Fabrication and installing the cooling system.
The 2012 Yamaha R1 engine has a closed cooling system with an expansion header tank, also the Radiator is also curved which makes it harder to fit into a car. So unfortunatly the stock radiator was not used.
The New Radiator was located lower than the the height of the engine, The R1 engine sits above the front drive train (chain) so I had to take into consideration running the top of the engine dry. If I just installed the radiator as it was without a header tank the top of the engine would be starved of coolant and overheat causing it to seize. A header tank to hold the coolant at a higher level would have to be custom made and fitted above the engine.
The original IQ radiator did not have the correct outlets, plus it was way too large and was not easily adaptable. so I had to build the new cooling system from scratch and here is how I did it...
I used a GPI 2000 -2001 Yamaha R1 YZF Aftermarket Radiator
First off the new radiator was really cheap at just $75 off eBay, so I felt pretty comfortable cutting it up and adapting it to my needs. A New R1 factory radiator runs about $600, so buying this was good value.
Considering this was an eBay purchase the GPI radiator was well made, the welds were not pretty but then neither are mine. Now I just had to figure out how to make it all fit.
Fabricated the mounting system
I used a core drill to make 4 inserts from some 5/8" Aluminum flat, which would be welded inside some 1" round Aluminum tubing, these will hold the rubber shock mounts for the whole of the radiator assembly.
The inserts welded into the tubing
The 4 inserts were turned down to the ID of the tubing, tapped with M8 and welded into each end of the tubing. These would then be welded to the Radiator brackets.
The rubber vibration dampers
I used locktite on the threads of the rubber dampers which are screwed into each end of the tubes.
Mounting brackets in place
Here is a photo with the brackets welded in place, these will line up with the top and bottom cross members on the IQ and give the radiator some good airflow and vibration resistance. The fan brackets are welded in place top and bottom.
Front Air Scoops added
I added some additional air scoops to each side of the radiator to pull in a little more airflow. These were just a couple 1/8" alloy sheet cut to fit and welded in place. These will aso fill the gap on either side and cover up the mounting posts when you peek in the front grille. Obviously this is the front of the radiator.
The Fan side
Here is the BLOX FAN bolted in place using stainless and rubber mounts. The new outlets are welded in place and the Temp gauge take off is welded in place for the sender unit.
Test fit of the new radiator
The radiator fitted perfectly in place, all the outlets lined up with the hoses, even though a couple of the R1 hoses had to be trimmed a little to fit.
Yamaha R1 Stencil
I vinyl cut some YAMAHA and R! stencils and sprayed on the Yamaha R1 logo onto the front of the radiator. Once the car is assemble you should be able to see this through the front grille opening. You can see the results in some of the other photos, the Red is lighter than it shows here.
