# Civic radiator?



## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

Alrighty, I've got carb'd 16v that's going in my mk1 rabbit I'm planning to either get a custom rad made to sit below my velocity stacks or use a civic rad that will sit to the side of them.. 

I don't really want to go with a custom rad because of the high cost. I've seen a number of people use civic rads, but my main concern is will the smaller civic rad keep everything cool in my daily summer car? 

I'm sure as long as I'm driving I've got nothing to worry about, I'm just worried about the rare occasion of getting caught in rush hour traffic while sitting in 85-90 degree heat. 

Thanks to anyone that has any insight on this.


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## Bootlegger213 (Jul 29, 2012)

I'm sure with a decent fan you'd be fine


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## bonesaw (Aug 8, 2004)

I have the cxracing 3 row civic rad with fan and fan shroud. Keeps car right temps. Sitting in traffic on really hot days was holding at 98c


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## Glegor (Mar 31, 2008)

bonesaw said:


> I have the cxracing 3 row civic rad with fan and fan shroud. Keeps car right temps. Sitting in traffic on really hot days was holding at 98c


 98*c is a bit hot for my tastes...


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## bonesaw (Aug 8, 2004)

Glegor said:


> 98*c is a bit hot for my tastes...


 This was on a 100F day. Sometimes you need to make sacrifices. Lol


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## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

Awesome, thanks guys! 

I mean it rarely gets past 90 where I am. on occasion there will be a brief scorching hot day, but not often. So I think I'll be fine. I'll just make sure I get a decent fan and shroud to go along with it.


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## eurotrashrabbit (Oct 25, 2001)

Full race has one for a crx that wirks really well and its very small


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## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

eurotrashrabbit said:


> Full race has one for a crx that wirks really well and its very small


I believe I've seen a picture of your car with one in it. It looks really nice. I like theirs the best because it seems to be the smallest option in terms of height.

I talked to them about a month ago asking for specific dimensions just because I wanted to be sure it would fit without needing to do some modification to where I plan to mount it or not.


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## porno_ster (Oct 27, 2004)

I've got an ITB'd 9A with a standard 2-core civic rad and it's working 100%. I also deleted the thermostat and the port on the front of the head. This is it:










I'll soon be doing head work and cams. If it does not cope I'll switch to a 3-core one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-ROWS-CIVI...Parts_Accessories&hash=item27d29b125a&vxp=mtr

With the Civic radiator it is completely clear of the throttles and I can run up to 200mm trumpets, if they were available. But, even at 200mm I'll only have about 400mm from the trumpet tip to the intake valve, I still will not have the benefit of the 2nd harmonics, only 3rd and 4th. to get the full benefit I'll have to go up to 500mm, which is not impossible but rather impractical on a FWD motor. The mistake most people make is that they select too large bore throttles and make the intake track too short.


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## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

^That is awesome to know. thanks for telling me how much clearance you have because I'm running 127mm velocity stacks. I was slightly concerned that the stack closest to the rad might have some issues but, now I know I'm set as far as clearance goes. 

I know I'm planning to have some head work done down the road, so I'm just going to pick up a 3 core and I'll be ready no matter what.


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## can. rabbit (Feb 18, 2003)

eurotrashrabbit said:


> Full race has one for a crx that wirks really well and its very small


This. I have the Fullrace rad in my cabby and the height of it is perfect. There's a support post that needs to be trimmed (see the black tab near the rad cap) but other than that, the hood closes properly with no interference issues.


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## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

can. rabbit said:


>


That looks absolutely supreme in there!! The full race one seems to be growing on me cause it appears to fit with the least amount of work and will keep the engine nice and cool.


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## Turbo3 (Sep 15, 2005)

Not trying to be a dick, but why would you think it wouldn't keep it cool. The 2 motors or.2L difference in size.


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## candm (Apr 27, 2003)

an offset radiator is the only way to go on a 16v w/ carbs


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## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

candm said:


> an offset radiator is the only way to go on a 16v w/ carbs


 I couldn't agree more! I just scooped up a 3 row all aluminum civic radiator which should do the trick nicely. 

By the way I like that manifold.. It looks very similar to the twm makes.. It looks a lot easier to install as compared to the damn Redline one that's tight as hell and you have to fiddle with to even get the nut to tighten down and seat the manifold right..


