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TR2/3/3A TR3A Fan recommendations wanted

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Craig - Driving through the mountains on a hot summers day, even if there is no traffic, can cause the engine to overheat as you climb those long slopes at speed. It will be worse if you get behind a pack of slow-pokes. That's where you could find out that you might need a cooling fan. Going downhill will cool off the engine, even down to 125 deg. on the temperature gauge.
 
Wow Peter, now you have impressed my- Gold bolts!!
I don't think even Paul used any gold bolts in his car.

Are they plated steel? or solid 24K?

I have removed and replaced almost every fastener in my car.
Can you imagaine if I used Gold?

looks beautiful!!

d
 
Pied Thank God you told us the rad was bent.Saw the pic on New Years Day morning and thought I was brain damaged from New Years Eve!Hope everyone else is ok.If everything was done stock and correctly,I agree with Andrew Mace to try it and see what happens.Cast iron is pretty strong stuff and capillary tube temp gauges sometimes are not the most accurate things in the world so try it and live a little on the edge.A good,clean radiator,a properly boiled out and a clean engine block,good quality water pump,and CORRECT ENGINE TIMING!!!!!![NOT RETARDED!!! as some people have done} equal no problems.I drive a totally stock 54TR2 and a 64TR4 without overheating,but Im a purest,so what do I know.Happy New Year everyone and I glad I dont need a neurologist.The journey is the fun part,arriving is the goal,the TR is like naughty sex,and if you want anything else get a Honda civic and regret.
 
M_Pied_Lourd said:
Craig,

I am not sure how effective an 8 inch fan will be.....

P1030435.jpg


Yes, the rad is bent!

Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd
Click to expand...

perhaps two smaller fans rather than one?
 
Craig: One thing to remember is that these cars were built for a variety of climates. I have read many reviews written during the time these cars were produced. I haven't read that new owners complained about problems with overheating. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">I believe that the main problem has been neglect - that is, poor maintenance of the cooling system.</span></span> When an engine is new there is no scale in the water passages of the cylinder head and block. The same goes for the radiator. When new, the tubes are clean and clear and heat transfer is ideal. Also the water pump is operating at maximum efficiency. As the system ages and maintenance is neglected, scale builds up in the engine and radiator. The scale acts as an insulator and prevents heat transfer from the engine to the coolant and from the coolant to the radiator and ultimately to the air. Triumph was aware of TR-3A over-heating complaints from their US dealers. They came up with the fan shroud retrofit which was made available to owners at no charge and was later incorporated as a standard component. The theory was that the change in the front apron prevented sufficient air flow as compared to the TR-3 and TR-2. Apparently this worked. Don Elliott has mentioned this on a number of occasions. However, as the cars aged, so did the fiberboard shrouds and when they fell off they were seldom replaced. I suspect that this resulted in overheating.
OK, so if you and Rob have done a proper engine rebuild, and I have no doubt that you have, you have had the block and head thoroughly boiled out and the radiator serviced. If you add a new water pump and proper coolant(with wetting agent), I doubt that you will have a problem. Good luck.
 
And may I add to Frank's statement that a proper skirted thermostat made my car run cooler?
 
Twosheds said:
And may I add to Frank's statement that a proper skirted thermostat made my car run cooler?
Click to expand...

I prefer my thermostat's with Short Skirts
grin.gif
 
Just to confirm that the tropical fan shown in Peter K's photo does fit straight onto a 3A, as I fitted one to the 2nd 3A I had, and the 3B.

These fans were common on Triumph saloons, and I found them at a wrecker who had a shelf full at the time.

They were a big improvement over the old four bladed, shallow pitched TR fan.

Viv.
 
Wow -- I had often seen pics of the tropical fan but always from head-on... this was the first shot I recall seeing that showed the pitch. Now I get it. That sucka is gonna move some air!
 
Tinster said:
Wow Peter, now you have impressed my- Gold bolts!!
I don't think even Paul used any gold bolts in his car.

Are they plated steel? or solid 24K?

I have removed and replaced almost every fastener in my car.
Can you imagaine if I used Gold?

looks beautiful!!

d
Click to expand...

Dale,
They standard grade 8 yellow anodized bolts, pretty much how all grade 8 bolts are sold on the mainland. But thanks. I re-do all my stuff to the same degree. Thay's why the 4A has taken over 10 years (so far).

