ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

Hey everyone!

I'm looking to mount a radiator into the front of my 70 std bug for my ej22 motor. I see a lot of threads for the super beetle, but not much for the standard. I have heard of using radiators from;
Mazda Miata, RX7, and Alfa Romeo. What do you recommend for a front mounted radiator?

Also how about the cooling? Is 3row radiators overkill? Is 2 fans better than 1?

I appreciate your time and help in advance!

My 73 is a standard bug and I have been running a front rad for 3 yeara with no issues. We recently did a Ghia with a front rad that's 22x 19 and it fits well where the spare was. I am considering replacing mine with the larger one i run a honda CRX and it warms a little in traffic. Runs 190 going down the road in 100 degree days. I modify my own radiators to fit. My bug pictures are on the forum.

I did research and wanted to share the information I found, just incase there is anyone else out there interested in putting their radiator in the front of their standard bugs spare tire area. I wanted to find a radiator that would fit a 25"(L)x 5"(W)x and as close to 12"(H) as possible, which is about the height of the bolts that hold down the gas tank. Here are the options I came across:


Mazda 12a, Mazda 13b. The radiators for these motors can be about 20-25"(L)x2-3"(W)x 12-16"(H). You can easily find them in 1, 2, or 3 rows. Best thing of all is, just like the ej22 motor, they also have a 1.5" in/outlet!

Golf/Rabbit MK1 Radiator. About 20-25"(L)x 2-3"(W)x 12-15"(H). You can easily find them in 1 and 2 rows. I did not come across a 3 row (but I honestly wasn't looking too hard). These have a 1.25 inlet/outlet.

95-99 Dodge Neon r/t radiator. About 22-25(L)x 2-3"(W)x 14-16"(H). You can easily find these in 1 and 2 rows. These have 1.25 inlet/outlet.


Hope the information helps! I know there are a lot more radiators that will fit, so if you happen to know of one that was not mentioned, feel free to post them.