This is just a theoretical question at the moment, but something I may try over the winter or next spring.
Are there any major reasons why one shouldn\'t mount the Radiator in the boot, in an aluminium sealed box with twin electric cooling fans and a cold air feed from intakes outside?
Reason being I like the idea of an FMIC but don\'t want to interfere with airflow to the rad.
Advantages as far as I can see are:
1) you could use any radiator so a really large rad is possible
2) you are also open to almost any intercooler as space is no longer and issue
3) extra cooling to the rad is easier to set up by taking air feed from almost anywhere.
4) better to relocate the rad than the IC as long twisty pipework makes equates to HUGE lag
Disadvantages seem to be mostly in setting it up
1) you need to fabricate the box
2) run water pipes through the cabin (prob in passenger footwell and insulated in an aluminium tunnel
3) it would make getting the the fuel pump difficult, the ally box would have to be mounted on struts to enable it to be moved to access the fuel pump/tank.
Are there any other things to take into consideration?
Most Rallycross cars used to have their Radiators in the boot years ago with the main advantage being that the Rad didn\'t get clogged up with mud thrown up from the cars they were following and cause the car the car to overheat.
Dont forget you need air-flow in and out of the boot to make it work.
Bleeding the system is a consideration too, and will a beefier water pump be required to get the flow ? I know standard rad setups tend to work on a thermal syphon rather than just the pump alone which is just there to encourage the flow.
Seem to remember head gasket problems on MGF\'s being related to the long pipe runs causing the cooling system to react very slowly to changing engine temps. (that was more to do with the K series having a stat on the inlet rahter than outlet of the cooling system though)