944 Turbo TPC Radiator Install Help Needed

I am working on installing an LS1 in a 1988 944 Turbo. I bought the TPC radiator kit and have been working to install it but I’m getting stuck! I can’t get the radiator with the shroud and fans attached to fit between the front of the engine block and accessories and the stock radiator mount.

As an alternative approach a separated the radiator from the fans and shroud and installed just the radiator by itself (see pictures below). I was able to do it and it fits perfectly in the stock mounts using the stock grommets. Now I can’t get the fan and shroud in place because there isn’t enough space between the front of the block and the radiator assembly and mounts.  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I’m looking for help and suggestions. The options I am considering are: 1) trimming the “tabs” off the back of the lower radiator bracket to create about a 1/2 inch more clearance to see if that would allow me to get the fans and shroud in place. I don’t think I have any use for the tabs but I’m not sure it will creat the space I need. 2) modifying the lower radiator bracket such that the bracket can be bolted up into place after the combined radiator and fan assembly is lifted into place. I don’t love this idea because I will have to trim portions of the bracket that will change its strength and stiffness and while my engineering judgement is that it will be fine I don’t know that.

Any suggestion?

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I had originally tried to install and run the TPC radiator, but it never fit correctly, and it also does not cool the car for use during racing. it barely cooled the car on a hot summer day while stuck in traffic. you either need to get the Renegade radiator kit which is very expensive, or you can do what I did and buy and build a custom radiator for cheaper than the renegade kit.

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So although i don't track my car, i just did a very hard mountain run with my mostly finished 948 and my temps never bumped past the first mark on the temp gauge at all ever with lots of pushed accelerations and breaking into countless curves.
But i did upgrade for a full dual pass rad from tpc which comes with bracket extensions to fit its taller length and I already had the turbo fan shroud to remount as from what i understand you can't use the 8v or 16v shroud due to dimensions of my memory serves correct. My 948 lives on a 4 post lift so when i get back home i can take pics of what mine looks like from underneath.

I'm glad you're having better luck than I did. what was the outside temperature while you were driving? I also had the best radiator TPC had to offer that required the extended brackets and etc. it just did not do a good job. TPC was also extremely misleading about the fan shrouding. when I asked him about the problems I was having with the radiator, he said the shroud that came with it was wrong and that he was going to send me a OEM shroud to adapt which supposedly works better. he never followed through with that, even though I contacted him again to find out where the shroud was. that was pretty much the last straw after all the other problems I had with the headers and clutch and etc, everything I buy now is from Renegade, or I custom make it, or have someone else custom make it

I measured my car and the radiator core is 5 3/4 inches from the stock GM harmonic balancer.  I have the TPC dual pass radiator with the TPC lower mounting bracket.  It is critical to make sure you retain all of the plastic ducting in front of the radiator and the OEM fan assembly works best. You need to install the radiator first and the fans second. My car does not overheat with this combination.  Good luck, Gil

Thanks for the thoughts. I measured and… from the back of the radiator to the stock GM harmonic balancer I have 2”. From the front of the radiator to the harmonic balancer I have about 4 1/2”. I also measured from the front of the throttle body to the hood latch for a common reference and it was about 3 1/4”.

In doing research I learned that the tabs I was considering trimming off are for mounting an under carriage splash guard that was missing when I purchased the car for this project. I want to retain those tabs for that purpose so I’ve moved that option to last on my list. I disassembled the fans and shroud from the TPC provided mounting frame and was almost able to squeeze everything in by putting them in place 1 by 1. There was interference with the water pump outlet, power steering pump, and engine pulleys and the fan housing (plastic frame webs) so I measured and trimmed those with a Dremel. Now everything barely fits but I need to figure out how to get the bolts and screws in and tightened.

I’m still hoping there is an easier way! Is there a better way to do this? Is my engine block too far forward somehow?

Thanks!

Measuring 3 1/4” from throttle body to hood latch
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Prep to trim fan supports (marked with gold pen) using Dremel to resolve interferences
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After trimming the fans just barely fit
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I solved the problem of not being able to put the nuts on the back of the shroud frame when it is installed in the car by taking everything out of the car and super gluing the nuts to the back of the frame. The super glue held the nuts in place while I reassembled the shroud frame to the radiator and then installed it in the car. Once it was in place I put the fan in place and very carefully threaded the bolts into the super glued nuts. It worked!

A word of advice, one side of the fan shroud has holes and the other has slots. In my case the holes were on the bottom and the slots on top. I think it is better to secure the holes first and then the slots because you can minimize the stress on the superglue this way. The super glue bond isn’t that strong and you don’t want to pop a nut off and have to start over.

Super gluing the nuts in place
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The nuts are now all secured to the shroud frame
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Everything is assembled and fits. Just one last hose to go.
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All done!
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SpeedRacer11,

Looks like you've successfully made the installation.   I believe the LS1 is the "longest" engine typically used in a 948 conversion and it just fits.  I used the TPC radiator kit and Kent's new laser cut aluminum shroud in combination with my stock 944S fans which are the same as the turbo versions.

As noted in my project thread, at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I made several small modifications to get a clean fit... including trimming the fan motor supports as you did.  Importantly, I also made sure there was a good airtight seal between the TPC radiator shroud and the factory fan shroud.

To date, I've not had any overheating problems and that includes several 45 minute warmups to full operation temperature while in the garage.... and several hours of tuning with multiple WOT pulls on the Dyno at around 70 F ambient air temp.

Lastly, I noticed in your final pic that your upper radiator hose appears a bit close to your tensioner pully.  If this is not an illusion on my part, you may want to consider shortening the tangent section of hose that connects to the rad.

You're making good progress!!

Raymond,
Thanks. I’ve referenced your posts a lot in getting this far. Where this part of my project deviated from yours was that I was able to use the stock radiator mount because my car is a turbo configuration. Of course as I noted with that difference you can’t just mount everything assembled as one unit from the bottom.

I think your advice to trim the upper tube is sound. It actually fits around the tensioner as is but it could be better if I trim it. Thanks!