3mm is close but it doesn't touch. The reason was my pwr radiator came with it i use to run a 12" with standard radiator and never really had any dramas the hottest it got was 96c stuck in traffic for 30 min on a 35 degree day

A good fan shroud would help you out heaps aswell so the fan is sucking through the whole set up

Rapa what radiator setup are you running? (radiator and fan) A picture is best so we can see what you are working with.

It seems like your 12" thermo is just not up to the job, or you don't have an optimal setup. My guess is your solution will come with one or a combination of the following;

- A proper radiator shrould that will let the thermo pull the air through the radiator. These are heaps better for efficiency, something I only learned in the last year when my friend had the same issue as you with his setup.



- A bigger more powerful thermo fan that can pull more air volume.

- Moving your condenser to a better position - does it need to be in front of the radiator or can it be flat mounted under the engine bay for example. Or moved to the side slightly.

- Some channeling of air from front of car to direct air flow into the condenser or radiator.

Personally I'd try and do them all, probably moving the condenser last as you may get away without having to complete that one.

oh, and 3mm space is like a metre in Datsun engine conversion terms! I'm not sure I have anymore than that at the closest point on my car, and mines been running in that form for 5+ years without issue.

Aint that the truth.

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1972 Datsun 1600, S14 SR20DET Engineered (204rwkW @ 17psi.)
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That picture looks similar to my set up

Don't copy it as it's completely sub-optimal and needs finishing :S

The rad support was previously enlarged for a N13 radiator, so has big gaps to less air pass which is retarded.

Also the radiator doesn't have the shroud I'm taking about. Also probably air gaps between intercooler and radiator.

Basically a complete how not to but for now the car doesn't over heat, so haven't bothered prioritizing fixing it.

Gaps are to let the hot air out!

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1972 Datsun 1600, S14 SR20DET Engineered (204rwkW @ 17psi.)
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a shroud isn't easy there isn't much room. Here is the setup I had, intercooler, condenser and a 12" fan with 3core radiator.

Im going to try 2 10" fans, a high flow thermostat and I found a nulon coolant says its better with a boiling point of 128c

What radiator? You can run a triple core ally rad with the twin thermos and sheet metal shroud off eBay?

Haven't tried in 1600 but I did a radiator n thermo set up for a dude in his 910 with an l20b. S13 sr rad went straight in I just made two top brackets to bolt to rad support and hook onto rad and a Camry v6 bottom hose for top hose.

He drove it for four months with a blown headgasket and never put over 90 degrees Celsius. I'm only rebuilding it now as hg went so bad it spits water out from between block and head and cylinders filled up and it stopped starting haha. He had to run a Davies Craig split thermo controller or his heater rarely worked and the thermostat was closed to often.

Also whether the boiling point is 128 degrees or 100 degrees the head and blocks going to be way to hot whether the coolants boiling or not lol. A lot of glycols can run up-to 150deg before boiling point. E series foulcoons have 96 degree thermostats from factory to have the head nice and warm to increase burn and improve emissions a lot of new cars run at 100 or so degrees but I myself prefer to put 82's in them. I'll take a "cold" motor over a hot one.

no you cant theres no room for a proper shroud.
hence why im trying to get the water temps down lol and you definitely don't want a "cold" motor. You want a motor running at manufactures specs example sr20 around 88-92, I don't understand why you would want a "cold" motor then a normal one

I think with an intercooler and the condenser core hard up against the rad like you have, its not getting enough air flow. I don't think its the radiator or the fan. I think your issue will mostly be ducting and you'll need to work out a way to get air to the rad. Can i suggest a smaller (lower height like 230mm high x 450mm wide) intercooler to replace a big one if you have it that can run just down the bottom of the radiator. That will allow air to flow through only the condenser and the radiator up top.

I'm happy to be proven wrong on my next point, and mean no disrespect to the guy's above who do have a lot of knowledge on Datto's but...

My opinion is that if you use any shroud on the radiator that is flat against the rad, will actually block the amount of air that can pass through the fins of the radiator, which will further restrict your cooling potential. This will only effect it whilst driving and have no benefit when stationary and the fan is on. Unless the thermo fan is set back from the shroud and the shroud goes all around the rad and tapers back to the fan like a funnel (seen on all OEM thermo fan cars, or engine driven fans), it won't have any ability to pull additional air that is outside that shroud.

When the fan kicks on, it will pull or push air (depending on what size) all around the fan circumference with a bit outside. But if you block off the air from the outer extremities of the thermo, it won't channel that air from the outsides of the fins any more than if it wasn't there in the first place. The air pressure will just travel through the path of least resistance. Which in this instance, will only be the size of the thermo fan that is not covered by the panel.

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Ongoing Project: 1972 Datsun 510 S13 SR20Det. http://ozdat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=17898
New Daily: D22 Navara (The new workhorse)
Retired 12/2016: MY98 Subaru Impreza RX
Previous Car: Restored Green 1972 Datsun 510, Hot L18

I prefer a "cold" motor as I've found sometimes a few degrees lower then spec is easier to control in high performance applications. Not everything set up from the factory is optimal in all applications otyerwiae engine conversions and modifications wouldnt exist. You dont want overboard cold with the motor if its getting a hiding.

A mates old ca18 track car was a prime example. With an 87 degree thermostat it could get close to 100 on a hot day at drift but with an 82 degree thermostat and the same radiator set up it sat at 85-90 all day but when we had the 78 degree thermostat it was to cold and the thermostat was spending to much time closed to regulate it.

What size is your intercooler? Is it one of the universal 600x300 that's way to big or is it reasonably sized? With it blocking air flow to the radiator its a good chance it could be that.

The vg30 powered 1600 I picked up had a tiny tiny radiator to fit in front of the VG and cross over pipe but the intercooler was only 450x220x63 and that was supposedly functional in cooling before I parted it out.that had a sheet metal shroud and single big thermo from memory.

^^^^^^
This every day of the week and the weekend x 11ty.

Monitoring temperature during exactly what you are using the car for (in this case drift) and use some problem solving to figure out the optimum.

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1972 Datsun 1600, S14 SR20DET Engineered (204rwkW @ 17psi.)
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