cowling mod, worth wile?
Turbo Mini Forums

Afternoon lads, I have been out today and progressed from cardboard to aluminium. I am pleased with the results of my fabrication and it just needs a bit more adjusting and cleaning up. The pictures show it as it is tonight in its raw state. My new Kenlowe fan arrived as well so it will be a busy day of fitting tomorrow.

I have started posting on Instagram also my name on there is turbomk1golf

Nothing is impossible it just costs more and takes longer.

Man, you dont hang around!

do you recon a louvre(s) 1/2 way down will help flow in. I was just thinking the size of the gap might hinder the draw on the fan when stood still?

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

I might help to break it into 2-3 sections, a bit like a rear difuser,

also I think ducting it to the fromt of the car will help, like Nic has with his IC

Nice piece of fabrication work :)
Only thing..thats quite thick aluminium your using, and alot of it. Is it much lighter that a steel cowling?

I was going for the rigidity of the aluminium not the lightness of it. And its not much more in weight. The heavy stuff is at the sides to hold the rad on.

I have started posting on Instagram also my name on there is turbomk1golf

Nothing is impossible it just costs more and takes longer.

stick the fan directly to the rad with sikaflex

i will be mounting it as close to the rad as i can get it i am cutting the wing out so the fan sits in to the rad

I have started posting on Instagram also my name on there is turbomk1golf

Nothing is impossible it just costs more and takes longer.

I red somewhere (and ther was Vizrad nome on it) that the mechanical fan is only useful at low speed.
Ho and that was for Imp too ...

However, taking into account negative pressure in the wing, it does make sense.

I really like the idea of getting rid of the mechanical fan but not being to keen of discovering the hard way that it doesn't work properly.
Mcalvert, more on your setup and a pic maybe ?
Was it stage 1 ?
Was it used in traffic ?
Was it used for the occasionnal track day ?
(I have a track day on April and want to keep the pace ...)


Madmk1, I have the feeling the area facing the road is a little on the small side.
Can't you make it bigger (not sure as you have quite a big rad already ...) ?

My point is you don't want your kenlow fan to run all the time, it will suck power through the alternator and might not las t long.

Recalling some Viz words : an addititionnal fan will not cure overheating problem, it is not able to move enough air (or something like that)

Edited by Advantage on 5th Jan, 2010.

Rusty by nature

yes i was reading that last night but fans have come on a long way now

I have started posting on Instagram also my name on there is turbomk1golf

Nothing is impossible it just costs more and takes longer.

That's the way to do it if retaining the side rad. Good work!

meaning they are now better than in the 80's ?

Still, if the mouth of your rad setup can be made any bigger (as in there is room for it) it will be better, won't it ?

And even if your fan is good, saving it from running is amenable to power because it sucks power from the engine through the alternator ...

My point anyway ...

Rusty by nature

looks really good !

looks very nice! Would it be worth flaring the edges facing the road? so you get a funneling affect, can see it being tricky to close the gaps up in the 2 corners that you would have to cut, i reckon it would be worthwhile? May have a bit of a ramming affect as well to maybe increase density? just guessing hear....

i would have thought thats the way to do it,
have a look for nic's thread on his side mount IC thats the best way i think....

Hi Advantage I know it will draw alot of power, I don't dispute that. It's not a given that it will work at the minute as I have not seen it done before. If it doesn't work too well during the testing stage I can always put it back the way it was. If you don't experiment then you never fnd these things out I guess.

I have started posting on Instagram also my name on there is turbomk1golf

Nothing is impossible it just costs more and takes longer.

i doubt it'l use more than a mech fan....

turbo 16v k-series 11.9@118.9 :)

Denis O'Brien.

Ive read similar to that too, but i cant remember where

corky dufus bell lol?

Medusa + injection = too much torque for the dyno ..https://youtu.be/qg5o0_tJxYM

What I'm planning to do is have the radiator on a automatic switch, so the fan only comes on when the engine is getting hot. That way its not drawing power when it doesn't need too.

I'm gonna try with a metro fan intitally, simply because I have one lying around.

Metro fan's are huge!

I would say go on and experiment.


What I am not to keen on is doing it without very accurate means of checking in real time the temperature in different places (rad inlet, rad outlet at least) because it can cost you a blown head gasket.

I feel what might be tricky with experimentation on cooling is that you have to force yourself validating the setup in very harsh conditions otherwise it might let you down when you really need it ...

Rusty by nature

Hi lads well today has been spent on the phone and a bit of work done outside. After i got through the 40cm of snow on the car, I got the wing cut out. It doesn't look to nice at the mo, I got the wiring kit for the fan today and i have ordered a new electrical pump today and I have also ordered a water pump blanking plate from Dave at kad. He is going to make it 19mm for me to match the pump. I made the brackets for the fan to mount it to the wing as well. Not a bad days work





And the water pump blanking plate will look a bit like this

Edited by madmk1 on 7th Jun, 2016.

I have started posting on Instagram also my name on there is turbomk1golf

Nothing is impossible it just costs more and takes longer.

just a idea that came to mind.

if your not running a fan off the engine could you not mount the rad at more of a angle with the added room? so more of the front surface is facing the grill and then do what your doing with the scoop?