Nuke VX build thread

[Mile High VX]

Very cool sir...hats off to you...

[sleveritt]

Those rocker switches come with the purchase of the ARB lockers. One is for pump on, 2nd is for rear, 3rd is front (set to be activated in that order). They have a blue light to show when each is activated.

[Ascinder]

Where did you get those switches from that are showing in the interior next to your steering wheel? I was thinking about doing something like that when I mod in a TOD-off switch.

Here ya go: LINK

[HeckaTrebeka]

Sick! Thanks, Ascinder

[LittleBeast]

Sweet!!!!! Looks awesome and I am sure it outperforms nearly every VX on the rocks and Mudd :-) So what is next?

[sleveritt]

The push-style fans on the front of the condensor were reading ~750LFM at the front, ~400LFM at the rear, and ~200LFM through the radiator. Importantly, there is about 1.75 inches between the two with little "channeling" of air to the radiator. The bottom has a small lip, but the sides were open.

So I removed the front auxillary fan (not the A/C one) and got to work on these:







Of course, since the install I've not had a chance to go off-roading, the temps will be in the 70's today, but street "driving" showed no signs of overheating. The fit was pretty tight, but there is still ~2 inches of clearance between the fans and the pulleys. We will see...

[PK]

Sleveritt, I am sorry, but I think you have gone in the wrong direction with this.

The amount of engine cooling you need is directly related to the amount of power the engine is producing.
The fans are there to help the increase air flow through the radiator when you are travelling slowly, or stopped in traffic. At these times, the engine is not working hard, but the radiator still needs air flow. What you have done will possible help in this instance.

But by far the greatest amount of cooling is needed when you are travelling at highway speeds, uphills etc, when you have the gas pedal to the floor.
At these times the fans do little, or no work at all.
The air flow through the entire radiator frontal surface caused by your forward motion is enough to cool the engine.
The cover plate you have installed will reduce this air flow by around 50% by the look of your installation.

Bottom line is that I think you will overheat on extended highway driving.

I hope I am wrong for your sake, but have a plan B for getting home the first time you go for a long drive.

Regards

PK

[sleveritt]

Did you notice which way to radiator tubes are facing??? I said the front "pushers" weren't working, so I removed one (and only one, leaving the A/C condensor fan), and started working on these (for the rear).

The metal is a shroud from the rear with the fans there. Basic geometry for circles and rectangles proves that without a shroud, you are giving up over half the working surface area of the radiator.

Nice try though!

[PK]

Did you notice which way to radiator tubes are facing??? I said the front "pushers" weren't working, so I removed one (and only one, leaving the A/C condensor fan), and started working on these (for the rear).

The metal is a shroud from the rear with the fans there. Basic geometry for circles and rectangles proves that without a shroud, you are giving up over half the working surface area of the radiator.

Nice try though!

Okay, think what you like.

I hope it works for you.

PK

[chadzu]

Are the dual electric fans still running the full side shrouds? I think what PK is getting at is how can the air trapped by the shroud you made get out. I am sure that the answer is through the fan holes, but if the sides of the fans mount to the rad surface doesn't that in effect create a seal that would hinder air from moving from the aluminum shround area to the holes for the fan? If you plan on mounting the fans to the aluminum shroud instead of the radiator I can see this working, but I'm not sure if you leave the fans mounted to the radiator.

[Triathlete]

I think chadzu is on to something^^^

[sleveritt]

I think you guys are not thinkly clearly. Why is this so hard for you to understand? Air enters the front of the radiator either passively (below 185 degrees, the fans are off) or actively PULLED through (above 185 degrees) and exits out the rear. When active, the fans pull air from the entire surface area because of the shroud, blowing the heat into the engine compartment. All of this is exactly like 98% of the OEM market and aftermarket radiator systems. Don't believe me? Check out Griffin radiators or Jeg's or wherever. Bottom line - Shrouds are a must! Check out this month's Four Wheeler magazine too.

Also, the fan is not directly against the fins. I just laid them on there to get a feel of the overall dimensions. The fans come with little springs to keep the separation about 3/4 to 1". Thereby drawing air from the entire shrouded surface area, again just like OEM. I bet you didn't even notice the weather stripping holding the shroud even further out either. It can be seen best near the bottom tank.

PK, you really need to rethink your logic. You have two contradicting statements - "But by far the greatest amount of cooling is needed when you are travelling at highway speeds (NOT TRUE AT ALL), uphills (TRUE)etc, when you have the gas pedal to the floor.
At these times the fans do little, or no work at all. The air flow through the entire radiator frontal surface caused by your forward motion is enough to cool the engine (THIS PART IS TRUE)."

Again, Four Wheeler has a great article if things still seem unclear or try Pirate4x4 - Bella Vista's The Cooling Bible.

[PK]

Good on you Sleveritt. Stick to you guns.



35 years as a mechanical engineer designing (among other things) all sorts of cooling systems for engines, transmissions, gas turbines, and hydraulics, should have taught me a couple of things about cooling and air flow.

Just have the guts to let us know the real results when you do a long test drive through the hills.

And as I said before - good luck, I hope it works for you.

PK

[Bob Barker]

The back side of the radiator on my SVO is shrouded just like what you're building, except the fans sit side by side it's basically identicle. My fans are on a manually operated switch, and at cruising speed I never ever have to turn them on. What your building should work so long as the fans plastic base don't create a seal and by what you've said they shouldn't.

[sleveritt]

Good on you Sleveritt. Stick to you guns.

35 years as a mechanical engineer designing (among other things) all sorts of cooling systems for engines, transmissions, gas turbines, and hydraulics, should have taught me a couple of things about cooling and air flow.

So PK, does that mean that the ENTIRE automotive industry is wrong because you can't understand that I've replicated the same setup on my rig? If so, then enlighten us with your ground-breaking NEW design that is completely different!!! I'd like to see somone on here become a millionaire! Did you even visit any of those websites or read that article?

Anyone here (besides the guy that looked under his hood) go outside and check under their hoods to see if there aren't fans and shrouds ON THE BACK of the radiator? Well, I did. Both GM products have the same setup (save my diesel has a mechanical fan).

Or perhaps, PK, you can "man-up" and admit that you mis-interpretted my setup.

I'll stick to my position and bet money on it. Want to put a nominal amount of cash where your mouth is?