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weapon

Member
Joined
May 20, 2003
Location
USA
I covered the mod for the 2-302 (aka '77 Bonnville with ac) in my last Dual 120mm Heatercore How-To thread with the hope that it would be easy enough for just about anyone to do and the mod would produce a heat exchanger that would outperform commercial rads that cost five times more money with no probs.

If you bought a new rad or heatercore without looking at that thread...shame on you for wasting money that could have been spent on beer. :D
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=304440

Anyway, I have been keeping track of all the questions that have popped up from the info posted on the '77 b'ville mod and the main concerns with the mod are as follows: having to break out the torch to remove the factory tubes, the potential problems that can arise during the torch part of the mod like screwing up the solder seam on the top tank, the cost of having to buy the torch/solder/flux, whether JB Weld can be used in place of the solder and torch method and, finally, the overall size of the core (yeah, it is a bit of a monster).

So, I decided to take a second run at the Dual 120 Heatercore Mod How-To but this time I slightly changed the goals I wanted for the mod.

The new list is:
- The heatercore will provide mega-performance - as close to that of the 2-302 as possible.
- The heatercore has to be able to support dual 120s.
- Absolute minimum number of tools required and no torch action whatsoever.
- The heatercore has to be readily available and dirt cheap.
- Final cost for the Heatercore, the tools required to build it, etc. as low as possible while still not cutting any corners that would lead to performance loss or any chance of leak issues, etc.
- A complete mod process that ANYONE can do (maybe even with their eyes closed) that will take the shortest amount of time possible.

not too bad of a list.

So, I went thru my usual stack of heatercore info, made a few calls to local auto parts stores, picked up a new heatercore, pulled out the Nikon and went to work. Less than 10 minutes later (which included the time to take the pics), the core was finished. :D

Total price tag for the core: under $20
If you have no tools whatsoever, you will have to buy one tool - that raises the total cost to $25-$27.
Dual 120s can be mounted on it and it almost matches the performance of the 2-302. No torch required, no JB weld required, it works perfectly with 1/2" ID tubing. It is about 10-3/4" tall so it should be a little easier to fit in most cases as that is about 1-3/4" shorter than the 2-302.

Now, before I put the latest Dual 120 Heatercore Mod How-To up with complete core info, instructions, etc., did I miss anything?
 
Nice tutorial. I just finnished building an external setup with this HC. One other thing, this core will fit nicely into a box built from 1X12X3/4 boards which are actually about 11 1/4"
 
Cyrix_2k said:
Nice guide :D Now we just need one that fits dual-120's, is SINGLE-PASS, and is moddable with basic hand-tools.

2-342 would be close. you'd have to check the factory tubes as the bend is fairly close to the tanks on both tubes but I bet it would work. You would have to hacksaw or dremel the tubes off - I doubt even a mini tube cutter would fit in the gap by the tubes to cut them off.

the core on the 2-342 (GDI 399090) is 9-1/2" x 6-1/8" x 2"
1970 chevy truck, 350 engine, C20 with a/c
the tubes are large at the ends but if my memory serves me correctly, they narrow down to 1/2" ID copper near the tanks.
 
weapon said:
2-342 would be close. you'd have to check the factory tubes as the bend is fairly close to the tanks on both tubes but I bet it would work. You would have to hacksaw or dremel the tubes off - I doubt even a mini tube cutter would fit in the gap by the tubes to cut them off.

the core on the 2-342 (GDI 399090) is 9-1/2" x 6-1/8" x 2"
1970 chevy truck, 350 engine, C20 with a/c
the tubes are large at the ends but if my memory serves me correctly, they narrow down to 1/2" ID copper near the tanks.
you could also try a 2-275 (same vehicle without a/c) - pics here
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=248782&highlight=2-275
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll prob end up with the 2-342 as neither core is going to fit into my current mid-tower case. I need to get out to a computer show so I can pick-up a nice full-tower AT case. Then I can run dual 2-342's, since I like to run passive at night.
 
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