ssjhook

K so I have some damage to my radiator support core which has resulted in a bent radiator....radiator was doing good until recently it started leaking like crazy....I made a post a while back about it https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...148910.....has some pictures and more back story if you're interested

Anyways to make a long story short I'm going to try to have to fit a radiator into my bent support core which may involve having to pull my support core out to fit it in and possibly perhaps replacing the entire support core....

I was considering the option of putting in a half radiator, no I'm not doing this for turbo, its purely because the other half of my support core is bent

my first question is are there any half radiators (civic stocks or aftermarkets) that will fit smoothly in there? I'm looking for something simplistic as possible, avoiding having to do any hose modifications, or making custom brackets, and this may be farfetched but even keeping my stock radiator fan...

the other question is can I install this half radiator without having to reweld the radiator mount, maybe by drilling a quick hole or even using some zip ties?

again i'm trying to keep this as simple as possible I figure if I'm going to have to remove my entire front end and do any heavy drilling or welding I may as well just replace my support core....my main goal is to get a radiator in my car

also If I understand correctly I can keep my a/c the only complication may be the risk of overheating while its running due to a smaller radiator, is that correct?

B_Swapped93

hmm I remember that thread. have you even fixed the support ? everyone told you to get it fixed/replaced on that thread....

doood

iTrader: (1)

replace the support then replace the radiator with a full size. i dont know why you're trying to make this more complicated than it has to be.

fcm

The rad has nothing to do with the A/C, the condensor for the A/C is "made" to fit the A/C system you have, and yes, a smaller condensor will result ln, "over heating" of the A/C system, the head pressure will increase, [due to lack of airflow] and once over 250PSI cooling will be effected, at around 300PSI cooling will be poor to no cooling at all and at some point over that some thing will "pop".

There is a reason both the rad fan and condensor fans turn on when A/C is on and the condensor is so big.

With that said, there is no reason you can't install a 1/2 rad, maybe a 3 core aftermarket one, and still use a full size condensor, but i am guessing if the lower rad support/mount is damaged then the lower condensor support/mount is also damaged.

By coincidence, I am working on an 03 Civic with that problem, the drivers side of the lower rad/condensor support was pushed back and up 1"-2" mis-alighning and distorting the mounting holes, a slide hammer, a 2x4 and a big hammer got it back close enough to mount the rad and condensor. 94

ssjhook

good to hear....i'm not even sure about the condenser to be honest? I haven't even considered it, is it something i'm going to run into when trying to fix that lower support? tbh I don't even know what it looks like...

ssjhook

We're talking about a repair that could run me 1-200$ compared to something that'll cost me nearly a grand, its a last ditch effort for me, I'm not trying to complicate anything, if I had the money I would put it in the shop and not even bother posting here

ssjhook

Hey....I plan on buying a new radiator and taking a wack at repairing it, just wondering if I have any other options in case I can't pull the dent out or get the radiator to sit straight

ssjhook

Ok found the condenser, it looks like the damage is just to the right of it, right in line with my radiator mount but looks like the condenser might be slightly bent, but it looks like the majority of the blow went to my radiator mount and radiator

fcm

If the condenser is just bent it may be OK, as long as it is not leaking.

Twists can be taken out of a condenser without damaging it, tight bends can not, or you are more likely to damage the condenser if you try and straighten out a tight bend. 94

ssjhook

yeah...I hope there's no leak, but my main goal is to get my ride up and running I can live without the a/c if need be

but I think there's a possibility it leaked before I bought it cause it needed a charge when I picked it up

ssjhook

Bump ne got advice on the half rad?

fcm

Check here... http://www.sparkplugs.com/Automotive-l134.aspx

I have a full size 3core Mizu in my 94 RS, maybe look at a 1/2 size Civic one from Mizu.

If all you are looking at doing for now is to get the car running find a Civic at your local bone yard, [PicknPull] and get the rad and fan, it will not be more then minor mods, [mounting brackets] to fit yours. 94

ssjhook

Alright guys I just want to post here for anyone who runs into this issue or is curious, I had a body shop guy come by to fix the dent in my rad support, he was easily able to remove the dent with 80 pounds of pressure, he was able to do the entire job in about an hour.... cost me 160 bucks for the labor and 70 dollar radiator from pep boys (love their coupons)

the new radiator did not sit in there perfectly but its in there and its not leaking anymore, nor is it bent

gonna save up some money to get it raised up, and save a lot more and get a jdm front end and get that support replaced....eventually, because my ac still scrapes on the radiator

thank you for all your opinions and time!