Radiator sizes and what's the smallest I can use on a Rover v8

hough

Road Burner
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Location
Poole, England
Car
VW T5 swb 2.5tdi
Hey this is most probably gonna be a really dumb question but is there a formula to work out the size of a radiator needed say for a Rover 3.5 V8 as I'm after the smallest possible I can get very narrow and tall for me is gonna be better than a low and wide rad????
 
It's based on the surface area and flow rate. A double rail fat radiator is almost as efficient as a double the size single rail thin radiator.

Power demands and underbonnet temps also kick in here.

Electric water pumps, powerful electric fans and oil cooling may help you keep things down. Obviously in summer you need more cooling than you would in winter.

Whatever you decide fit a good quality water temp thermostat dial so you can keep a close eye on it.

What is this engine going in then?
 
Does this help?
The heat load to the cooling system is related to the flow through the radiator and the temperature drop through the radiator by the following expression:

Q = M*cp*dT

Where Q is the heat load BTU/min., M is the mass flow rate of the coolant in BTU per pound per degree F, dT is the temperature drop through the radiator in degrees F, and * indicates multiplication. Cosa gallon of coolant weighs about 8.3 pounds, we can replace M in the expression by 8.3 times the coolant flow in gallons per minute, or GPM.

The resulting expression is as follows:

Q = 8.3*GPM*cp*dT
 
I bet that sounds lovely when it's running. People tend to fit the biggest radiator they can, even hot rodders go for the biggest they can.

You may have the option of turning a wide one 90 degrees. Keeping the release valve near the top.
 
You could look at dual or triple flow radiators. These are designed to force the water to flow back and forth across the rad rather than simply taking the shortest route. This would allow you to fit a smaller radiator for the same cooling effect of a single flow rad.

Make sure no air can pass around the rad so you can build up positive pressure in front of the rad. The grill area to rad area ratio should be around 1 to 3.
 
Actually I like the sound of mounting the rad on its side then I could make a nice stainless surround

As ideally I need the radiator 500mm x 700mm max
 
Mounting a rad at an angle that is not perpendicular to the air flow reduces its effectiveness unless you can fit a large air box in front of it and have a lower air pressure on the exit side.
 
Hmmmmm that formula looks a bit strange is there an online calculator or can recommend the smallest radiator that will suit a Rover v8?
 
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