GTS346

iTrader: (1)

With LS1 conversions do most people just drill a hole on the inlet side (driver side) of radiator and weld on a barbed fitting for the air bleed line from heads to go to?

Most people said it can go anywhere on that side of the tank?

Also can an alum rad be solid mounted or must it be rubber mounted, eg able to move?

Schitzo

iTrader: (6)

You should be fine as long as you install the barb at a point on the radiator that is higher than the outlet on the heads. I have seen people install the fitting on the driver side coolant hose or on top of the water pump, like S&P oes it.. I was lucky to find that the radiator on my camaro has an opening just below the cap. I just bought a 1/2' NPT to barb fitting and screwed it into the opening.

GTS346

iTrader: (1)

Do you have a seperate overflow fitting?

How does it work with a fiting on top of the water pump, thats lower then the heads?

Schitzo

iTrader: (6)

Yes I do have a separate overflow fitting as you can see in the pic. i am not sure about the way S&P oes it but if you go to their website www.hotrodlane.cc and check out their projects, you will see how they did it. If I were you I would just drill a hole on the top passenger side of the rad, tap it and install a fitting there. That way if you have to swap the water pump or your hoses you don't have to rework them to get you steam port.

68shortstep

iTrader: (1)

schizto um are you sure that thats for your water?? looks to me like your tranny cooler, not water.. i may be wrong tho.. what radiator is that from?

ahowudoin

iTrader: (2)

They don't put cooler lines on the side that the cap is on.

Schitzo

iTrader: (6)

Interesting that you asked me that. I had not thought of that opening being for the tranny cooler lines. The reason I know it is going to work is because the opening goes right into the radiator as you can see in the pic. The ls1 radiator is that same with the steam port opening going into the radiator. I don't know why the rad has that opening but I AM glad it is there. In the pic above you can see the tranny cooler line just by the rad. I have a separate tranny cooler mounted on the main radiator.

I don't know what kind of rad this is. It came with the car when I bought it. It is pretty new and worked very well. Kept my current 350 very cool even in the summer.

For those who are more Knowledgeable about this, is there a reason this would not work?

ls1_chevelle

iTrader: (9)

I just did mine like GM does. Put a "T" on the small side of the heater hose.


-Matt

68shortstep

iTrader: (1)

schizto .... yes that will work......

68shortstep

iTrader: (1)

ive been a mechanic for over 12yrs ive seen the majority of cars WITH the tranny lines on the same side....
here is a 96 gmc 1500


and a 96 ford explorer


and a 68 chevy c10



if ya need more examples, Sir, just let me know.

Schitzo

iTrader: (6)

Thank you sirs.

GTS346

iTrader: (1)

Hi Chevelle, I wasnt aware thats how the factory ran it, might give that a go.

But wouldnt it just recirculate the air bubbles into the heater core?

ls1_chevelle

iTrader: (9)

You got me there. I think it is the TrailBlazer that is like this... I talked to GM and they recommended this way aswell.

The only problem I see putting it by the rad cap is when it has to blow from overheating.... Where does the coolant now go?

-Matt

ahowudoin

iTrader: (2)

He isn't using the overflow nipple,He has one below that.

Schitzo

iTrader: (6)

Wouldn't the overflow bottle take care of that? Gm must have known what they were doing when they did that way in the F bodys.

ls1_chevelle

iTrader: (9)

Ohhh, I was looking at the inside pic and it just looked like an upper rad hose hole.

So yet another question to talk about...

If we use the overflow bottle as it would be used normally... Is there enough suction to suck the coolant back into the rad?

-Matt

GTS346

iTrader: (1)

ls1 chevelle I will either install it your way or add a nipple on to the drivers side of rad (opposite side to the cap)

ls1_chevelle

iTrader: (9)

Cool cool. I can't see anything wrong with going either way to be perfectly honest...

-Matt

stevieturbo

I havent seen a totally stock LS1 configuration close up. But from my inspection of the pump/stat housing, if I was to vent the heads, I would place the T in the other pipe in your photo, as I believe this is the return back into the pump, from the heater, so would be a more natural flow path. Although any air vented to that point could still get trapped.

Any air vents should be returned to the highest point.

I run a remote header tank, and vent my heads into it. That will always ensure air returns to the highest part in the system.
Red scribble indicates flow from head vent, into the header tank.
yellow scribble shows flow from header tank, into pump, also tee-ing in with heater return into pump.
Ideally I should also have a vent from the top of the rad, into the header, so there is no possibility of air getting trapped there. I still ahve to bleed it manually, although I will be looking into fitting a bleed soon.



This shows an overflow pipe for water that has been expelled from the radiator. You cannot vent the heads into that. That is external to the main cooling system. Although the threaded hole you can also see might work. It just means it would introduce air into the rad instead.

stevieturbo

To add. Using a remote header tank allows you to have a totally full cooling system that also allows room for expansion without expellling water. The vacant space in the header tank allows this to happen.

there will always be a small flow of water from the head vent, and into the header tank. This just gets re-introduced back into the engine again.
Should any air pockets in the heads cause air to be vented, which will happen, they simply vent into the header. there should never be any chance of getting an airlock in the engine or rad ( once I sort the rad vent )