308 Radiator replacement? | Page 2 | FerrariChat

308 Radiator replacement?

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by samtheclip, Jun 13, 2004.

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  1. F308 MAN

    F308 MAN F1 Rookie

    Jan 19, 2004
    2,907
    Isle of Man
    Full Name:
    Dave S
    now you tell me, you have a repair shop !
    (only kidding)
    thanks again malcolm
     
  2. Nick

    Nick Formula Junior
    Sponsor Professional Ferrari Technician

    Oct 31, 2003
    506
    Full Name:
    Nick Scianna
    Hi, This response is to Frank Fosters post (Hi Frank hope you are doing well!)
    I used a different manufacture to build some 308 radiators a few years back, quite frankly while they looked nice the fitment was not the best it could have been. He claimed that he had done many 308 radiators for other clients & was experienced in 308 radiators, I even sent him OEM radiator to copy
    (I guess he did not bother to look at it) in any event we sold a fair amount of them. Frank Foster had ordered one from me & I believe at the time the AC condenser brackets on his radiator were mounted upside down, so it turned his install into a pain in the ass! I do not do business with that manufacturer anymore since as he promised me that he would look after the mistake that he had made on Frank’s radiator & compensate Frank for having to send his radiator to a shop to have the brackets re welded correctly, he never came through. I personally compensated Frank for the hassle out of my pocket. The NEW radiator that is on my website is a joint venture between Mark, Steve & myself that is designed for the 4.1 liter 308 engine. This radiator will fit & work in a 308. It is designed to be a DIRECT REPLACMENT, all inlets, outlets are in the EXACT location & the same angle etc. as an OEM radiator. It is custom made for us & I repeat its not an off the shelf core, it is designed for our 4.1 liter engine project. I would like to state that the NEW radiator on www.nicksforzaferrari.com has nothing to do with the pervious radiator that Frank is talking about. I can also say that you could not have this radiator manufactured to the specs required for the 4.1-liter engine with the build quality that Mark, Steve & myself are accustomed to 400-500 dollars. Regards
     
    miketuason likes this.
  3. sparta49

    sparta49 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Mar 3, 2001
    7,802
    LA
    Full Name:
    Frank
    This may be the way to go in the hotter more humid climates if this new radiator was designed to withstand the 4.0 litre engine It should work great with a stock 308. I know from past conversations with Nick it sounds like he too was getting overcharged from his previous supplier. the radiator that I bough from him, while install was a PIA due to the brackets the radiator was great looking and solved my cooling problems that had been ongoing for almost 2 years.
     
  4. MTLewis

    MTLewis Karting

    Apr 7, 2004
    195
    For those concerned by cooling system pressure, please note that Evans NPG + is a low-pressure coolant. It has a boiling point of 369 degrees F at sea level. Evans recommends low-pressure radiator caps. This means that all of the pressure related problems reference in this thread would be eliminated.

    The 4-liter cooling setup includes the upgraded radiator that has been discussed in this thread, the new water pump, and Evans coolant. The combination of these three items would make a killing setup for a 308.

    Sincerely,


    Mark Lewis
     
  5. atlantaman

    atlantaman Formula 3

    Mar 31, 2002
    1,726
    Roswell, Georgia
    Full Name:
    Charles
    recore the radiator and stay stock--sounds kinda stupid---
    stock radiator is 3 rows thick and has about 10 fins per inch.

    you can order ( to any size) a nice 5 row staggered unit with about 16 fins/inch and have it put together with your original end caps--all done--labor included for 400 or less.

    This unit should be sufficient for 400 HP+
     
  6. MTLewis

    MTLewis Karting

    Apr 7, 2004
    195
    My aluminum radiator has two rows of very large oval shaped tubes. I believe that the tubes are 1.25 or 1.50 inches across. I would measure them for you guys, but without a radiator cap I don’t have access to the tubes. This provides excellent coolant flow and about 50 percent more tube to coolant surface area than the stock radiator.

    A setup with many small tubes is more prone to clogging with corrosion. Most 308 cooling systems have been neglected. The moral of the story is…change the dog gone coolant regularly.

    Any of the upgrades that I have mentioned will have a pronounced impact on a 308’s cooling system. All of them in combination will make the system nearly bullet proof. The cheapest up grade is the Evans NPG+ at around $200.

    Sincerely,

    Mark Lewis
     
  7. Jagerocks

    Jagerocks Karting

    Sep 29, 2019
    82
    Full Name:
    JASON
    What about these Ebay radiators you see on there for sale $339 free shipping...seems the fitting look correct and size. What do you all think?
     
