1970 VW Squareback 1600 to RX7 rotary conversion.
page 3
12-03-01. Well, I know what is causing my overheating problem. I've been having
too much fun driving the car to work on my website :-) because I fixed it just
enough to operate nicely in this cool weather. Silly silly me. Some how I
expected the big Chev radiator to get
all the air it needs through the same holes designed to cool a 1.6 vw engine. I
realized this when I accidentally unplugged one of the electric fans and
noticed the other one suddenly started kicking out some serious wind. My first
thought was the two fans together were overpowering the electrical circuit
somehow, but then after some rewiring I found this to be not true. They were
creating a vacuum, not enough air for two fans. So about seven 2.5 inch holes
on the rear apron and I can drive the car on city streets. On the freeway, I
can pull a steady 80mph while watching the temp climb. The engine is very happy
in 4th at 80mph, but I want to get used to the vw a little before I go for
higher speeds. The radiator/ air flow cannot keep up with the demand at 80mph,
so I had to exit the freeway, but it cooled right down while driving on the
surface streets. Um.. in this weather. Keep in mind it is December and VERY
cold right now for us Vegas wimps. The fans are still starving for
air, and I'll need to be creative. I really don't want a front radiator in this
car.
I thought a redesigned rear bumper could double as an air scoop, and force
air
into the radiator, but that's what I get for thinking. I have come to the
conclusion, after becoming familiar with the reason for my lack of cooling, the
radiator will go in front. I picked up some 1" by 3" square steel tubing to go
under the car to the radiator all the way up front. The good news is I'll have
a little room in the back to play with and clean things up. The bad news is
I'll have a radiator in front. But I'm glad to know what the problem is, and
this car sure is fun to drive.
