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Hello everyone, a quick question regarding the cooling circuit on my project ( 1964 TR4 CT29326 ) I am in south Florida , I will never use the heater and I am not going to re-install it either under the dash or in the engine bay

my question is , can I simply plug the coolant circulation at the engine take off points? or will that obstruct the flow? must I install a loop? a bypass ?

Edited by dawn
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No you don't want any dead ends. Put a loop in (bent rubber pipe). A turned off heater is occasionally turned back on, but I'd always prefer a loop to a dead end.

 

Mick Richards

Edited by Motorsport Mickey
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Hello, an opportunity to fit a header tank?, I would imagine Florida can get quite hot a few extra pints of coolant must be a bonus, I notice Racetorations do a very nice, but expensive set up. Cheers, Andrew

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Hi Dawn,

long pipes with a dead end can get silted up. This is really a nuisance if at some time you want to use the piping again.

In your case you would not.

 

Remove as much of the pipe work as you can- this will free up a little space in the engine bay.

 

You can also remove the control knob and cable and use the vacant hole for something really super duper.

 

Roger

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I got interested when I read the question. Personally, I'm drawn between the 'loop' and the blanking off. I did use a loop when I put the car together for the first time back in 2004 (or so). Back then, the heater was leaking. It would be interesting to see what was originally the solution! A lot of TRs were sold to warmer countries. (I got stopped by a guy who spotted me in the TR. He spontaneously told me about his childhood in Rhodesia, sitting next to his mum in her powder blue TR3A).

 

What about the Australian members here. Surely, a lot of cars in Oz must have been ordered without the heater.

 

 

Menno

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Hi Dawn,

just had a thought.

You say you do not need the heater. However have you considered it is also the cooler as well.

 

It will help cool the engine if you have a panic with hot steamy engine.

 

More importantly it will blow ambient air over your feet and onto the screen should it get steamy !!!

 

Roger

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I don't have a heater fitted to my TR3S - so much comes up through the gear box housing its unnecessary. However, I have fitted an expansion tank up on the bulkhead where on LHD cars the pedal assembly is located. I would suggest you do the same if you don't want a heater as it gives you a better cooling system.

 

hoges.

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I agree with Roger, the heater is a auxiliary cooling device; it's just a radiator. You can always divert the warm air onto the screen (assuming no roof!)

I'd keep it, put a sub-80 degree stat in the engine, you can always close the heater valve if needed

Cheers!

Ade

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I don't have a heater fitted to my TR3S - so much comes up through the gear box housing its unnecessary. However, I have fitted an expansion tank up on the bulkhead where on LHD cars the pedal assembly is located. I would suggest you do the same if you don't want a heater as it gives you a better cooling system.

 

hoges.

Pics? And I suppose Dawn's TR is LHD, so with a pic it's time to figure out another fine spot for a tank.

 

M.

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MGB Brass header tank fits nicely up on the left hand inner wheel arch sited up as high as possible to just miss the bonnet then a plain flat cap on the rad and a 4lb cap on the header tank will give you a nice extra head of water.

Stuart.

workshop007-1.jpg

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Stuart, a nice fit, two questions, how did get the height right, I ask as someone who has a dent in his bonnet from a previous error and where does the bottom pipe from the header tank feed into, I did like the look of the Racetorations kit, expensive but I suspect top quality, but wanted to keep my heater, cheers, Andrew

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Hi Menno, Its not a very good pic but you can see where I have mounted my header tank up on the bulkead. it fits neatly into the hole left by taking the blanking plate out on RHD cars. It should work equally well on LHD one too.

 

hoges

post-2592-0-21578300-1471702236_thumb.jpg

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Hi Menno, Its not a very good pic but you can see where I have mounted my header tank up on the bulkead. it fits neatly into the hole left by taking the blanking plate out on RHD cars. It should work equally well on LHD one too.

 

hoges

Looks good! The higher, the better, I suppose.

 

We're drifting off topic here, but it's still for the good cause: adding cooling to a Floridian car...

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post-12921-0-23102500-1471730465_thumb.jpgpost-12921-0-03782100-1471730485_thumb.jpgpost-12921-0-55865200-1471730521_thumb.jpgpost-12921-0-22621900-1471730571_thumb.jpgpost-12921-0-96954400-1471730552_thumb.jpgThank you all so much for the response to my heater question, heater itself is long gone I'm afraid Roger so there is no chance of re-installation, I do see your point about it being a handy heat sink but too late now. ( I really don't want to heat Florida up any more, either right now )

Thinking about your various advice I'm going to plug the circuit at the water valve point on the back of the engine and again at the suction side of the pump where the heater return tube comes in, It would be simple enough to loop this out in future if I decide to.

I really like the idea of a header tank and I am going with that idea, seems like there are a few options , I'll check out 'Racetorations' thank you Andrew plus Stuarts MGB version, is that really brass? I like the installation on Paul's car, as mine is a lefty I have that shelf available on the right side. Thank you all for that .

The refit continues here, I have just laid the wiring harness in and I am marking ( as best I can ) each wire as to its purpose for later. Mostly very logical, the various wiring diagrams don't always agree with each other, a few puzzles making me think. I have changed to an alternator so that bunch of wires that went to the voltage regulator has to be addressed. also I must change to Negative ground but I know that is really not a big deal, the ammeter and a couple of other components, I have the plan here somewhere.

I have moved the new radiator forward with the help of some custom hardware you will see so the yellow fan has clearance.

I had three used fuel tanks that I kept washing and staring into with a flashlight trying to pick which one and then finally got my credit card out and bought the new aluminum one you can see sitting in place, It has a fireproof blanket behind ( in front ) of it and a new aluminum bulkhead behind the rear seat.

So the slow restoration continues held back of course by time and money but It's great fun, couldn't do it without y'all

very best Dawn

 

 

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Beware the securing tabs on the alloy fuel tank fracturing in use. In it's original design the fuel tank is used as a stressed member by the bodyframe helping to strengthen the rear of deck sections and the rear of the cockpit. Some of the alloy tanks are known to fracture in use the alloy tabs not liking all the pushing and pulling across the body as the body flexes.

There has been a thread on the forum about it probably in the last couple of months, try a search under alloy fuel tanks.

 

Mick Richards

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