.. and the tropical fan should really make a big whooshing sound.
 
Dale - Peter's fan is not for his TR4. He has plans to put his TR4 engine into his fishing sloop (Maine) and this iten he calls a tropical fan is the prop he plans to use to drive his boat out into the Atlantic. If he gets lost or has engine trouble, he may end up in PR.
 
CraigLandrum

Here is an option for ya especially if you want to keep it close to stock. I had problems with my TR3A getting a little too hot and went to a local Triumph salvage yard and was going to order a plastic fan or install an electric fan as you are proposing. The owner knew I wanted to keep the car as close to original as possible and suggested installing a metal fan from a GT6. They have 6 blades and a greater pitch . He knows of other that have done this with good results. I did just that and have had no problems of overheating. Even sitting in traffic. It may creep up there but nevers over heats. They were designed to cool a 6 cylinder engine so a 4 cylinder should be no problem. In British car shows NO one has ever picked up on the GT6 fan. It look as stock as the original fan. Good luck!
 
TR3ATR250 said:
CraigLandrum

<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">and went to a local Triumph salvage yard </span></span>
Click to expand...

TR3TR250: <span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-weight: bold">such places still exist???</span></span>
 
Yes that is the nicest tropical fan I have seen. If you mount it on a tr3, it comes very close to the radiator at the bottom, perhaps Âľ of an inch, and it can make changing a fan belt a tight fit, but it all works out fine with patient.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. Would love to get one of those tropical fans if anyone knows where I might pick one up.

After thinking about it further, I broke down and bought a new radiator from Moss, but still kept the central hole which is important to me. I also ordered a 10-inch emergency backup electric fan which I plan to connect to a manual switch under the dash. I went with the 10 inch to try and keep from having to mod the fan housing. Will follow suggestions on coming up with a better fan mounting however and will not abuse the new radiator by trying to force bolts through the radiator fins.

I currently have a new 4 lb radiator cap. Anyone know if the 7 lb will fit a central hole radiator - and do you recommend I use one?
 
CraigLandrum said:
I currently have a new 4 lb radiator cap. Anyone know if the 7 lb will fit a central hole radiator - and do you recommend I use one?
Click to expand...
Yes, I believe the 7 lb cap from an early TR4 will fit (same radiator so it should fit) Moss 583-004.

Likewise the radiator should have no trouble with the pressure. My concern would be the heater core, as I know from first-hand experience that they are easily damaged by too much pressure. The tubes are far wider than normal radiator tubes, making them correspondingly weaker. The 7 psi TR4 used a modern matrix style core instead of that strange round thing. And since AFAIK even the TR3B still used a 4 psi cap (after the start of TR4 production), the factory may have had the same concern.
 
Good luck finding a TR3/4 tropical fan. I have only seen a couple of them on eBay over the last year or so. They both went for way more than I thought reasonable. I'm using the yellow plastic fan. It's a little funny lookin' but a good air mover.

I am using the 7# cap on my TR3 w/ heater. Nothing has blown up yet. I find it difficult to believe that the heater can be <span style="font-style: italic">that</span> fragile. So far, it hasn't been. I'll apologize to the car and all the people to whom I've given questionable advice if it dumps hot coolant all over my lap and strands me in the desert.
 
You'll hate me more for this but I found my tropical on ebay listed as a TR6 fan. It was in decent condition but not quite as nice as now. Apparently no one with a TR6 wanted it m(or knew what it really was) because I was the only bidder .... for $15 sans aluminum fan extension.

The pretty aluminum fan extension came with my HDVA kit and Supra gearbox that I bought from a failed project - that deal cost me $800 complete. I'd hate me too.

I had my heater core fixed by an old timer radiator guy who called it "delicate". He used some kind of plastic repair and is holding fine @4psi. I don't dare to take it higher even though the radiator guy said it should take 7lbs.
 
You're right. I hate you. You can restore my opinion of you to something more loving if you PM me the next time you stumble across a deal like that on a tropical fan.
 
In my opinion the very best fix on the tr3/4 is a tr7 13 blade unit.You have only to cut off the arms of the stock unit,machine it to round, place it in the center of the tr7 fan and drill 4 holes.it offers good clearance,isn't on backwards,its of good heritage,and moves a ton of air.You can even save more weight by making up an aluminum hub .....
MD(mad dog)
 
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