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## candm (Apr 27, 2003)

dougkehl said:


> I couldn't agree more! I just scooped up a 3 row all aluminum civic radiator which should do the trick nicely.
> 
> By the way I like that manifold.. It looks very similar to the twm makes.. It looks a lot easier to install as compared to the damn Redline one that's tight as hell and you have to fiddle with to even get the nut to tighten down and seat the manifold right..


 allthough mine is a TWM, piercemanifolds makes these same 2- piece ones now. but be prepared to do alot of work to be able to get them mounted, ports lined up, carburetors on mounting studs, etc. once done however, i think they are a better choice than using a shorter manifold


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## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

candm said:


> allthough mine is a TWM, piercemanifolds makes these same 2- piece ones now. but be prepared to do alot of work to be able to get them mounted, *ports lined up*, carburetors on mounting studs, etc. once done however, i think they are a better choice than using a shorter manifold


Yeah, but I imagine it's worth it.. I still have to drill out the spot for the brake booster bung and what not..

And what do you mean by ports lined up? When you installed the manifold the ports didn't line up correctly?


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## candm (Apr 27, 2003)

dougkehl said:


> Yeah, but I imagine it's worth it.. I still have to drill out the spot for the brake booster bung and what not..
> 
> And what do you mean by ports lined up? When you installed the manifold the ports didn't line up correctly?


these are a 2 piece manifold. first off, the holes needed to be hogged out a little and the lower portion of the #3 runner had to be ground away, for the bolts to fit through the manifold. then, when mounted to the head, the angle that the right side manifold had been cut at was different from the left. so when you installed the carbs, the right 1 was about 1/4" higher than the left. i found a machinist who was able to re cut the manifold so that they lined up about perfect. next, allthough the shape of the ports was about right, they did not line up with the ports on the head. basically then had to hog out the holes on the manifolds towards the right, so they could move to the left about 1/8". after that, it was finally time to gasket match to the head and transfer to the intake manifold and port match it. finally, when you install these, since there is movement on both pieces, you have to take your time when doing your final assembly, to make sure the pieces are aligned with eachother and the ports.
it takes awhile to set up properly, but they work really well. im not sure if piercemanifolds, who now make these, has done anything different while machining these, but the old TWM ones i have needed alot of work .


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## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

Wow.. You weren't kidding. I did not see all of that coming.. That certainly seems like a hassle, but like you said, I suppose once it's done they really are great, good functioning manifolds.


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## eurotrashrabbit (Oct 25, 2001)

Full race unit works great try and find an early one they have a 3" core, later ones are 2 1/2" but a little wider


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## eurotrashrabbit (Oct 25, 2001)

Here is a link
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4465237-New-pictures-of-my-car


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## FLiGLi84 (Dec 5, 2006)

candm said:


> an offset radiator is the only way to go on a 16v w/ carbs


A few question on this picture.... 1st where did you get that adjustable cam gear? 2nd on the radiator did you block off the front coolant flange on the head and run into the side of the head?


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## FLiGLi84 (Dec 5, 2006)

DAMN!! And what radiator are you running?


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## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

FLiGLi84 said:


> DAMN!! And what radiator are you running?


me or in candm? I believe his is a custom unit. I run the full race radiator now after talking with eurotrashrabbit a few years ago. His rabbit is a full track car and he runs one so I figured I'd try it. I contacted full race and had them supply me with actual dimensions before I bought it. Since then I've turned many of my friends on to the idea of running one because it fits and works awesome. 

Also, that cam gear is a CATCAMS unit. I have one as well. His appears to be brushed and an older style, or maybe one for a 1.8t. 

I'd leave the center outlet for the coolant on the head. But hopefully candm will pop in here and answer that question for you because I'm not sure if he blocked off the center. I know I chose to run it. 

IMG_20150608_194932_513 by dougkehl1, on Flickr

IMG_20150905_220141_787 by dougkehl1, on Flickr


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## candm (Apr 27, 2003)

FLiGLi84 said:


> A few question on this picture.... 1st where did you get that adjustable cam gear? 2nd on the radiator did you block off the front coolant flange on the head and run into the side of the head?


Catcams camgear. Radiator was custom built. The waterneck is one that was made by TWM Induction, that angles down like one for an ABF motor. They were bought by Borla and they might still sell these


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## Alderstorm (Jan 17, 2004)

I used the early scirocco radiator I was already running and used a stock lower mounting hole on the passenger side that was set forward, then angled the radiator over on the drivers side and drilled a new lower mounting hole. Then I used some stock mounting brackets up top and modified them a bit, drilled a few holes and tightened things down. Got a 10" 1033cfm spal pusher fan mounted to the front of the radiator.


