who has pics or can explain how or what they used to seal around the radiator to keep the air flowing throught the rad. and not around it? I know a bunch of you have done it, any pics. any help will be appreciated.

 

There are a bunch of ways you can have it done. do it with cardboard and then take it somewhere that works with sheet metal and have them copy it, install some kind of foam where it comes in contact with anything, and then bolt it in snug. You can use a flashlight to see any possible routes air may take.

 

Think of the crotch bar pad that protects you from mishaps on your old 20" bike.
Home Depot sells this same type of foam padding. It is used to insulate A/C lines, and easily wraps around tubes.
Buy about 6' of it and wrap it around your radiator. So you will cut 5 pieces, with the bottom one split to allow access to the drain plug. Now, drill ample sized holes all through out the foam padding to cancel the insulation factor which will allow your end tanks to still get air circulation.
While at Home Depot, pick up some of there very sticky poly....something adhesive. Use a caulk gun to smear the foam before applying it to the radiator.
Mine has held on in place for several thousand miles. It REALLY seals up the radiator gaps on the sides, and also snugs the underbelly with some resistance.

Raj

 

very nice. any more people done this? with success?

 

I used the same Home Depot style foam, but I just carefully cut sections to fill all the gaps. The belly pan has shrouding that covers some of the side areas, but there are a lot of gaps for the A/C tubing and other components, and the trailing end near the radiator drain plug often doesn't seal completely. Sealing those gaps is one of the most effective cooling mods you can do. You'd be surprised how much it'll drop your coolant temps; a major difference in cooling efficiency.