DIY Liqueur coolant overflow bottle

[@philburton6111]

Excellent bracket job. Yours is the big header Lotus rad so all you need is the catch tank. I used to have a small Escort rad which basically was brand new that's why I used it. Because of that I made a an expansion tank like the Honda Civic which sucks the coolant back into the rad when the engine cools. The tank must be vented but the rad cap and the pipe must be completely sealed for it to work. Most modern cars have the header tank system which is plumbed in to the bottom and top hose and must be placed higher than the rad. Expansion tanks must be lower than the top of the rad. Great job.

[@jimbuilds]

Thanks Phil, how did yours run with that setup?

[@philburton6111]

@@jimbuilds Its better now I fitted a bigger rad as well as the expansion tank. I did have a problem getting the cap to seal on the bigger rubber washer but after bending the tabs it was ok.The rad is always full to the top and you never have to take the cap off again, just check the coolant level at the expansion tank and top up there if needed, you know it's working when the level goes up and down in the expansion tank. I still have the two blade fan on and an electric fan just in case I am stuck in a jam in red hot weather. Yours is good enough with that rad. I wouldn't have bothered if my other rad hadn't been so small. Once when the little rad was on the car and no expansion tank it over heated in a traffic jam and warped the head, took .012" off to get it flat again.I didn't want a repeat of that.

[@philburton6111]

@@jimbuilds Never had a problem since. The bigger rad I put on has helped as well. I did have to buy a new rad cap as the older ones don't have the valve in the middle to let the coolant reverse flow. Of course there is no pressure in an expansion tank as it is vented unlike header tanks which are at full radiator pressure.

[@jimbuilds]

There's quite a difference between the two radiators, I was having a look earlier. I went electric rad fan when it was on the road in 2006 on a switch which worked but I had to keep an eye on the dial! I went with a fan that covered the radiator which turns out it was for a 4.5 L engine! Which explains why it wouldn't run for very long before getting turned off! My current setup is a thermostat and a smaller fan (12" if I recall). It seems to do the trick.

[@philburton6111]

@@jimbuilds Yes the 12inch fan is the one to have, mine is very small 9 inches I think. It's one of the old Kenlows it's a good electric motor though. Been meaning to change it then I can take off the steel engine fan and get more horses and the water pump will last longer.

[@retiredtruckersgarage.7606]

ahhh you dabbled into steam punk with the brass and glass mate,i like it though its great,you got a 3d printer wow great video mate.

[@jimbuilds]

Thanks John! It does look steam punk- I hadn't noticed! The printer has been great so far trying out ideas etc

[@newlinerealboi3434]

Looks really smart that. I’m wondering if the vent will work in the tee piece. You could get coolant escaping from the top as the bottle will get pressurised. If you were to have two holes, one as a simple vent, the other with an internal tube which runs to the bottom of the bottle, I think it would work better. Could well be able to suck the coolant back if required depending on the radiator cap you have. Just a thought.

[@jimbuilds]

A syphon tube would help, I'll see how it works as it is but it's something that would be nice to have

[@retiredtruckersgarage.7606]

looking at 3d printers now mate,can you do a video on it and what you had to get to get going.

[@jimbuilds]

Of course John, I was thinking about doing something on it

[@adamgrant2638]

LOVE this!

[@jimbuilds]

I thought you would!

[@rustedhorsepower5132]

Hey, i was just curious how your overflow bottle has held up. I started doing this for my 1969 Chevelle, but stopped when someone told me the hot coolant would break the glass...eventually. any truth to this? Anyways, id like to hear your thoughts

[@jimbuilds]

The bottle has held up fine so far. As its overflow it's not getting constantly heat cycled, it has had some hot water in there last summer when I was doing long runs but it's held up well. I did break the bracket last week when I leant on it so that's the weak part! 🤦‍♂️ I'd say go for it, a thicker glassed bottle is better and would look great on a chevelle! What bottle are you thinking of using?

[@rustedhorsepower5132]

@@jimbuilds originally i had a jose cuervo tequila bottle, but now im thinking a mexican coca cola bottle, we'll see what happens

[@jimbuilds]

They'll be ok, they have thick glass walls. I've had too many hangovers because of Jose to put on of their bottles in my car! 😆

[@stephenmiddleton4770]

I love it its brilliant, how much would you charge to make me one of those brackets ?

[@jimbuilds]

Thanks Stephen, that's not a question I was expecting! 😆 I'd say about £20 I can do black or white

[@paulsmith6074]

Frikinn cool m8 love it 😎👍

[@jimbuilds]

Thanks Paul!