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## [email protected] (Jan 18, 2016)

candm said:


> Catcams camgear. Radiator was custom built. The waterneck is one that was made by TWM Induction, that angles down like one for an ABF motor. They were bought by Borla and they might still sell these


If you have the part number I can see if we still have the component available. 

The 8v and 16v kits are on this page
http://www.borlainduction.com/2000-series.html


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## candm (Apr 27, 2003)

[email protected] said:


> If you have the part number I can see if we still have the component available.
> 
> The 8v and 16v kits are on this page
> http://www.borlainduction.com/2000-series.html


Thanks Borla for the interest. Here is a pic and I will see if I can find an old invoice with a part #.


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## [email protected] (Jan 18, 2016)

candm said:


> Thanks Borla for the interest. Here is a pic and I will see if I can find an old invoice with a part #.


No problem. We no longer carry that part as an individual component, however you can get it direct from Pierce Manifolds who purchased the tooling from TWM.

http://www.piercemanifolds.com/

Part# 7-0103/2 and it retails for $65.00


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## candm (Apr 27, 2003)

[email protected] said:


> No problem. We no longer carry that part as an individual component, however you can get it direct from Pierce Manifolds who purchased the tooling from TWM.
> 
> http://www.piercemanifolds.com/
> 
> Part# 7-0103/2 and it retails for $65.00


thanks for the info


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## mpr3ssiv (May 3, 2011)

dougkehl said:


> me or in candm? I believe his is a custom unit. I run the full race radiator now after talking with eurotrashrabbit a few years ago. His rabbit is a full track car and he runs one so I figured I'd try it. I contacted full race and had them supply me with actual dimensions before I bought it. Since then I've turned many of my friends on to the idea of running one because it fits and works awesome.
> 
> Also, that cam gear is a CATCAMS unit. I have one as well. His appears to be brushed and an older style, or maybe one for a 1.8t.
> 
> ...


is your radiator fan from full race too? or is that custom built?


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## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

mpr3ssiv said:


> is your radiator fan from full race too? or is that custom built?


My fan and shroud set up is custom made by me. Full race for whatever reason doesn't offer a shroud and fan setup for their radiator which is the main downside.. The radiator works fine without a shroud and just a fan, but I found in slow moving conditions the shroud really helps the fan work more efficiently. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk


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## Euro_Jay (Jul 16, 2011)

Hey Guy's!

I was looking at the Civic Aluminum Rad and it seems a bit high when sitting on the cross member. What rad did you guy's get exactly? I mesure 14 1/2 inches of clearance high and the civic rad has 16 1/2.

Thanks for you're help!!

Wanted to post a picture of my setup but cant seem to figure out how...


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## dougkehl (Nov 30, 2011)

Euro_Jay said:


> Hey Guy's!
> 
> I was looking at the Civic Aluminum Rad and it seems a bit high when sitting on the cross member. What rad did you guy's get exactly? I mesure 14 1/2 inches of clearance high and the civic rad has 16 1/2.
> 
> ...


If you get the full race radiator like I have pictured above you only have to drill one hole and it will drop in. On their website (see here http://www.full-race.com/store/radiators/full-race-prostreet-honda-ef-ed-radiator.html/) it will show the overall height being something like 16" or so from the bottom of the mounting pegs to the top of the filler cap, but the height of the radiator with the tanks is like 14" so it actually will clear.. Unless they changed the dimensions of the radiator. 

You are right that normal aluminum civic radiators are something like 16 1/2" tall, and that's just the radiator, but the full race civic radiator should do the job. It did for me just fine and has for many other people I've told about it! 

Another option that I'm actually looking to switch to is a radiator sold by Rywire and it's 24" x 9" and is dual core and dual pass. You can get it in 24" x 12" also. It's a pricey rad but it will fit under the core support no matter what and you can get a fan shroud and fans for it too.. The full race radiator requires you to build a shroud.


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## Euro_Jay (Jul 16, 2011)

Thanks Doug!! I appreciate the help!! :blush:


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## ryanmeredith88 (Mar 20, 2015)

candm said:


> an offset radiator is the only way to go on a 16v w/ carbs


Have you used any different hoses?
What's it like for wiring??

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