitude!
Thank you!
Bill Mullen
W.M. Bill

## I did attempt to shim the rubber stops without success!!!
W.M. Bill

How much movement are you looking for? I'm thinking in terms of spacing the ARB down a bit.

How is the A/C involved, doesn't that have its own rad?
Paul Hunt

Paul: moving the radiator down a bit may be possible, yet the petcock is already very close to hitting the Sway Bar! I'm considering cutting the radiator cap neck out and welding a piece of Aluminum in it's place. A bit radical, yet not seeing many options. The Aluminum Radiator was installed to work well with the A/C which in the summers in Virginia is a God send. If any other suggestions it would be GREAT!
W.M. Bill

If the petcock is like a tap I assume that extends a significant amount below the bottom of the rad. They were replaced by drain plugs (then done away with all together) so that might give you a bit more room.

As far as the rad top goes V8s have a remote expansion tank with the pressure cap and only had a plug in the top of the rad. Late model 4-cylinder cars also have a remote expansion tank, no plug in the rad, but do have one on top of the thermostat/top hose casting. The MGC similarly has no pressure cap or plug on the rad, nor a remote expansion tank as far as I can tell, and has the pressure cap on an extended thermostat/top hose casting. All these cars have the radiator further forwards, so clearance to the bonnet is minimal.
Paul Hunt

I like the sound of Paul's earlier thought-- Spacer plates to lower the swaybar a bit and then lower the radiator
You probably only need 1/4" or 1/2" to be safe
Maybee drop the bar by 1/2" and the rad by 1/4" and then you will gain a bit extra room at the bottom aswell
Some good hard plastic from your local engineering suplier would make nice ,light spacers and easy to work with---and longer studs to match
willy
William Revit

Bill, I am not surprised that you are having clearance issues.

Apparently your aluminum radiator is much taller than the oem brass radiator. The oem rad did not have a radiator cap on it. You must have a radiator for an earlier B which was mounted much further back towards the motor.

You should have a coolant expansion tank mounted on the right side near the fuse panel. That tank is pressurized with a radiator cap.

I think you would be better off getting the proper sized radiator rather than trying to redesign your front suspension.
Steven Rechter

"I think you would be better off getting the proper sized radiator rather than trying to redesign your front suspension."

As you say, originally - and as mentioned earlier - the car would have had a rad without a pressure cap and a remote expansion tank with a pressure cap. Bill's rad may well be the correct size now in terms of cooling area, but has a pressure cap on top which is causing the problem. If he tries to source a smaller rad with a pressure cap that will fit without the bonnet hitting it, it will be smaller and may compromise cooling. One of Bills thoughts was to remove the pressure cap and weld a plate over the hole. That would need a pressure cap and maybe an additional fill point to be provided elsewhere, with a remote expansion tank with a pipe let into the rad header with its internal open end as high as possible. Not beyond the bounds but some work required. I hardly think that lowering the ARB by half an inch or so constitutes a 'redesign' of the front suspension. It would have to be moved a lot more than that before it would start to change the ARB characteristics, it's not like moving the pivot points of the A-arms, damper arms or steering arms.
Paul Hunt

This thread was discussed between 12/01/2016 and 22/01/2016

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