Heater Core Lines
 

Is it mandatory to connect the heater inlet line to the radiator?

Here's my situation: I have an aftermarket radiator, but no T-fitting that can mate the line from the firewall back to the radiator and water pump inlet (at least from what I have found. If some one knows of a simple fix for that then I'm all ears). I'm currently running a T-fitting from the heater inlet on the fire wall to the turbo, and a T-fitting on the return line from the fire wall to the turbo.

I'm thinking that I will need to run the line from the heater inlet to the radiator so that cold coolant can be circulated directly into the heater and turbo. Is that thinking accurate? Could I get away with no hooking up that line and not running it to the radiator? The coolant temperature would get warmer, but would not be excessively hotter than normal I wouldn't think.

Suggestions?

You have to connect the heater core outlet to the inlet of waterpump in some way shape or form. I ran mine up the framerail, Tee'd it with my AST, and connected it to a -10 AN bung that I welded onto the the lower radiator hose on the waterpump housing.

I wouldn't mess with the lines on the turbo side of things, the difference in diameter might screw with the flow of coolant through the turbo. I'm no fluid engineer, but I think it may cause problems

Yeah, I figured as much. Guess that means I have to figure out how I'm going to T into the inlet of the water pump then.The lines for the turbo are a Universal line kit from Turbonetics Wasn't really planning on messing with them.

Check som chandlery stores. Fitting like that are common in the marine world. Might get lucky.

suck, I'm land locked out here, there's no marine stores here that I know of. I'll bounce it off some townies though and see what they come up with.

dude, I saw a guy who custom fit some wierd alum radiator to an FC, he cut the lower hose, got a metal pipe that fit in the splice,, and welded a smaller metal pipe onto that.

I would just do this, it's a lot simpler.