T350 radiator replacement

[duff-man]

Afternoon all,

I’m looking to replace my radiator which is leaking slightly with an alloy replacement.

I have been told they can be a pain to do in the T350 due to the way (horizontally) & where its mounted, complicated more so when the car has air con.

Does any one have any tips or advice for replacement apart from lifting the front of the car as high as possible on axle stands?

Also can anyone tell me how best to remove the bonnet? Unbolt the “arms” from the bonnet or from the body?

Many thanks,
Mark

[T350 Al]

As far as removing the bonnet goes, removing the arms from the bonnet itself is the easiest way to do it, but it does mean you have to re-align it when you re-attach.

As for the radiator; not a clue, but hope it goes well!

[SP6 Animal]

Ive replaced a rad on the 350 with aircon and i did it on my own under axle stands its a tight fit i removed shrouds first then fitted then afterwards.
You have to remove rad from under the car i assume you worked that one out for yourself.

[Targarama]

SP6 Animal said:

Ive replaced a rad on the 350 with aircon and i did it on my own under axle stands its a tight fit i removed shrouds first then fitted then afterwards.
You have to remove rad from under the car i assume you worked that one out for yourself.

Not sure that is the case on all T350s, mine is 'flat' mounted and I don't see how it would come out any way but up. Esp. since the oil cooler is below it.

Str8Six just replaced mine and Jason mentioned the trickiest thing was when putting the new radiator in place, be ultra careful not to slip, pushing it too far forwards, and then bashing the nosecone. Apparently this can mean a refinish/respray is needed.

[Lensey]

Targ,

Did you have an alloy one fitted?

[Targarama]

Lensey said:

Targ,

Did you have an alloy one fitted?

Yes, I did in the end. I was going to get the std one reconditioned, but decided to upgrade as in the future I may have a bigger capacity engine in there.

BTW, for all those who are wondering, my car runs at exactly the same temperature, with/without fans as before on the plastic ended TVR radiator. The Alloy radiator made ZERO difference to running temps. I didn't expect it to, but some people on here have alluded to this. I suggest their cooling systems were faulty in the first place and the new radiator fixed the problem.

[SP6 Animal]

Targarama said:

SP6 Animal said:

Ive replaced a rad on the 350 with aircon and i did it on my own under axle stands its a tight fit i removed shrouds first then fitted then afterwards.
You have to remove rad from under the car i assume you worked that one out for yourself.

Not sure that is the case on all T350s, mine is 'flat' mounted and I don't see how it would come out any way but up. Esp. since the oil cooler is below it.

Str8Six just replaced mine and Jason mentioned the trickiest thing was when putting the new radiator in place, be ultra careful not to slip, pushing it too far forwards, and then bashing the nosecone. Apparently this can mean a refinish/respray is needed.

Mine was the earlier upright type and i fitted the ally type.

[Lensey]

Targarama said:

Yes, I did in the end. I was going to get the std one reconditioned, but decided to upgrade as in the future I may have a bigger capacity engine in there.

BTW, for all those who are wondering, my car runs at exactly the same temperature, with/without fans as before on the plastic ended TVR radiator. The Alloy radiator made ZERO difference to running temps. I didn't expect it to, but some people on here have alluded to this. I suggest their cooling systems were faulty in the first place and the new radiator fixed the problem.

I thought that would be the case, Jason reckons mine may need doing next year so was wondering what to go for?

[Basil Brush]

I went the other way, from original all alloy to a copper and brass replacement, on my Tuscan and it made no difference to running temps. As I understand it, alloy is no more efficient thermally size for size, it's just a bit lighter ( and a lot more expensive)

[Zippee]

Targarama said:

Lensey said:

Targ,

Did you have an alloy one fitted?

Yes, I did in the end. I was going to get the std one reconditioned, but decided to upgrade as in the future I may have a bigger capacity engine in there.

BTW, for all those who are wondering, my car runs at exactly the same temperature, with/without fans as before on the plastic ended TVR radiator. The Alloy radiator made ZERO difference to running temps. I didn't expect it to, but some people on here have alluded to this. I suggest their cooling systems were faulty in the first place and the new radiator fixed the problem.

Same here. Made no difference at all, just hopefully will last longer than the standard OEM unit. A worthwhile upgrade if your's has gone but not worth doing just for the sake of it.

[willtvr]

Targarama said:

Lensey said:

Targ,

Did you have an alloy one fitted?

Yes, I did in the end. I was going to get the std one reconditioned, but decided to upgrade as in the future I may have a bigger capacity engine in there.

BTW, for all those who are wondering, my car runs at exactly the same temperature, with/without fans as before on the plastic ended TVR radiator. The Alloy radiator made ZERO difference to running temps. I didn't expect it to, but some people on here have alluded to this. I suggest their cooling systems were faulty in the first place and the new radiator fixed the problem.

My experience exactly, cannot understand why people would expect it to be better than a more conductive brass rad. Only reason to change was to get rid off crimped plastic end-capped time bomb and change to silicone hoses all in the name of reliability.

[grumbledoak]

Zippee said:

Same here. Made no difference at all, just hopefully will last longer than the standard OEM unit. A worthwhile upgrade if your's has gone but not worth doing just for the sake of it.

Looking similar here, too. It certainly works, stuck in the A12 roadworks in 30C heat the only thing overheating was me. The only difference so far is that the "one fan, two fans, off" sound is less clear, but I've not had time to watch under the bonnet to check the temperatures that these happen.

[duff-man]

Thanks for the replies guys, had the radiator done at the same time as it's service today, would have done it myself if I wasn't going away on Tuesday!

[Top Gear TVR]

Was the original rad sourced from a more common vehicle?

[pb450]

Not as far as I'm aware. Mine was replaced in 2020 when supplies dried up completeley for a few months due to Covid and the resulting furlough scheme. This leads me to the fact that it's a 'special' for TVR only and as such, I don't suppose any of the usual suspects have rows of them sitting on shelves in their stock.

I believe there are very few actual manufacturers (possibly only two?) who supply all the well known suppliers. It's effectively a cottage industry. Mine took 3 months on back order but came through eventually. It's a bu**er to fit though, according to my specialist. Mine's a later 'flat' one, not the slanted type.

[GaryF]

I got my all alloy Sag radiator replacement from Race Tech: https://www.racetechdirect.co.uk/car-parts/cooling...

The original TVR rad has plastic sides. I concur with the opinion expressed above - it was a bugger to fit, but I did it on the drive without a ramp, or raising the car. I would not do it again myself.

Edited by GaryF on Friday 21st April 11:15

[pb450]

I notice on the Racetech site that they're made to order now. "Allow 3 to 30 days lead time" That's quite a variation!

[non_linear]

https://www.radtec.co.uk/shop/makes/tvr/t350/tvr-t...

Which is where ACT get them from. Very high quality, although we did have to take an angle grinder to it to make it fit!

Edited by non_linear on Friday 21st April 20:09

[duff-man]

Thought I’d stick an update on the thread, I replaced the alloy rad fitted in 2010 again in 2020 after it was leaking from the welds at the end, annoyingly couldn’t find anyone to repair locally so a replacement was the only option.

Supposedly the vibration, it’s horizontal mounting and only having two bobbins for support cause the welds to fatigue.

[GaryF]

Oh balls, I'm not looking forward to the next time. I vaguely remember the rubber mounts that you note - they must be there to try to deal with the vibrations. Maybe there is some improvement that could be made...

Anyway, if anyone needs to lose some weight from their knuckles, then I can recommend this little exercise