Radiator installation in front of the firewall:  

It is mounted 138 mm from the firewall on two 0.025" aluminum channels.  For the lower hose, I bought the NAPA 21608 radiator hose which has a U-shaped section and a 90 degree elbow.  I cut it to use the U at the water pump and the elbow at the lower radiator fitting.  I still need either a straight section 16-inch long or a bit longer section with a 90 degree elbow.

For the upper hose, I bought the NAPA 22271 radiator hose which has two 90 degree elbows and a straight section.  

The radiator is a Volkswagen Golf 1985 to 1992 radiator for the 1.8L, 8-Valve Gas engine.  It is part no. 883727 in the 96-97 Valeo Engine Cooling catalog. The Volkswagen sticker on the radiator says #TA-343.  I heard that the diesel engine radiator would have better performance... but I don't know the part number for it.

I get a lot of inquiries about the performance of a radiator mounted behind the engine.  The way it works is that the radiator is mounted on a sealed box with an opening at the bottom (notice the rubber seal on picture 2046 below).  The cowling must be a "pressure cowling" where all air entering the cowling is forced through the radiator.  I know three people flying with a similar configuration with success.  Take note that my engine mount is special in that it positions the engine 2.5" further from the firewall to allow for the required space.

Oh!  On the last picture in this series, see the radiator cap assembly I'm using.  A local radiator shop made this using sections of tubes and a Honda cap assembly.  Pretty nice and cheap too!  He asked me 25$CDN for this assembly which is silver soldered (13 lbs cap included).

Oil Cooler installation (added on August 18, 2003): 

I installed a B&M Supercooler part no. 70265 directly on the radiator.  It measures 11"x4-1/2"x1-1/2".  I used Aeroquip Socketless hoses available locally from Turboquip.  Not shown on the pictures is the Perma-Cool oil sandwich adapter part no. PRM-189.  This particular adapter is pretty thick (1-7/8") but it seems to be a rare one that has enough thread to install safely on the Subaru oil pump.

One day, I figured I did not have the proper space to operate with the nose of the plane facing the back of the garage.  So, when some un-announced visit came home, I put them to work to reorganize my shop!

Carburetor modifications:

I remember taking good pictures of the carburetor I got, the parts I discarded, etc.  But it appears that these pictures are destroyed.  I used a Holley 5200 carburetor which can be found in Ford Mustang II 1982 (2.3L std trans.).  In Canada, many auto-part vendors deal with Autoline, a shop in Manitoba that rebuilds carburetors.  The Autoline number for this carburetor is C-7412.

A few modifications need to be made.  When  I received the carburetor, there was a vacuum operated automatic choke. I removed it and made a manual choke operated with a cable.  I also cut several pieces of the throttle arm(s) and installed a bracket that fits my throttle push rod.  I plugged the vacuum connections and also the fuel bowl vent tube (I don't know if this is a good thing yet). Oh yes, I removed the large spring that was bringing back the throttle to idle.  Talking about Idle, I tapped threads in a throttle arm to install a screw (and nut) which will be set to the proper idle speed for my engine.   

Air intake

I don't know how much time I spent looking for a nice air intake solution... I ended up doing like my mentor did and I made a box with two pieces of aluminum.  The filter is an air conditioner filter (stacked 1.5" thick) between two pieces of steel mesh.  The actuator open and close a door which select either cold or hot air from the exhaust system.

Oil separator

You may have noticed in previous pictures a little electrical box on the front left corner of the engine.  I took this idea from Gerald Kelley in Sherbrooke.  The breather tubes from the cylinder heads come on the side.  A large tube goes in the bottom of the cowling to breathe air while a smaller tube returns oil to the oil pan.  The separator medium is a stainless steel brush found at the grocery store.  

To hold the 5/8" tubes (heater tubes) solidly in place (with a good seal), we insert a copper fitting... not the ones that are used with soldered pipes, but rather those ones used with plastic pipes (called PEX pipes).

Push-Pull Cable installation: