Author Topic: Coolant Recovery System  (Read 5210 times)

Offline cudabob496

  • Sr. Resident
  • ******
  • Posts: 8024
Coolant Recovery System
« on: April 23, 2015 - 09:33:56 PM »
Finally, some good news. I put the below recovery tank in place of my overflow bottle. I put it high on the driver side
inner fender. I then filled my radiator near the top (its usually 3 inches lower when I remove cap), and I filled the recovery
tank halfway.  Went out for some fairly hard driving.  Came back. Recovery tank almost empty.  Let radiator cool down,
removed cap, and water was all the way at the top of the radiator, touching the bottom of the cap.

So, with recovery tank almost empty when I got back, that shows I had a lot of air in my coolant sytem.  Odds are for the
last 15 years, I might have been running around with only about 85% of my system full, mainly because every time
I drove it, I would get about a cup of overflow.  Nother good thing, is the removal of the air may help minimize corrosion.
And now in hot summer weather, radiator may cool even better.

So, anyone with a car running too hot, this may be a big help!

Now, back to replacing the weenie fuel pump!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DOR-603-001-Dorman-Overflow-Recovery-Reservoir-Tank-Universal-Coolant-Antifreeze-/171726407643?hash=item27fbb107db&vxp=mtr
« Last Edit: April 23, 2015 - 09:48:58 PM by cudabob496 »
72 Cuda, owned 25 years. 496, with ported Stage VI heads, .625 in solid roller, 254/258 at .050, 3500 stall, 3.91 rear. 850 Holley DP, Reverse manual valve body.

1999 Trans Am, LS1, heads, cam, headers, stall, etc! Love to surprise the rice rockets with this one. They seem so confident, then it's "what the heck just happened?"

2011 Kawasaki Z1000




Offline tman

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1331
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2015 - 10:13:18 PM »
how about a pic of your install?  Glad its working for you.

Offline Katfish

  • Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 3733
  • 70 Challenger
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2015 - 10:30:03 PM »
Yes, we need a pic

Offline cudabob496

  • Sr. Resident
  • ******
  • Posts: 8024
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2015 - 10:55:48 PM »
From a brass fitting in radiator neck, a 5/16 fuel line goes
to bottom of recovery bottle.
72 Cuda, owned 25 years. 496, with ported Stage VI heads, .625 in solid roller, 254/258 at .050, 3500 stall, 3.91 rear. 850 Holley DP, Reverse manual valve body.

1999 Trans Am, LS1, heads, cam, headers, stall, etc! Love to surprise the rice rockets with this one. They seem so confident, then it's "what the heck just happened?"

2011 Kawasaki Z1000

Offline tman

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1331
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2015 - 11:24:04 PM »
Ok, so you have an aftermarket radiator and no battery (or is it hidden under that duct?)  That is how you have so much room there.  I want to try and hide the coolant reservoir on mine.  Good work and thanks for the pic.

Offline cudabob496

  • Sr. Resident
  • ******
  • Posts: 8024
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2015 - 12:22:12 AM »
Ok, so you have an aftermarket radiator and no battery (or is it hidden under that duct?)  That is how you have so much room there.  I want to try and hide the coolant reservoir on mine.  Good work and thanks for the pic.

Battery is in trunk. All electrics is on firewall inside car under passenger side dash.
Ya, will probably paint the recovery tank yellow or something.  Not sure if coolant
recovery tank should be lower or not to function right. I'm sure I could bury it low and
unseen, maybe down near steering box.
72 Cuda, owned 25 years. 496, with ported Stage VI heads, .625 in solid roller, 254/258 at .050, 3500 stall, 3.91 rear. 850 Holley DP, Reverse manual valve body.

1999 Trans Am, LS1, heads, cam, headers, stall, etc! Love to surprise the rice rockets with this one. They seem so confident, then it's "what the heck just happened?"

2011 Kawasaki Z1000

Offline tman

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1331
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2015 - 03:25:37 AM »
Good question as to how low you can mount the reservoir. 

Offline cudabob496

  • Sr. Resident
  • ******
  • Posts: 8024
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2015 - 02:18:41 PM »
Probably as low as you want, since the system works off vacuum/pressure.
Some of the recovery tanks are a foot tall, with the water down at the bottom,
but the filler cap up high just for convenience.
72 Cuda, owned 25 years. 496, with ported Stage VI heads, .625 in solid roller, 254/258 at .050, 3500 stall, 3.91 rear. 850 Holley DP, Reverse manual valve body.

