So my rad isn’t completely sealed up against the support bulkhead. The top is, but the bottom sticks out about a 1/2”. (Darn lower mounts I made!) What can I do? The thought was really dense foam, but that generally isn’t adherent enough to stay in place over the course of a few rallycross’s’s’s.
any thoughts?
strip of plywood?
I steal door seals that go over the pinch welds of modern cars and put those on core supports or shrouds to seal things. They pop right on the edges of things shaped like pinch welds.
Nashua Flexfix tape. Mylar film tape, uber strong acrylic adhesive. I've created whole radiator ducts with the stuff.
Damn you guys are awesome. And quick too.
I made a flexible yet sturdy airgap eliminator out of an old heat shield from under a Ford Focus. It's some kind of waffle-corrugated aluminum that bends very VERY easily.
Gorilla tape holds up surprisingly well for this job too. And it's black, so not overly visible.
Coroplast and duct tape.
EvanB said:Coroplast and duct tape.
Crud. Elections are far off...
I've used open cell foam sold to seal the gaps around window AC units. I've also used aluminum tape, the type used to seal metal air duct joints.
I used a GRM-approved combo of coroplast, zip-ties and aluminum foil tape. Been holding up to daily driving in snow and high speed highway driving so far.
A friend had a bunch of aluminum sheet from old computer cases he used to good effect. Just round or fold over the sharp edges unless you hate yourself, and anyone else who may work on the car.
Do not underestimate the amount of pressure that builds up at speed however.
rslifkin said:Gorilla tape holds up surprisingly well for this job too. And it's black, so not overly visible.
I use it for ducting my radiator on my Rallycross car and it has held up for several years.
Patrick said:I steal door seals ...
I had to read that a couple times.
In reply to kb58 :
I know right! This is currently my top choice, unfortunately there are not any junkyards around me for that stuff. I might try the gorilla tape, but I don’t want it to make my pretty aluminum radiator look disgusting
The English used cardboard.
In reply to Trackmouse :
The Flexfix is highly metallic and reflective. It might actually blend pretty well, visually. And, it comes off fairly cleanly, if you leave an end of each piece folded over.
I do have a roll of that stuff on my work van for ducting. I just never considered it to be that sturdy since I can easily punch holes through it with a finger, but I guess I won’t be doing that on the radiator surround, LOL.
Aluminized tape. Maybe some plastic sheeting if the gaps are huge. If it's good enough for airplanes, it's good enough for rallycross
So the shape of the gaps is what makes some of the suggestions less than ideal. Like I said, the top of the radiator is good, it is actually against the support. However, the bottom of the radiator sits a 1/2 inch out, and that means that there is a triangle shaped gap on both sides of the radiator that increases to that half inch gap. The bottom is consistently a half inch out, but has the two mounts in between that gap. So whatever I fit needs to be flexible enough to fit the triangle shape and then I can dice up the bottom section in three different parts. I’ll Try cutting up some plastic and tape it with the Nashua tape
Is there any reason why this would not work? How hot can this junk get before it burns up?
Lowe's sells that bubble reflective stuff. It can get real hot. Lots of car guys use it to shield the cabin against exhaust temps. I use it to shield the wood stove and reflect the heat back into the house at home.
In reply to Dr. Hess :
Thanks man, looks like I need to make a Home Depot run
edit: well wouldn’t ya know it, I got home from work just now and the blue apron box is sitting here. It has this very foil bubble wrap stuff in it. And plenty.
Where do you guys find plastic sheeting? I'd like to seal up my radiator as well...
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