Hello, Has any of you ever installed an Uprated aluminum radiator sold by Superformance to replace the original Ferrari radiator ? Are there any differences in the cooling between an original radiator part # 116286 and an aluminum radiator part # 30810175, and which one would you advise me to buy ? Image Unavailable, Please Login
FWIW my ‘82 308GTSI radiator was re-cord with 2 less FPI (fins per inch) and exact same cooling tube design, it runs at t-stat temp all around. The reduction in FPI actually flows more air through the core. I was very pleasantly surprised. Just saying
I bought and installed Nicks Radiator about a month ago. Fits right in. Cools better now. Also did 2 10" Spal fans. A lot easier if you remove the hood and have 2 people. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yes mine was a exact fit on the radiator. Radiator hose fit with no problem. A/C evaporator fit right on. New fans work great. Fit in old fan mounts and plug right in with out any cutting and splicing. Make sure you get new foam to go under and on both side of the radiator. Got my foam from Lowes, used for going around window A/C units.
I don't have any knowledge of the Superformance product but I also put in one of Forza's aluminum radiators which are fabricated by Wizard. While it does fit it should be noted that it is close to an inch thicker than the original (It has to be because aluminum is not as efficient as copper) so it's a tight squeeze getting it in there. Like most people who do this I also upgraded the fans so I'm not sure how well the original fans would fit since there is an inch less space up front.
My left hand radiator fan melted the brush holder plate. I think that there is a specialist rebuilder, but I would also like to try the 10" Spal fans, based upon comments here that they bolt right into the stock bracket. There are ten different 10" Spal fans. Does anyone know which one fits best? Thank you.
Image Unavailable, Please Login I wouldn't exactly say they just "bolt right in" but with a few little L-brackets it's pretty easy so basically any of them will fit.
Thank you for the rapid response. I turned your photo upside down and tried to enlarge it, but still cannot read the SPAL model number, and there are ten different 10" fans. Can you access the SPAL model number? The bolt-in remark was regarding the photos of February 26, 2016, which appears to be SPAL blades and shields, but oem style motors, which looks interesting. I did find an original NOS brush plate kit on eBay for $23 and bought it to repair my original fan motor, but am still willing to try something that will push more air. I see that you are in the SF Bay area. I did enter both Concorso and the Carmel Village street show this August. Please introduce yourself if you see the car there. Thank you. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I did a bit of research here on the SPAL fans that 308 owners were using, and mentioned most often were the 30100320, also known as VA11-AP7/C-57S 10"C/12V: https://webstore.spalusa.com/en-us/product/0162/30100320/va11-ap7-c-57s-10-c-12v.aspx I have a pair of these waiting to be installed in my 308 QV
Thank you! Do you think that the February 26, 2016 photos are some special hybrid of original motors and SPAL blades and enclosures?
It looks like he re-used the empty housings of the original fan motors as a shell to mount the new fans with simple angle brackets (have seen that described in previous fan threads as well). kcabpilot's photos show the band that holds the original fan housings, but he has chosen to use angle brackets to mount the new fans to the mounting band, rather than to the shell housing as offtheworkigo did. Both mounting methods are equally good, it's just personal preference as to which you use.
The fans I used are VA07-AP12/C-31S 30100381 straight blade pusher 590 cfm 15 amp. I spliced the connectors from the original fans onto these so they are direct plug in and no modifications were done to the chassis side. The original circuits are 15 amp so no need to change anything the spec sheet says these run at around 6 amps. They also make some curved bladed fans which may be quieter but I don't have any direct experience. These ones seem to be about the same sound level as the originals.
I used 3" muffler pipe 2 1/2 " long with L brackets from Home Depot. Riveted the L brackets to the pipe and removed the screws from the fan and installed longer screws. This way I could adjust how close I wanted the fans to sit from my condenser using the old fan mounts. Also used 3 " rubber caps to fill the holes in the muffler pipe. Many ways will work. Just looks differant.
I did the same thing but after installing the Forza radiator which, as I said is about an inch thicker, I found that the Spal fans just fit between the condenser and the original brackets so there was no need for the tubes. If you are doing this with the original radiator then yes, you would need the tubes to extend from the brackets because the Spal fans have integral shrouds and you want them right up against the condenser fins for best performance.
Aug 13, 2019 at 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea Ocean Avenue Carmel, CA 93921 Free spectator admission
I think I read somewhere about GTO engineering buying the original ferrari radiator tooling. I know you're looking to upgrade but maybe they can help too.
When I hear 'uprated' from SF I get wary. Same here exactly. 10 years ago. Works still perfect and was inexpensive. Best from Germany Martin