Radiator front or Rear

[gm500hprat]

Is there any increase or decrease in cooling on whether you mount a radiator in front or rear. Either way there is no blockage of air to the radiator. In the front there is nothing in front of the radiator, and in the rear the vehicle is a complete tube chassis, so it’s pretty free flowing. In the front the radiator would connect like a normal vehicle with a short factory hose, in the rear I would have to run about 8ft of tubing through the chassis and have some silicon hoses on each side to connect to the moter and the radiator. Would this extra water help in cooling, or would it hamper it because it has longer to travel before it gets to the radiator?

Vehicle was a gmc k1500 frame, now has a tube chassis welded to what's left of the frame rails, 500hp BBC w'th400, np 205. Will be used for dual purpose sand/dirt. Glamis/Ocotillo

I have a 31x16 Ron Davis Radiator on Dual Derales RAD 13in 4000cfm fans.

Thanks in advance, Art

[Ol' Curmudgeon]

Ask this in the shop section.

[Dezertpilot]

Google EFE, Electric Fan Engineering, those are the only elec. fans I would trust, putting a radiator in the back is a pain in the arse. The only real advantage is not having rocks thrown through your radiator and thats it.....put mesh in front of your radiators and you will be golden.

[Ziggy]

Is there any increase or decrease in cooling on whether you mount a radiator in front or rear. Either way there is no blockage of air to the radiator. In the front there is nothing in front of the radiator, and in the rear the vehicle is a complete tube chassis, so it’s pretty free flowing. In the front the radiator would connect like a normal vehicle with a short factory hose, in the rear I would have to run about 8ft of tubing through the chassis and have some silicon hoses on each side to connect to the moter and the radiator. Would this extra water help in cooling, or would it hamper it because it has longer to travel before it gets to the radiator?

Vehicle was a gmc k1500 frame, now has a tube chassis welded to what's left of the frame rails, 500hp BBC w'th400, np 205. Will be used for dual purpose sand/dirt. Glamis/Ocotillo

I have a 31x16 Ron Davis Radiator on Dual Derales RAD 13in 4000cfm fans.

Thanks in advance, Art




I just mounted the exact same fan in the rear as I have had problems with the front mounted in the past.
There is a reason almost everyone runs the radiator in the back.

[gm500hprat]

Is there anything I should be aware of If I decide to mount in rear, such as will I need a higher volume water pump or anything like that.

[Dezertpilot]

Is there anything I should be aware of If I decide to mount in rear, such as will I need a higher volume water pump or anything like that.

Dont do it! You will have NOTHING but problems!

[gm500hprat]

Dont do it! You will have NOTHING but problems!

Please explain, so I will have an understanding of the problems I may face.

[Dezertpilot]

Errr,,,,,had too many "Adult Drinks" to further comment LOL.

[Wild bill]

Leave the radiator in the front. I tried a rear radiator setup in a class 3 bronco with a BBF. The pump would cavitate at high rpm and the temp would go through the roof. I tried everything short of adding a helper pump and finally gave up. Also, a rear set up is entirely reliant on your fans and charging system. A charging or fan issue will leave you thumming a ride. A crank driven fan is reliable. Also a crank driven fan is rpm dependent... faster you go...faster the fan goes.

[gm500hprat]

Leave the radiator in the front. I tried a rear radiator setup in a class 3 bronco with a BBF. The pump would cavitate at high rpm and the temp would go through the roof. I tried everything short of adding a helper pump and finally gave up. Also, a rear set up is entirely reliant on your fans and charging system. A charging or fan issue will leave you thumming a ride. A crank driven fan is reliable. Also a crank driven fan is rpm dependent... faster you go...faster the fan goes.

Thanks Wild Bill, leaving the radiator in the front is definately still an option. I just wanted to give myself a better approach angle by moving the radiator to the rear. But a crank driven fan is not, it will not fit in the chassis at all.

[barry bk]

ive mounted many rad. in the back of cars and if done right it it the way to go

[gm500hprat]

ive mounted many rad. in the back of cars and if done right it it the way to go

What are some things I need to know to do it right.

[barry bk]

make sure the radiator is as big as you can install, put as big of fans on as possible,( i run spals on everything), the system must run as a pressure system, min cap is a 22 to 24 lbs.it helps if the top of the radiator is above the highest part of the engine,on the top most part of the engine you must run a bleeder to get all air out and run one on the top most part of the radiator, run a thermostat on the engine, and i always run a expansion tank above the radiator with the cap on it. hope this helps you out. barry

[desertfan58]

If you go with the rear choice remember this, the recovery tank has to be higher than the top of the radiator or you will get air bubbles/pockets in your system that will
cause overheating and cavitating. I have done it and if done right shouldnt be an issue.

[jowoog]

run it in the back , its not that hard . if your electric takes a poop your done any way .