240Z Radiator in 77 810

[afracer]

Just finishing up the install of a Champion 240Z aluminum radiator into my 810 wagon. I went with the two 1" rows version which is proven to cool better than a 3 or 4 row. The radiator has several mounting holes, the top two line up but have to use the ones that push the radiator as far towards the passenger side as possible or the fan won't be centered properly. The bottom two are easy enough. One just drill a new hole, the other make a 4" long bracket. In this position the AC condesnor will just about bolt up to the radiator. I think I redrilled the two on the driver side only. The fan shroud had to be trimmed just a hair because the dumb radiator has an integrated AT oil cooler and the port on one side gets in the way. Then the mounting points are way off. Just used a piece of aluminum bar bolted to the radiator to have a spit for the shroud to bolt to. Finally the Z radiator has a 90 degree bend on the lower outlet that has to but cut or it won't clear the shroud and hose. I'm trying to decide if I want to weld a whole new straihht outlet on or not but we'll see if a clamp will have enough bite to stay on the nub that's left after cutting. Not a hard job, but took me 2 afternoons because I also put a new water pump, belts, idler pulleys, and condensor fan on it. Speaking of which, a SPAL 12" slim fan fits perfectly for that, it's the only electric fan that's only 2" thick.

[afracer]

Created an Air tight seal on the fan shroud to radiator and between the radiator and condensor using foam weatherstripping. It's all done and running except I haven't hooked up the electric fan yet as I'm waiting for a JDM 810 combination hazard switch to come in the mail. It has a separate rocker switch for parking lights that I'll use to turn fan on and off with an OEM look. Car runs smoother and quieter and cooler than ever thanks to the new belts, idler pulleys, and water pump although I still have to tighten the fan belt a little more. Torture test will be Wednesday and Thursday when we have record highs here but idling with AC on max it never got past halfway unlike before when it'd go to 3/4's after about 2 minutes. I still wish there was a drop in 810 aluminum radiator but this will do. Again, if it still runs warm I can always upgrade the fan now that I know it interchanges with 240sx/Skyline  fans. It's gotta work good for when the turbo setup goes in!