1999 Trans Am, LS1, heads, cam, headers, stall, etc! Love to surprise the rice rockets with this one. They seem so confident, then it's "what the heck just happened?"

2011 Kawasaki Z1000

Offline Katfish

  • Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 3733
  • 70 Challenger
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #8 on: April 24, 2015 - 02:42:48 PM »
So what kind on radiator cap are you using.  Takes something different right?

Offline cudabob496

  • Sr. Resident
  • ******
  • Posts: 8024
72 Cuda, owned 25 years. 496, with ported Stage VI heads, .625 in solid roller, 254/258 at .050, 3500 stall, 3.91 rear. 850 Holley DP, Reverse manual valve body.

1999 Trans Am, LS1, heads, cam, headers, stall, etc! Love to surprise the rice rockets with this one. They seem so confident, then it's "what the heck just happened?"

2011 Kawasaki Z1000

Offline cudabob496

  • Sr. Resident
  • ******
  • Posts: 8024
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2015 - 06:50:30 PM »
Ran car hard today. Some fat tire modified Harley beat me by a length! Probably shocked I was right there on him. Seems to operate at least 5 degrees cooler. Recovery tank was about a cup and 1/2 more full when I came back, even though the radiator was full yesterday, after another run. I'll see much level decreased when car cools down.

OK car has cooled, and recovery tank is about 1 and 1/2 cups lower.  So, pretty cool system,and cheap to make!
« Last Edit: April 26, 2015 - 03:33:35 AM by cudabob496 »
72 Cuda, owned 25 years. 496, with ported Stage VI heads, .625 in solid roller, 254/258 at .050, 3500 stall, 3.91 rear. 850 Holley DP, Reverse manual valve body.

1999 Trans Am, LS1, heads, cam, headers, stall, etc! Love to surprise the rice rockets with this one. They seem so confident, then it's "what the heck just happened?"

2011 Kawasaki Z1000

Offline cudabob496

  • Sr. Resident
  • ******
  • Posts: 8024
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2015 - 07:22:56 PM »
wow, car running much cooler. Never had to turn on fan!
72 Cuda, owned 25 years. 496, with ported Stage VI heads, .625 in solid roller, 254/258 at .050, 3500 stall, 3.91 rear. 850 Holley DP, Reverse manual valve body.

1999 Trans Am, LS1, heads, cam, headers, stall, etc! Love to surprise the rice rockets with this one. They seem so confident, then it's "what the heck just happened?"

2011 Kawasaki Z1000

Offline Aracer

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 452
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2015 - 10:44:01 PM »
The cap will wear out in two years, from all the water passing back and forth. Anti- Smog equipped cars have smaller upper tanks, to help them warm up faster. In my 57 chevy I was taught by Gramps to keep the water an 1" below the cap for warm expansion.
      They did not have a stock catch can. I mounted my catch can under the starter relay on the K member along the frame rail. I keep the water at 5/8" below neck, and it never pukes over.
      I bought a 26", 3 row Modine brass 3" top tank for an 1970 Fury, with pass side lower outlet, it fit the 74 cuda. With some forming of the lower tank guard to fit the big lower tank.
      A 440 Water pump housing from air conditioned 1972 pick up. Milodon H.V. pump with back plate on impeller. The water level is stable with out air, in the block. I haven't needed an electric fan yet. But, I have the steel H.P. # 1618 with the back ward bend on the blades, rated @ 7000 RPM.
       No shroud, since that's a smog part to warm up faster by reducing the air flow by blocking the corners of the core with a shroud. Plastic factory fan shrouds will block incoming air for fast warm up in cold weather.

Offline cudabob496

  • Sr. Resident
  • ******
  • Posts: 8024
Re: Coolant Recovery System
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2015 - 12:29:18 AM »
Cool! thanks for the tip!
72 Cuda, owned 25 years. 496, with ported Stage VI heads, .625 in solid roller, 254/258 at .050, 3500 stall, 3.91 rear. 850 Holley DP, Reverse manual valve body.

1999 Trans Am, LS1, heads, cam, headers, stall, etc! Love to surprise the rice rockets with this one. They seem so confident, then it's "what the heck just happened?"

2011 Kawasaki Z1000