I was bracketless too. An easy alternative to the OEM brackets is to make your own, which is what I did. Just some AL stock drilled & bent in the right places, one bracket for each side. Here's pictures of the brackets on my Koyo to illustrate the basic design.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...0e38e0803f.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a1bd473609.jpg

hey, thank you for the reply and pictures! Most likely if I’m unable to get my hands on some OEM ones then what you did is the plan B.

appreciate you

I’m having a tough time installing mine..

it sits almost cockeyed and I can’t get it down on the brackets. The RH side fits into the bottom bracket hole but the LH side does not and the radiator makes contact with my oil cooler lines. My back hurts bending over pulling this in and out over and over but I can’t get it to fit.

any ideas???

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...511de94c8.jpeg

I just finished installing a Koyo a few weeks ago. It went fairly smoothly (thanks to the great info on this thread) but one thing I didn't expect was how far I had to bend the lower mounting brackets down for the radiator to drop all the way down. Maybe something to check?

I guess I could try bending them more but I don’t see why it’s not sitting evenly... it’s like I can get the RH into the hole for the bracket but not on the LH side.

Also noticed the top bleeder is hitting my frame.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a8bfcd7fe.jpeg

It's hard to see on the car now but I'm pretty sure mine didn't have that plug on the top.....it's like the picture at the beginning of this thread.

If it's not fitting right, then either the brackets on the stabilizer bar mount that the radiator "pegs" on the bottom sit in with the rubber bushings are bent/misaligned relative to one another, or the 2 studs/rubber vibe isolator mounts are somehow misaligned - maybe one of those isn't screwed in all the way, so it prevents the other side from seating?

Mine dropped right in, even with my quicky fabricated AL bracket ears, and I have the same top bleeder plug on my Koyo that yours has.

How far did you bend your bottom brackets?

I didn't have to bend those at all, the Koyo radiator dropped right in to those with the rubber peg pieces. Could be because the PO may have bent the brackets a bit to persuade the prior Megan racing radiator to fit in there.

I absolutely hate being stuck. I’ve bent the bottom brackets and still no luck. I’ve read countless threads on this install and it’s either 1) was no problem at all! Or 2) painful and how did they ever get it in?!

Im stuck in 2.... seems no matter what I do, nothing lines up. The stock radiator had no issues fitting.

Double check your stabilizer bar brackets and make sure one isn't bent. When I bought the car it had a Fluidyne previously and it sat okay. When I went to replace it with the Koyo it would not seat correctly at all. Found out my passenger side bracket was bent and after getting new ones the install went a lot smoother.

There may be some differences with your car being JDM. Also having the second oil cooler doesn't help, those hard lines get in the way big time.

You have an interference problem, something is keeping the radiator from going where it should. You have to step through and find where that spot is. I would also see if the stock radiator drops in still and compare how it fits to how the Koyo fits.

My guess is it may be the AC condenser it's fouling on. You may need to unbolt the condenser from the frame and let it hang down while you're working.

This is a job that needs access top and bottom and a good STRONG flashlight/shop light. Keep looking to find where it's fouling. You may have to do some trimming or move some things. TAKE YOUR TIME. Getting frustrated just leads to more problems if you start bashing on things or rushing it.

Is your radiator a regular one or the N-Flow? I'm still curious about that air bleed screw. Friend here in Pensacola got a new Koyo that was a regular one with no bleed screw.

Also post up some more pictures of the fit process. Top and bottom. We can figure this out.

Dale

Dale,

Mine is the N-Flo version. I've also posted this in our Emerald Coast Facebook Group. I'm wondering if I just need to get new brackets for the bottom because they may be bent. I can't see that they are bent, but I'm running out of ideas unless someone from P-Cola area wants to come help hahaha. Banzai and others have suggested this may be the case as everything else is saying it should fit while doing the steps outlined in this thread. I've even looked at the Australian forums and they report doing as Banzai has in the install. So, running out of ideas except the replacing of the bottom brackets.

Those brackets are actually the sway bar mounts. It is common for them to be bent. They are available new from Mazda, they aren't too pricey if memory serves. Hit up Ray Crowe on those.

May want to post pictures of those brackets.

Yeah, I've been posting some on the EC Rotary thread too :)

Dale

Dale just hit on 2 things I didn't have to deal with when my Koyo dropped right in - I installed my 2nd oil cooler & lines after doing the Koyo install, and I didn't have an A/C condenser at the time either. I now have all of that stuff in, and it all fits. A/C condenser is a generic 24"x12" parallel flow unit, which is about the biggest I could make fit.

A good flashlight, lots of patience and beer breaks is good advice here; post up some pictures of those strut bar/radiator brackets so we can figure out if they are indeed bent out of whack.

Just going to assume they are bent. Ordered new ones to hopefully fix the issue. Won’t get them until after Xmas. Thanks everyone! I’ll update the results when I can.

I posted pictures of bent brackets on page 1, when I created this thread. I also posted pictures of new vs. bent

That is why I’m going that route. Haven’t removed them yet but with holiday travel coming up, it’ll have to wait.

Keep us posted once they come in! Hope this will close out your problem.

Dale

I installed a Koyo N-flow in a 95 JDM car today, I can tell you that the installation is exactly the same, sorry there is nothing exciting to report.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...308d7594d.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a41b8adb7.jpeg

Chris,

Thanks
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...ce8cd8a2f.jpeg
for the help in the thread about the brackets... it looked like mine had some slight bends and once I removed them and installed it with new brackets it went in immediately.

The N-flo and condenser are also very close! I did do the bracket flip too.

Only weird issue I found was that silicone mishimoto hoses for the bottom aren’t an exact fit...? They are a little bit longer than the factory ones and I had to really make sure not to kink it.

Car now has new coolant in it and the burping process begins...

If the hose is a little long you may just need to trim it. Use a long razor knife and put a hose clamp around the end you want to cut, saw along the hose clamp using it as a guide. You'll get a clean straight cut.

Glad you got it in! It doesn't take much for those brackets to be wonky.

Dale

What do people use to replace the side foam on Koyo, and where do you get it? I saw only one post on that?

Rad side foam?
 

where did you get that foam to use on the sides? How thick is that, it looks much thicker than stock?