  8. George Vosburgh

    George Vosburgh F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Sam, If your car isn't going to a concours, get a new aluminum radiator. I had one made by a guy on here that goes by the handle "FerrariPilot". Nick's Forza is the other one I looked at. With the new radiator my 308 NEVER EVEN CAME CLOSE to over heating in 100 degree heat. It was the best upgrade I did on my 308.
     
  9. waymar

    waymar Formula 3

    Sep 2, 2008
    1,321
    Northeast, PA - USA
    Full Name:
    Wayne Martin
    I had my OEM radiator re-cored with 2 less FPI (fins per inch), changed the brushes on the OEM fans. The OEM core did not flow enough air by the cooling tubes. No issues anymore...... just saying.
     
  10. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Feb 24, 2006
    15,517
    Cerritos, CA.
    Full Name:
    Mike
    From what I was told the and I do believe that copper core dissipate heat way better than the aluminum But Nick Forza’s aluminum radiator is very exceptional. If I were to replace my original copper core radiator, Nick Forza’s is the only one I would use to replace mine. Buy the way just in case some of you don’t know, the original header tank on the 308 radiator is baffled a special design for the 308 unlike most radiator the header tank is just plain open and not baffled. So if you have an old original 308 radiator please don’t throw them away, save the header tank.
     
    waymar likes this.
  11. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 7, 2012
    3,322
    Tallahassee, FL
    Without a first-hand review, I'd suspect it's a generic unit that may or may not fit at all.
     
  12. waymar

    waymar Formula 3

    Sep 2, 2008
    1,321
    Northeast, PA - USA
    Full Name:
    Wayne Martin
    FWIW the OEM radiator on my 82 308GTSi was re cord to original tubing pattern but 2 less FPI on the foil for better air flow. That and changed out the fan motor brushes. No oproblems now. Just saying.
     
    miketuason likes this.
  13. pshoejberg

    pshoejberg Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 22, 2007
    1,694
    Denmark
    Full Name:
    Peter H
    Why change the old field proven OEM design for a standard car? It worked for decades and can be reconditioned for less or the same than going non OEM. Re-core the original unit with a nice copper core and chose a more modern and effective core if you want more capacity. I have re-cored all my classic F-cars and never had any cooling or quality issues hereafter. The trick is to find a trusted workshop that can perform the job, dimensional accuracy is a most.

    Best regards Peter
     
  14. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 7, 2012
    3,322
    Tallahassee, FL
    Average summer day in Denmark is what - 72F? Average summer day in Florida - 95-102F.
     
  15. pshoejberg

    pshoejberg Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 22, 2007
    1,694
    Denmark
    Full Name:
    Peter H
    The point is that the system originally was designed to work under the conditions you describe in Florida but after 30-40 years it wont due to many obvious reasons. If you want higher capacity for peace of mind, then upgrade to a more efficient and modern design of the copper core. I did that and it is very hard to see the difference since the core is still maintained in its original frame. The next owner of your car will thank you....-:)
     
    Du_Man likes this.
  16. chris_columbia

    chris_columbia Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 5, 2008
    814
    Columbia MD
    Full Name:
    Chris
    looking closely at the ebay radiator options, they look very specific for the 308. Labelled GPI racing. The 4 condenser tabs are on the front. The single condenser-line tab is on the side. Fan switch is in the right place. The bottom end cap is more narrow than the core in order to fit in the cradle. I just removed my radiator an hour ago to have it recored, but might consider ordering one of these. Has a 14 return policy, so not much risk, other than it takes shipping time(I'm not very patient). I have the tire tub out, so access is very good for testing out.
     
    miketuason likes this.
  17. chris_columbia

    chris_columbia Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 5, 2008
    814
    Columbia MD
    Full Name:
    Chris
    Anyone know the difference between a 2V and QV radiator? I thought they would all be the same, but Superformance shows they are different part numbers. The ebay ones are all for 2V. Will it fit in a QV?
     
  18. etip

    etip Formula 3

    Apr 4, 2004
    2,406
    Washington State
    Full Name:
    Eric
    I need to do something for the radiator in my 308 - recore or Nicks. Just checked Nick's and they're $1300 now. Damn!! Guess I'll get a recore
     
    f355spider likes this.
  19. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
    USA
    I wonder where Carlo sent radiators out in Tacoma for reburbishment? My 328 radiator was not cooling well (no leaks) and he set it to get "rodded out" and it worked great after. He said it was just clogged up and needed some angioplasty to get it working again.
     
  20. etip

    etip Formula 3

    Apr 4, 2004
    2,406
    Washington State
    Full Name:
    Eric
    I had Seattle Radiator do the radiator in my e28, so I'll have them work on it. If they can repair without a re-core I'll go that route, otherwise recoring isn't that big a deal.
     
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