• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

Can you get the fan off without romoving bonnet?

Share this page

J

Jerry

Darth Vader
Gold
Country flag
Offline
Can you get the stock fan off without removing the front bonnet and radiator? The book says no , I think? It looks like it would be close with the bolts holding the fan and the back of the radiator core.

Looking to put on a plastic fan or electric before the rivets go on the original and shoot through something important.

Thanks

Jerry

TR3A late 1959 production
 
Ok, from your profile page, I assume you're talking about the TR3A, and I think you mean the nose, not the hood (bonnett), Right? If not then ignore my blitherings /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazyeyes.gif
Try undoing the two upper radiator suppourt rods, the upper hose, and loosening the lower mounting bolts. This should let you tilt the rad forward and get to the bolts.
If not then try removing the lower bolts completely, and see if you can shift the whole rad forward to get the needed space.
I still dont know if that'll get it, but if not then you're removing the nose to remove the radiator to get to the fan, so it's all part of the process anyway.
 
Re: Can you get the fan off without romoving bonne

I talked to someone once who claimed to have removed the TR3A radiator w/o removing the apron (this would make getting to the fan relatively easy). He may have had the head off at the time... in any case it would be real close and a PITA to get at some of the bolts.

That said, I understand your reluctance to not remove the apron if it hasn't been off in a loooong time.
 
Re: Can you get the fan off without romoving bonne

You know a simple job doesn't always seem so simple. The heat in the Sacramento area makes the stock fan not keep up.

Any other opinions out there?
 
Re: Can you get the fan off without romoving bonne

Hey, Jerry, owning a '59 myself, and having been through this over the summer, it's no so bad to remove the apron... I thought it was harder to put it back on, then to take if off. It will obviously allow you much more room, and give you access to other things, like motor mounts, etc.
I also put on the yellow fan, and it works fine, just a tick over 185...
Best, Kevin '59TR3A, #58370
 
Re: Can you get the fan off without romoving bonne

Sometimes trying to take a short cut will make it take longer than doing the job the right way the first time.

Don
 
Re: Can you get the fan off without romoving bonne

Hey Jerry, my '65 Sprite lives on the west side of the Sacramento Valley, and never overheats. How 'bout we just trade, and I'll put up with that nasty old hot car?
I'll only drive it up 128 on really cold days!
Jeff /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
 
Re: Can you get the fan off without romoving bonne

I had someone offer me $25K for the TR3A. I wanted to hand him the keys and kiss his hand. My daughter and wife said that car is not leaving the family. We restored it as a family project and it has a lot of sentimental value. My daughter calls it the boy magnet! I have to admit, I like the car also. I also enjoyed restoring it.
No trade for a sprite, I don't think I would fit in that car very well.


Jerry
 
Re: Can you get the fan off without romoving bonne

How about an alternative question. Can you put a pusher in front of the radiator?

Jerry
 
Re: Can you get the fan off without romoving bonne

That's what I did. Wired it with a manual switch so I can flip it on when stuck in traffic, etc. I mounted using some brackets that clamp to the radiator rather than those zip ties that penetrate the rad.

Here's a photo essay (pics are from the TR4 but the TR3A install was the same):

https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/fan.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/fan0.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/fan1.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/fan2.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/fan3.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/fan4.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/fan7.JPG
https://www.cybertrails.com/~ahwahnee/fan8.JPG

The holes in the brackets had to be slighlty oblonged to fit the bolts around the rad body. The switch pic shows how I wired it to switch using the fan's ground wire so only one (black) wire had to be run thru the firewall (wanted it to be discreet).
 
Back
Top