2fast2rotar

I just completed a motor swap on my 84 GS.

It was a huge success !!
I was having problems starting my car when it was hot, so I finally gave up and said I'd buy a new motor.

My buddy called me 2 days later and told me that he wrecked his 80 GSL and he would sell me anything hes got.

So I took his RB intake($300), RB headers($100) and his motor ($300).

Now the car runs like new!!!!

The only problem is that the new motor has the oil cooler that runs both lines to the front and has a little Radiator to cool it.

Now there is not enough clearance between the bottom of the bar that runs under the radiator and the undercarrage plate(Ill post a pic below).

I need a solution to this problem... any ideas anybody??

I just wanted to post this to tell everyone how happy I am after having my 7 sit in the driveway half way runnin for 9 months!!!

Thanks for readn it!!!
~andrew

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Andrew,
You have 2 options to solve this.
1) Use the radiator out of the 80 model or any 79-82. That way you can bolt the oil cooler to the radiator as it was intended to.

2). Go to member trochoid profile and click on the link he has about the 2nd gen oil cooler in a 1st gen write up. The material can be used for the 1st gen oil cooler. It is a matter of making mounts and positioning the oil cooler in front of the radiator for mounting.

waysrx7

Good deal. I feel your excitment, and that oil cooler is a nice upgrade from what you had before.
Sorry for your buddies car, his loss your gain I guess.
rx7doc is spot on on this one.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

You definitely need to move the oil cooler in front of the radiator. As it sits now, the radiator is heating the cooler and not allowing the fmoc to do it's intended job. You also need to install the windage tray to aide in the airflow going through the radiator, not around it. In my sig is a link to the fmoc install write up I did. Fwiw, zipties are the worst thing you could use to hold the fmoc in. If one breaks, you'll be replacing your engine again.
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mikewoodkozar

Yeah, zip ties.... Scary! Anyway, i would buy a new radiator for 79-82 RX7's as opposed to using the old one from the wrecked car. Our engines are really dependent on cooling; both the rad and FMOC are BIG BIG players in the cooling process. When was the last time the cooling system had a makeover?

2fast2rotar

Well the radaitor I had in it is almost brand new!! It has mabie 1000 miles on it.

So you're saying that the oil cooler needs to be in front of the radiator?? I tried to put it there, but the lines are not long enough.

What I think I will do is make 2 mounts and mount it to the frame where it is right now and up the road I will buy a 1980 radiator. B/C where it is now the temp still stays very low- Alot lower than my old motor.

I'm just extremely happy that I can go outside and start my 7 ANY TIME I WANT!!!!!!

Thanks for the help guys...
~andrew

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

79-92 cars had the oil cooler under the radiator. Their radiator was shorter but thicker, to make room for the oil cooler underneath.

83-85 non-GSL-SE cars had the water-to-oil cooler (which we affectionately call the "beehive") under the oil filter. Since they had no front-mount oil cooler, the radiator was made taller (stock it was also thinner, but any rebuilt or replaced rads would have had a core of equivalent thickness).

So the two options, as said above, are to get the rad out of the '80 and mount the rad and oil cooler like they were stock in your friend's 80, or fab a set of mounts to put it in front of your taller radiator, and have a set of lines made that will reach.

The second option is the best because your taller rad looks new enough that its core is probably nice and thick, so that rad probably offers quite a bit more cooling than the short 'n' stubby one. Putting the FMOC in front of the rad will give it access to nice cool air, and your rad will still cool well, so you'll get the best of both worlds that way. The only downside is fabbing mounts and hoses.

So if you don't have the time/ability to fab mounts and hoses, grab the rad, rad panels, mounts from your friend's 80. Otherwise, read trochoid's thread on 2nd-gen-into-1st-gen FMOC and have fun.

Jon

mikewoodkozar

Yeah, dont go running around with that setup the way it is. If you are really attached to your radiator that you have then go get some longer lines and mount your FMOC in front of the rad. Otherwise dont come whining to us when something goes wrong

djessence

What is this windage tray you speak of? My engines out and doing similar work to what 2 fast is doing and was wondering if you could clarify? Is that just the big plastic shroud?

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

The windage tray is stamped piece of galvanized tin the bolts to the bottom rear of the air dam, the lower frame rails and fills the area between the air dam and the engine cross member. Purpose is to force the through the rad instead of it flowing around it. Greatly aides in cooling. I've found many 7s missing them for some reason.

2fast2rotor, if you read through my 2nd gen fmoc install in the archives, I detail how to have new hoses made up. Mine were less than 50 for both at a local hydraulic shop. Since the fmoc takes approximately 30% of the total cooling load, you want it mounted so it recieves fresh, cooler air, not pre-heated that has passed through the radiator.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

I always thought a "windage tray" was that baffle plate that people can add between their oil pan and the block....

Jon

orion84gsl

iTrader: (5)

Jon, that IS what a windage tray is. The "windage tray" Troichoid is referring to is actually an UNDERtray.I don't know where he got windage from. YOU SUPPOSED TO KNOW MORE THAN ME SCOTT!!!!!!!!

djessence

thanks for clarifying, guess ill make sure to bent it back to its original shape and stick is back on there

sorry for the hijack

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

You gents are correct, the oil pan baffle is also know as a windage tray. How wind get in the crankcase, I have yet to figure out, lol. Undertray is probably the correct term, but windage tray was the best description I could think of at the time.

aussiesmg

iTrader: (1)

Be sure to mount the cooler using the original rubber spacers to stop it vibrating until it cracks the aluminum.

I mounted mine using aluminum brackets I fabricated to existing welded bolts on the front bodywork, I had a local hydraulic company supply hoses and clamps I required so i could make hoses that fit.

My pic is too big so send me your email and I'll give you a copy of my pic with the oil cooler in place before i mounted my 3 core 84/85 radiator. The oil cooler is in front of the radiator location,

Steve

2fast2rotar

andrewdavis2006@yahoo.com

Plz notify me on this site when you E-mail me b/c I almost never check it!
Thanks 4 all the help
~andrew

stilettoman

iTrader: (1)

Unless you will be racing or doing a lot of hard driving at temperatures over 100 degrees F, The beehive oil cooler may be adequate for your needs. The beehive is cheap, simple to install and very reliable. If nothing else, you can certainly run one until the hot weather comes back.

If any of you are looking for absolute max oil cooling, try to find a cooler from the rotary pickup. I recently installed one of these on a car for a friend who runs a high performance 13b in a rally car. In addition to higher capacity, these coolers seem to be more bulletproof than the standard RX-7 coolers. They do add a couple pounds weight.