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TR2/3/3A TR3 Tropic Fan

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There are indeed a number of alternate fans that have reportedly been used, including this rather strange one from a BMW:

BMWFan_zps09fdd0ba.jpg


If you look at it a while you can see that it would, in fact, be balanced -- but odd nonetheless.
 
I can't see the photo, but I'm guessing it's one of the fans with the unequally spaced blades. Supposedly they are quieter that way; although the mechanical fan on my GM wagon still makes a lot of noise when the clutch kicks in.
 
I am going to address my fan this winter when I pull the apron off to swap out my new radiator (didn't get around to it this summer). I've got the site for the BMW fan bookmarked and I'm on the fence on whether to put one on. I PM'ed PeterK when he posted this fan in another thread and I think he said he told me he didn't have any solid facts on whether the fan made a difference or not - but it was recommended by some German racer. Anyone else have experience with this fan?
 
I used the TR6 fan. Too bad it's blue. Red wasn't available at the time.
Other cooling upgrades include narrow pulleys, 6 blade pump plus radiator air deflector.

SWC_1178 edit.jpg
 
TR3driver said:
PN 211986 seems to have been introduced some time after 1960, and was the stock fan (or at least listed as an option) on several Triumph models including TR4A, early Vitesse/Sports 6, Triumph 2000 and early GT6.
Click to expand...

Randall,

Both of my TR4A's have the standard 4 blade fan, but I do see the parts manual shows the 6-blade (211986) as "Fitted up to Engine No....." (no number listed in mine) with the 4-blade listed for later engines (again no number listed). I don't recall noticing any TR4A's with that fan though through the years at car shows.

Any early commission number TR4A owners here have a car that came with the 6-blade fan?

Scott
 
Scott-

I don't have a commission number, but I grabbed a 6 blade fan from a 4A that was being parted out. Its strange that the 6 blade would be for early commission numbers only though - the TR4 was a 4 blade model, you'd think the 4A would have started as 4 blade and maybe gone to 6 later. Most of these fans I've seen attached to early GT6 cars.

Randy
 
croz, have you installed your radiator yet and did the fan clear the radiator? When I tried to put a yellow TR250 fan (same as TR6 fan) on my TR3A the right way around, it was against the radiator, so I turned it backward. It does not push nearly as much air when installed backward.
Regards,
Bob
 
I wondered that too. When I fit a TR6 fan to the TR4 I had to flip it around and use a spacer (made from an old cutting board). Well I thought it was old -- certainly couldn't be used as a cutting board when I finished with it.

TR6FanSpacer_zps9baddce5.jpg


Yes, that is a TR6 fan, painted black. Ditched it when I found a tropical-style fan.
 
I also have a reversed TR6 fan on my TR3, and painted it black. It is slowly returning to yellow, and flakes of black paint are found inside the engine compartment everywhere. If I'd have known I was going to paint the car yellow, I never would have bothered trying to make the fan black.
 
Funny story re finishing the fan. I finally found a tropical fan. It was in good shape but the aluminum blades had a few minor dings and scratches. I took it to a place in Mexico that specialized in restoring bumpers, specially the giant aluminum bumpers on 18 wheeler tractors. I guess my Spanish isn't as good as I thought. I asked them to smooth out the dings on the blades & polish them out, that's all. They did great on that, but what I got back was a completely chrome plated fan, blades and all!! I powdercoated all but the chrome blades so it doesn't look too gaudy.
Frank
 
TR4nut said:
Scott-

I don't have a commission number, but I grabbed a 6 blade fan from a 4A that was being parted out. Its strange that the 6 blade would be for early commission numbers only though - the TR4 was a 4 blade model, you'd think the 4A would have started as 4 blade and maybe gone to 6 later. Most of these fans I've seen attached to early GT6 cars.

Randy
Click to expand...

Randy,

I was thinking the same thing (odd that the SPC indicates they started with the 6 and then switched back to the 4). Both of my TR4A's are relatively late models (with original engines).

Scott
 
There were a lot of other little changes made to the engine when they introduced the TR4A. My guess would be that the 6 blade fan was first included as part of that improvement package, and then later deleted (in favor of the 4 blade version) as a cost-cutting measure. My SPC doesn't list the change point either, which may mean that it was done "as available" rather than at a specific engine number (meaning they used up the last of the 6 blade fans before making the change, or that the 6 blade supply had become erratic).
 
Just curious, has anyone tried using an aftermarket fan, like the Flex-a-Lite series? Or adding a fan shroud to the stock mechanical fan? A shroud supposedly increases the fan efficiency a lot, while not costing much in the way of power.
 
[FONT=&quot]The road test report of the TR4A in the May 1965 issue of Car & Driver mentions that the radiator shroud of the previous model (TR4) has been eliminated. Although not mentioned in the SPC, it is probable that very early TR4A’s were not equipped with the shroud. This is also reflected in the photo on page 67 of Bill Piggott's Original Triumph TR.

Although strictly speculation, could it be that the 6-bladed fan was used as a possible solution to overheating due to the elimination of the shroud and then later found to be inadequate?

Gary
61 TR4 CT1547L restoration in progress
[/FONT]
 
A fan shroud is an interesting idea. I suppose most of them I have seen have been on electric fans which has both the fan and the shroud affixed as one unit to the radiator. The tricky bit would be fitting a shroud to surround an engine-mounted fan w/o having interference in operation.
 
Hum. Stock car guy who trailed my car the day I bought it said two things:

1. I like it better than I thought I would
2. It needs a shroud

Maybe he has a project.
 
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