Radiator Fan(s)

[Charles Farran]

Allan,
I am curious to know about your 1978 Roadster. On the general forum, if it refers to the same car you raised a query about fixing bolts for polished bumpers which suggest that , if it is the same car, then has it been subject to / in the process of a chrome conversion?
The original spec for the UK RB cars with the forward radiator only had one fan fitted in front of the radiator and was attached by a bracket to the underneath of the slam plate. (Only V8s had two ). As mentioned before i think only one or two overseas markets (North American market being possibly one of those markets) had the second fan option / fitted underneath the slam plate. I have seen many UK RB cars with the forward radiator having an additional after market electric fan such as Revotek fitted to the rear of the radiator , being used either as a replacement for a failed original electric fan as fitted to the slam plate or as an addition due to concerns re engine temperatures. If a standard unmodified engine is used, that has been regularly maintained including attention to the coolant side of things, then the single electric fan is perfectly satisfactory & provided the air flow via the original front valance hasn't been reduced/compromised in some way. (I have had my car from new & driven (not hanging about) on many long & hot trips including several holidays in the South of France & never had any issues & have been held up in queues both in the UK & in France on hot sunny days). If the engine has been modified for additional performance, then there maybe questions about whether an additional fan is required).
Cheers,
Charles

[Not_Anumber]

Any air lock would have gone by now, from experience Id say its much more worth focusing on flushing out any crud. A little effort and no cost.

Mine was running hot with the fan coming on not long after the engine reached running temperature when parked. The radiator had been tested. I tried changing the thermostat and then fully removing it but that just made the engine take slightly longer to reach operating temperature, it still behaved the same thereafter.
I had started to think mine was just one of those engines which always runs a bit hot and was looking at putting in a 2nd fan when a friend suggested a more rigorous flush of the water jacket as he had experienced the same on a B series engine in a Marina years ago. 20 mins of fiddling to remove the engine drain plug and disconnecting, reconnecting hoses whilst flushing it through with as much pressure as i could get from a garden hose made all the difference in the world. The engine runs cooler with the result the fan rarely kicks in and it then goes off again very quickly.

[Allan T]

Charles,

It is indeed the same car, and the same me. I collected it from a BMH re-shelling on 31 December, and today finished swapping the new stainless steel Harrington bumpers for the temporary chrome loaners. I've had this r/b B since May 2000, and before that had a 1978 r/b Midget, also for twenty two years, since March 1979. I'd been very happy with r/b cars for about forty four years, both aesthetically and practically - I was often kerbside-parking for most of that time, and the sturdy and resilient r/bs were a handy proof against touch-parking.

Considering my options for the reshelling, my old r/bs were rusted beyond re-use, and I understand new ones are NLA, and I was very much drawn to converting, and that's what I've done, and the results have far exceeded my expectations.

I know that's a sensitive subject, and I'm absolutely not running-down r/bs, simply reporting that the swap has gone well for me. I've always had people stopping to chat about the car when I was outside working on it. Numbers have more than doubled these last few days. And to my eye, the car looks 'right'.

The car came with a very full service history - perhaps complete - which I read thoroughly when it was new to me, and I'd been thinking lately it was time for another look. The two electric fans are alike, and on the original body were mounted side-by-side in front of the radiator, as they are again now on the new shell. So the first impression would be that they were fitted together. But twenty two years is a long time, and I can't say without looking through the file again whether there's an installation invoice in there.

I've never felt the need for two electric fans, but as they've fallen in my lap and there's no down-side now I've re-wired them, I reckoned I'd keep them both.

Does that do anything to clarify the story?


Allan

[Charles Farran]

Hi Allan,

Thanks for your response & interesting history of ownership of both a r/b midget & a r/b MGB that you have gone down the chrome (S/S) conversion route . (I too owned a r/b midget , but only for a couple of years before part exchanging for the r/b MGB that i still have some 41 + years later).
Following your response, i checked in my copy of Clausager which records that from June 76 (1977 model year) the radiator was moved forward & "V8 - type electric fan adopted,two on North America, one on all others". So i guess a PO must have either added a second fan on yours or requested a dealer to add one at the time of purchase as a non listed option! I am not a purist as regards options to our cars - they are meant to be used & enjoyed & modified/upgraded to suit one's own tastes & requirements!

Cheers, Charles

[Allan T]

Hi Charles,

I'm distracted by the inevitable post-reshelling snagging for now, but I really do want to go through the maintenance file that came with the car to remind myself what happened to it last century, and if I find any mention of the fans, I'll post.

'Originality' isn't a concern for me, I'll never be showing the car or competing in Cd'E. But observing what I take to be the 'spirit/aesthetic' of MG, as though I were at the end of MG production, and specifying dealer options from the complete life of the car, plus a few later developments such as electronic ignition, and LED lights (but the subtle sort, that make you think all the lenses have had an especially energetic clean, and new tungsten bulbs fitted that day), and the odd indulgence like leather seats - those all seem to me to be part of the fun.

Mine's a working car, not a dry-weather-only softie, and has to be fit-for-purpose all year round.


Allan

[Charles Farran]

Hi Allan,
Hopefully you will post up some pictures once you have finished the rebuild - I like your approach!
Cheers, Charles

[Allan T]

From the November 2020 Car Club magazine:

[Charles Farran]

Hi Allan,

Thanks for posting up that article which i recall seeing.
The slightly different mounting brackets for a second fan are indeed listed by one or more of the usual suppliers. I considered it at the time of my under bonnet refurbishment in the winter of 2017-18 , but at the time they were always "out of stock" - i suspect due to lack of demand as most non V8 owners seem to go down the after-market route & bolt an electric fan assembly on to the rear of the radiator for the later 4 cylinder R/B cars . The original wiring loom in my UK doesn't have the additional socket built in to the loom that is present on the V8s & the looms for the American market 4 cylinder cars. As i hadn't had any overheating issues with my car ,i decided to stay with just the one original fan that i cleaned up & repainted. (I appreciate it would be relatively easy to add one later & wire it up to the spare switch position on the dash that is available on the later R/B roadster cars in the absence of the HRW warning light utilised in the GTs. I have simply put in a dummy additional fog light switch as i hate blanking plates in lieu of switches. When my car was a daily user i actually used this switch for some front fog lights below the R/B using the tow plate mounting holes for fixing the fog lamp brackets - i have since removed these)!

Thanks also for your private post which i have responded to you privately as well!

Cheers,
Charles

[Charles Farran]

Hi Donie,

Not sure if you have eventually sorted your overheating problem. I recall you saying that you had removed the thermostat in the process of trying to sort out the issue etc. Purely by chance i was looking at a Moss Catalogue which reminded me that they sell a "Thermostat Blanking Kit" albeit highlighted in their performance section. They comment underneath a picture of the sleeve " The thermostat can be removed to aid cooling but it is essential that a blanking sleeve is fitted in its place or the change in water flow may cause local overheating in the cylinder block".
You may well have resolved the problem now (that may have included flushing out all the water ways, radiator & heater valve & heater matrix & replacing the thermostat) but thought it might be of interest.

Cheers,

Charles