On a Phase 1 Peerless, was there a mesh behind the aluminum P casting, or was the front of the radiator exposed? Seems like there should be something, but I can't see anything in period photos.
nope, nothing there BUT there was a GRP air intake shaped to fit the mouth of the car to the rad...this usually gets chucked (or wasn't even fitted from factory) BUT is most important. If you don't have one I can post photos of how to make one, trust me, its a must for cooling
Interesting that there was no mesh. That's consistent with what I see. Great... One less thing to source or make!
All the air that enters the Phase 1 grill must exit through the radiator, right? I am interested in how the funnel works/looks. Please educate me on how to build one.
Our Warwick has an ugly FRP funnel, but I can see that it is needed as there are many places for the incoming air to exit before getting through the radiator. The Warwick runs warm but it has a very restrictive stamped aluminum mesh grill. I may have to take it out to see if it makes any difference, but I'll guess 25% or more of the surface area is restricted in what is a pretty small opening already.
Dean, if you look at the thread 'Fixing points of the body to the chassis', you'll see the large image of the various body panels. Part 5 is what Nigel is referring to. I'm missing mine too and still need to fabricate one.
I'm sure I've gone through this before somewhere but here it is again but unfortunately I don't have that many photos of it in the building stages.
Basic idea I had at the time was this:
grab a piece of sheet material (MDF/Foamex/Ply) cut over sized and put into the rear of the air intake aperture.
Draw round it from the outside. Add enough to the outside of this line to allow for it to fit over the back edge of the GRP inside the body work.... this is so when you have made it in GRP you can put some U section rubber over the edge and push it into the nose of the car, saves trying to come up with all sorts of fixings etc.
does that make sense so far/not lost you?
OK, then grab another piece of wood etc and cut it to the shape of the outer edge of the Core of the your radiator. You want the finished GRP to press against the rad frame not the core.
Now measure from the face of the rad, past the rear edge of the air intake and into the nose of the car, remember this is where you want the GRP to finish. say at roughly 4 points, try north south east and west.
Use these measurements and cut one of each in 2"x 2" (BUT remember to take off/allow for the thickness of your sheet material) and screw/glue these in position.
You should have something that resembles the space you have between a very squashed oval and a slightly landscape square?
then use some polystyrene and stick it between these two sheets/shapes and let it overhang.
When you think you have enough protruding take a hand held wire brush and started carving it so you get a nice smooth transition from the oval of the air intake to the square of the rad. It is an amazing shape that you really couldn't think up on the bench/computer IMHO!
when you're happy (when are you eva) spray glue and tinfoil my friends, all over. You have just made a buck for forming the rad cowl.
Then coat it up in a resin or gel coat mix and matting.
When cured (you'll never be cured, you've got a Peerless) cut it down the centre (from nose to rad) top and bottom and (hopefully) split it off the buck.
I then made another strip of GRP and bonded this to one edge to make an overlap that then could be used to bolt it together.
with a U section rubber to both front and back edges and a bit of trimming you can get this to fit nice and snug against the rad frame and the inner nose of the car.
I have now done away with the bolts that hold the rad in the steel uprights and have cut two tapered oak "wedges". I slide these down the back face of the rad/front of the brackets and as they go down they slowly push the rad forwards and press the cowling tight against the rad/nose..
And yes, a few more pics would have been nice I know but you should get the overall idea !!!
