I was able to locate my radiator completely under the header and push my engine back as far as possible to gain enough room to just fit Martin's fans as pullers with a shroud. I called tri-pac (maker of the fans) and was told they were actually designed to be pullers and will be more efficient that way as long as you flip the fan blades over. To do this I had to delete the hood latch and front air bag sensor.

By the way, the clearance is so tight I actually had to swap one of the screws on the fan motors with a pan head screw to gain an extra 1/8 inch or so at the crank pulley.

-Jason

 

I have a set of fans I got from Martin that are not tripac, they are from a new vendor. Supposed to pull a ton and are smaller. I'm keeping a/c, so have to be able to mount condenser and radiator.

I'll probably remove the stock diagnostic and Maf wiring, I had been concentrating on pass side.

Jason

 

Got the wiper pump rewired and started integrating in the 5.0 harness under the dash. Need to figure out how to mount the ECU, as mind is a 96, I don't have the "footrest" on the floor. Once I get the evaporator box and blower box reinstalled I'll see what my options are.

Jason

 

Quick update. Got the EFI harness completely tied in under the dash, and have reinstalled the HVAC boxes. I am using the Ford harness to control the fuel pump. Need to find a mount for the ECU.

Jason

 

Got the coil mounted (used the mounting bracket from my Lincoln donor, looks more secure than the kit mounting method). Also spliced in the wires for the gauges and removed some wiring on the drivers side. Found a 90-93 ECU cover on ebay, so purchased it, as my 96 has the studs/mounting locations that are needed, so this will make my ECU mounting much easier.

Now am on to the radiator/condenser/fan mount setup. I plan on integrating more substantial mounting for the radiator and condenser, and a shroud for the dual puller fan setup I am running.

Jason

 

Have you checked the condenser's drier location yet? I will be using the condenser bolt on method using brackets on the radiator hanger bars. but there seems to be no room at all for the drier. Martin's guide does not address the drier location unless if mounted directly to the radiator it is no longer an issue but I don't see how...

Mike

 

Today I had a few minutes, so I grabbed the condenser to see how it fits with the drier. Definitely have some space issues. Might have to notch the front beam for fitment. I do think that I can gain at least a half inch just by bending the mount bracket for the drier so it sits closer to the condenser.

Jason

 

I modified the dryer mounting bracket & have it mounted to the bolt used to hold the right lower radiator crossmember. I was able to use the original a/c lines from the evaporator to the condenser. The lines at the dryer had to be bent some, but nothing drastic, to get everything to line up. Both the suction & discharge lines ended up with the "unions" located in the factory position (running parallel with the sway bar). I was able to cut the ends off of the union end of the Mazda compressor hoses & the compressor end of the Mustang hose. Using some old coolant heater hose, I was able to mock up the hoses so I could get the desired length & routing figured out. Then I had a/c hose crimped in its place.

 

Any chance you could post a pic?

 

I was afraid you would ask that. LOL!!

 

Ordered the AC lines from McCully. There is info on their site about relocating the drier to make it all fit. That's what I'll be doing.

Jason

 

Not too much to update, I've had some work to do on my other car, so the Miata has been overlooked.

I did get the radiator in today. It's as far forward as it will go, as the top is up against the hood latch nuts (I cut the bolts down to gain space). Here's a pic, next task is mounting the condenser/drier.



Jason

 

Nice fit on the radiator. I am getting closer by the day when I will have to pull the trigger on a radiator for my 5.0 build. Where was yours ordered from and price?

 

I have the Monster Miata kit, so it is the radiator that Martin sells.

Jason

 

I shaved down the hood latch mount bolts too then carefully notched the radiator so the remains of the mount nuts/bolts could go into the radiator and the radiator could rest up against the length of that upper flange. The actual tubes of the radiator are no where near the area that i notched. Seems to work OK.

Keep up the great work!

 

Good to know if I need that extra 1/8th or so of clearance.

Jason

 

This pic has been bugging me since you posted.......is your rad upside down? Is that the drain hole I see to the far left of the rad? Maybe just a test fit?

 

Nope, based on the color coding and shape/angle of the outlets (top hot, bottom cold), I'm pretty sure it's in there correctly.

Jason

 

Hmmm, good to know. I probably would have mounted mine upsidedown and backwards. lol.
Enjoying watching your build.
Brad

 

Thanks, it's slow going, and still have A LOT to do. Some day. My goal is to drive it this summer. We'll see. Time is tight.

Jason

 

I did not notice it in the pic at first but now it is bugging me too. I have that drain hole down on the bottom right. I'll have to go back and look at hose diameters, etc. Seems like that drain hole should be on the bottom. Hmmm...

 

Checked with Martin. That bung is not part of his design, not sure why they included it. The smaller diameter neck goes pass side top. Have to check when I get home.

Jason

 

Looked at it, it's upside down. Whoops. I'll have to remedy that for the next photo.

Jason

 

You swap the aluminum line that originally ran from the dryer bottle to the other lines with the bottle. This allow you to move the bottle out to the right front bumper area and attach it to the longer bumper strut with zip ties or larger band clamps. I recommend the band clamps.

Did you get your lines?
Thanks for your business BTW. Your AC order gave me the last bit of funds needed to upgrade my cylinder heads.

-Jason

 

Yep, got them yesterday. Glad I could help, thanks for the fast shipping.

Jason