TR2/3/3A Air dam seems to be working very well

[TuffTR250]

Recently I fabricated an air dam for my 1961 TR3 to drive air into the bottom of the radiator and around the radiator up into the engine bay. (See my other BCF thread showing picture of it). Yesterday it was very hot here in North Carolina, 100 yesterday and high 90's today. So I went for a couple of drives in town to see how the car would handle the heat. Yesterday I took a 10 mile drive with quite a few stop signs and stop lights. Today I took a 13 mile drive with a lot of stop signs and stop lights (and lots of traffic). It was very hot in the car with no top and no shade. The road today was new pavement and very black, so I'm sure the temperature out on the road was quite a bit over the high 90's. I have a 14 inch electric puller fan. At the stops the fan would turn on but the temperature gauge would still start rising a lot above the 185 temperature held by the thermostat. In the past when the weather was this hot and before I put on the air dam, the fan would run constantly but between stop lights the temperature would not go down to normal. The temperature would go down to normal if I had a long open drive out in the country, but not in town between stop lights. Now with the air dam in city traffic and on a very hot day, the temperature starts to drop almost immediately once I start moving, and the temperature goes down to normal quite quickly. Therefore, I feel the air dam was a very worthwhile effort.
Regards,
Bob

 

[Geo Hahn]

It's been 110° here the past few days. The air dam helps but the TR4 engine protested anyway - with the sweet smell of coolant wafting back towards me.

Fortunately, on a TR4 the battery box sits lower than on a 3 and that freeze plug can be removed and hammered in with the head in place.

 

[TR3driver]

Wow, great photo! But the pinhole probably had more to do with rust than heat, no?

 

[Geo Hahn]

Yeah. Here is the backside (the big hole is, of course, the one I made to pry it out):

Believed to be the original 50-year-old plug.

 

[mrv8q]

Yeah. Here is the backside (the big hole is, of course, the one I made to pry it out):
Believed to be the original 50-year-old plug.

Uh Oh!

 

[TexasKnucklehead]

It's been 110° here the past few days.

I showed my wife Prudence that picture and she said "It looks like the universe is taking a pee." What a great picture.
She has no idea how accurate her description is.
If I have one regret in this life; it's that I didn't break down between Texas and California, and I had the chance to introduce Prudence to Geo. Some regrets are better than others.
Lately here, it's been too rainy to drive the TR3, but it's also too sunny, even when cloudy. How can the sun create so much glare, on a cloudy day? -Summer is coming, and the sun will shine clearly.