New Rad/Fan just arrived...yeaaahhh..Updated Install pics & mini review

[73k5blazer]

Update: 21Mar2006 See post 11 for the install pics and mini review.

Flex-A-Lites biggest radiator. 32" core. PN# 57294L All Aluminum. THe kit form comes with the 294 fan setup, dual 15" fans, 6000cfm, s-blades for queitness, and their controller that has inputs for full on, full off, or temp controlled variable speed. All taking only 30amps at full speed.

I lucked out to, Summit had the rad by itself listed for $550, the 294 fans listed for $550. And the kit was $791. The kit on the smaller sized rad. was just over $1000.
They backorded it when I ordered, that was a month ago, I just checked again today the price for this is now $1050.

Hopefully this will be a radiator for life. A nice compliment to the soon to come RamJet 350.

Fully welded, strong. The side tanks are designed to mount things to, nuts slide in the channels and you can mount catch tanks, or whatever off them.

I'll post up when I get 'er installed. Should look pretty in there with the tilt front clip folded all the way forward.


Yeaaaahhhh...

 

[jekbrown]

BLING!!!!

j

 

[pauly383]

Beautiful Looks kinda like the fans in my Impala , just a hair bigger .

How are you wiring them up ? Thermo switches ? One fan until two needed ?

 

[73k5blazer]

Yeah, I'm not big on bling, but this solves alot of problems for me. How to mount it (this I can mount from the side tanks, OEM is a top/bottom sandwich mount which is difficult with the tilt front clip), where/how to mount the overflow tank..etc.

Yeah, it is pretty though....

Bling!!!

 

[73k5blazer]

How are you wiring them up ? Thermo switches ? One fan until two needed ?

Their controller that comes with it takes care of all that.
You supply power via 10ga wire to the controller. And wire the 2 motors to the controller. It has it's own temp probe that stick into the radiator fins. And two spade terminal leads you wire to switches that supply a signal to ground for the full on and full off positions. Default operation is variable speed based on temperature.

They have a part number to buy the controller serparately too. I think it's like $70. You could use it to wire any fan motor you wanted.

 

[ryoken]

If it's not a $20 junkyard item Jek hates it....

But seriously, that is about as sexy a rad setup as your gonna get.... I had to take the cheaper route and do the Summit alum rad and some custom mounted Windstars...

Can't wait to see it installed!

 

[pauly383]

They have a part number to buy the controller serparately too. I think it's like $70. You could use it to wire any fan motor you wanted.

Thas good to know . I kept the Impala fans after I replaced mine ( only real problem with our car ) , and plan on replacing just the motor , and mounting it in the truggy . And I also picked up a couple Honda fans after I sold my Windstar fans those could go on the Chevelle if they move enough air . .

 

[mrdrinksalil]

If I bought something like that it would have a stick through it in a week. Damn that thing is HOT! or should I say CoooooL...

 

[73k5blazer]

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=FLX-33054&N=700+0&autoview=sku

Ok, $94.

 

[jekbrown]

i was actually givin' some love for the AL rad / electric fan parts. I guess I shoulda used a different word than bling. lol! I have a ford electric fan I am gonna use with a Summit racing radiator... same idea. Aluminum rads kick ass.

j

 

[73k5blazer]

Well, here she all installed.

Closeup of the controller:

Of course I bought the Oil Cooler as well:
(My front clip tilts forward, in case your wondering why the backside of the grill is showing like that)

Well, it's a shame the controller is bad. I'll be calling flex-a-lite tommorow.

Actually, overall, I'm not so impressed with the quality of the engineering. THe radiator itself is solid. I've no issues with the rad itself. Of course, my opinion may change once it gets coolant actually flowing through it. But there's a few things that just erk me, and I think they should be better for the price range these things are in.

• I bought their bracket kit to hold the Oil Cooler. It's a kit specially designed to fit this particular radiator. It was just a shade too short, I had to drill an extra couple holes in it to get it extended long enough to fit.
• And, well, the controller is bad. I know my high power feeds are good, every piece of wire is new, every terminal is new, battery is new, etc..etc. If I hook my feed to the fan motor leads themselves, the fans spin up perfectly, instantly, full speed. If I run through the controller, when I activate the AC clutch mode, or full on bypass mode, the fan motors groan and twitch, if I help the fans to start to spin, they'll start spinning but not full speed. Kinda slow, and the controller heats up like a mofo, telling me something inside it had a bad connection.
  Anyhow, I'm sure they'll send me a new controller.
  
• They kinda of pimp you on where to mount the controller too. I didn't really want to mount it on the fan shroud, I'd rather have it back on the firewall somewhere, but the temp probe they supply depends on a precise resistance measurement to determine the temp, if you extend or shorten the temp probe leads, the controller won't read it right. The leads on the temp probe are only like 3', and it had to be mounted near the inlet. So That severely limits where you can mount that controller. Oh well, I guess it's fine there. Just makes the wiring a bit more than it really needs to be. Instead of a nice clean just 2 wires going to the fans, you have to run the key switch turn on lead, the ac clutch bypass lead, and the full on and full off leads, all the way to the front.
  
• This wasn't a problem for me, but it's just a WTF. They clearly state in bold letters on the warranty section of the radiator, the the warranty is null and void if you mount anything to the core via through core straps/plastic/nylon bolts etc. Ok. So I buy their OIl cooler (The bracket kit I used is yet another seperate item), what does it come with, through core nylon bolts. What do the instructions say, stick that thing up to the core with the rubber insulators and send those nylon bolts through the core. WTF? It's their oil cooler, their radiator, they contradict themselves. I certainly hope it's not a ploy to get out of a warranty fullfillment.
  
• The fan motor leads had already crimped on y connector (2 motor leads into 1 wire). The crimp had strands of wire sticking out of it. This didn't matter for me, I cut that off anyway and used a Delphi Metri-Pak 480 series connector. But, it's just sloppy work.

I just kinda thought I would get perfection here, for the money spent. Just about $1000 with the rad/fans/oil cooler/bracket kit/gator clips etc...

Sure is pretty though. I'm sure it'll work well, that radiator is built like a brick crap house.

 

[supersize75k5]

i was actually givin' some love for the AL rad / electric fan parts. I guess I shoulda used a different word than bling. lol! I have a ford electric fan I am gonna use with a Summit racing radiator... same idea. Aluminum rads kick ass.

j

look into dans racing supply radiators should be cheaper than summit..

 

[73k5blazer]

I phone Flex-A-Lite this morning. At least their customer service seem good. They are sending a new controller promptly, they just wanted an eMail,faxed or snail mail copy of the reciept. As soon as they recieved, they would send a new controller. I eMailed it while I was on the phone with him.

When I recieve the new controller, I can send the old controller back to them for testing.

 

[BKinzey]

Well that's good on the controller As for warranty on the rad / oil cooler hook up keep your instructions, order sheet, etc. Should it come to needing the warranty if you can show that's what they sent you they will have to warranty it. They can't ask you to violate the stated warranty and then use that as an excuse later to refuse a warranty. That is their mistake, not yours