hensh2004 Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 Hi All, I have just fitted a tr6 fan onto my 62 tr4 ,when i put the radiator back on the clearance is very tight approx 6-7 mm at the centre of the fan, i,m getting a little nervous that it,s not enough?? anybody any thoughts or experiences of this mod .Many thanks. Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ade-TR4 Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 (edited) Sounds pretty close to me. Can you lean the rad away on the mounts? If not, try sourcing the 6-blade "tropical-Spec" TR4/4a metal bladed fan. (or get a Kenlowe/ Pacet "pusher" fan hidden inside the radiator cowling!) Adey Edited January 29, 2010 by Ade-TR4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RAHTR4 Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 Andy, I think you will find that you will have to fit a fan extension piece and fixing bolt from a side screen car to obtain sufficient clearance. The TR4 extension - 128318 - is 4.3/8" long. The earlier type - 108493 - is 3.3/4" long. Thus you gain 5/8" in clearance. Regards, Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hensh2004 Posted January 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 Thanks chaps for the info,iv,e repostioned the rad further back by drilling a new hole further along the rad mounts and adjusted the two top bars aswell ,and it,s given me about 12 -13 mm clearence, which is about 5/8 in old money, which is what Richard said is the right gap in his reply , .Many thanks for both of your inputs . Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alec Pringle Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 Hi Andy, One quick test is to fix a sheet of hardboard on the inside of the radiator, accelerate up to 60 and then stand on everything . . . . you'll soon enough see if there's a ding in the hardboard without crocking the radiator ! Cheers, Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hensh2004 Posted January 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 Good thought Alec,i,ll try that, cheaper than a new rad ? Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alec Pringle Posted January 30, 2010 Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 A lot cheaper than a new rad . . . . a bit of hardboard is cheap enough ! At the risk of stating the obvious, you don't want to block off the radiator airflow for any longer than it takes for one short sharp brake test . . . . Cheers, Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RAHTR4 Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 Thanks chaps for the info,iv,e repostioned the rad further back by drilling a new hole further along the rad mounts and adjusted the two top bars aswell ,and it,s given me about 12 -13 mm clearence, which is about 5/8 in old money, which is what Richard said is the right gap in his reply , .Many thanks for both of your inputs . Andy Andy, Another thought, will the radiator duct still fit after moving the radiator that far forward? Regards, Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 Also check that it doesnt foul the bonnet re-inforcing above it. Stuart Quote Link to post Share on other sites
randall977 Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Am I right in thinking that a new rad is £550ish? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
67_gt6 Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Am I right in thinking that a new rad is £550ish? No, couple of hundred max. Aluminium much more expensive. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 (edited) For my money fit an electric cooling fan kit - There are many on the market that are tried and tested. If the fan is too close to the rad you will not be able to change the fan belt. In the 70 s we'd make an electric cooling fan for our TR s with an old wiper motor, bits of Dexion, exhaust U clamps, length of wire and a switch, Meccano and an Ford Escort Mk 1 plastic fan. Today nearly every car in the breakers yard has an electric fan fitted, surely there is one there to adapt. Just an aside here... An old boss of mine was development/test engineer at Triumph when they had continual problems with plastic fan blades chewing into the radiator of certain models in very wet conditions. The BOW test was born..... It involved running the engine at 3000rpm with the bonnet open and tipping a B(ucket)O(f)W(ater) onto the rotating fan. That determined whether the fan blades had sufficient clearance from the rad when running on flooded roads. It also confirmed the strength of the plastic used for the blades. Too soft and they bent, too hard and they cracked. What happens in the test is the water (think rain from the road) caused a non compressible flow around the blades making the tips 'bend' forward and chew into the rad. Peter W Edited February 2, 2010 by BlueTR3A-5EKT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hensh2004 Posted February 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Thanks for all the comments ,want i had,nt realised was that the rad cap now fouls the underside of the bonnet because i,ve moved the rad back.(it must have been a close fit before) so much so, the bonnet won,t shut down ,i nearly had a nice rad cap shaped bulge on the bonnet!!!! .So it,s plan B an electric fan, and i,ll put the rad back to it,s origonal postion. Again thanks for all the valuable comments.Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR4Geoff Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Am I right in thinking that a new rad is £550ish? Hi Randall, A couple of points - contact Moss and ask for one of their catalogues - they do contain one or two howlers, but are pretty informative and give you a good guide to prices of parts etc. Second - how about joining the Register and then a local Group? The Forum is great for many things, but sometimes you just need to get your head under another bonnet and talk to like-minded people. Regards Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 Thanks for all the comments ,want i had,nt realised was that the rad cap now fouls the underside of the bonnet because i,ve moved the rad back.(it must have been a close fit before) so much so, the bonnet won,t shut down ,i nearly had a nice rad cap shaped bulge on the bonnet!!!! .So it,s plan B an electric fan, and i,ll put the rad back to it,s origonal postion. Again thanks for all the valuable comments.Andy It is, thats why I said it would foul. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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