Cooling my X-11
On the top is my old radiator which was still working just fine when I pulled it out. Below it is a radiator for a citation with auto tranny, I got this on E-bay for $25.
After a closer look I see that it is actually a lower capacity radiator. I would have considered using it if the extra space you see on the left was on the right, which would give an extra 1/2" clearance for fans - but it doesn't. Being I live in Florida, I need to ensure I do a very good job of cooling my 4.9L.
I decided instead to order this 3 core High Density Cooling radiator, which means it has more capacity (3 core) & has more fins per inch to increase the surface area for heat to escape from.
This will be my primary fan, it's a 13" SPAL S-blade that is rated at 1710 CFM. It will be mounted as a pusher fan on the drivers side of the condenser. Due to the limited clearance on the back side of the radiator I had to make sure to get as much air pushing as possible.
This 8" Perma-cool fan will mount on the upper passenger side of the condenser as a pusher fan. It is rated at 800 CFM, which was the highest I could find for that compact of size.
The 4.9L requires an oil cooler due to it's aluminum block. This is the oil cooler I chose, it comes with a 400 CFM pusher fan pre-assembled. I will mount it in front of the condenser on the lower passenger side.
Beings I was limited on space for fans & coolers, I decide to go with this 24" tranny rail cooler which I will mount on the cradle's front cross member.
New condenser installed, it's time to start mounting fans.
The 9" Permacool fan is the only one the will need significant modification to fit.
Cut out the grill to clear the trim piece above the bumper.
Side view - trimmed down some of the outer ring.
Fan installed, notice how it sits just behind the trim piece to allow the entire fan area to be over the condenser.
Here you can see all three fans are mounted and the ground effect if back on. The primary fan on the right looks like it's dropped down, but it was mounted there purposely. This way the fan motor sits behind the bumper, where there is space for it. This minimized the notching out of the fan shroud & grille trim piece. The fans entire flow area is on the condenser, so with it mounted low I can mount a puller fan on the top of the rear side & maximize the surface area of the radiator with forced air flow. Basically makes the most cooing for my engine.
If you get really low you can start to see the tranny rail cooler.
From underneath you see the rail cooler mounted under the radiator support. The cooler is offset about 3/4 inch between the mounting surface. This allows airflow all the way around the cooler. I had originally planned to mount it on the cradle cross member, but the front exhaust pipe will drop down over the cross member (and cooler), which would defeat the purpose of the cooler. With the cooler in it's current location I used very little hose to connect it all. The out line from the tranny is a crimped fitted hose that reached to the cooler. The cooler came with about 4 ft of hose which easily connected the cooler to the radiator inlet. The radiator outlet to the trans return was only about 6 inches. Pictured below..
** Special note - from driving my X to the North in winter I have to advise anyone living in an area that has cold weather (below freezing) to be conservative with the tranny cooler.... I used Heavy duty coolers beings I live in Florida where it's hot all year. When I drove mine in the below freezing weather, it overcooled the trans fluid & keept the 4T60E trans from going into lockup, which affects performance & fuel economy. So for any swap using this transmission, be aware it may not need a big trans cooler.