Triumph TR6 Coooling System Upgrade

Radiator Resto
I was already taking my fuel tank in to the local radiator shop (SAPPS) for a cleaning and sealing, so why not take in the radiator at the same time?  The rad looked a little dodgy and for $80 to $90 you can get it boiled out, pressure tested, and repaired.   They sealed up a couple of problems and I also had them put in a bung in the bottom of the rad for a temp sensor.  The paint from the shop was not the nice job I wanted. Fortunately the rad just fit in my blasting cabinet so I could strip it down again to bare metal.  Here it is naked and up-side-down showing the temp sensor that I later soldered into the bottom of the rad myself (the hole from the radiator shop was too small).

I then painted the top,bottom and sides with POR-15 and POR Chassis Black. The fins were painted with a very light coat of Eastwood Radiator Paint to promote good heat transfer while still looking pretty.

Make a Cool Breeze
With the radiator back to as-new condition it was time to think about generating a nice cool breeze through those fins. TR6's don't generally have a problem with overheating but removing the stock fan increases performance and also prolongs the life of the thrust washers, so it is a worth while upgrade.

You can't simply just remove the stock mechanical fan, you need to replace it with a Fan Eliminator kit - preferably the one from Patton Machine.   Rick's instructions are easy to follow and the process is well documented on other web sites so I won't go into those details here.

I chose a 16 inch puller fan kit from Northcoast Performance (link is to their EBay store). I chose the 16" Puller fan with relay kit  and temp sensor that turns on at 180F and off at 170F.  You can also Google 16 inch Procomp and you'll find it.  Cost for the kit that includes the relay and temp sensor was $52.

The kit comes with plastic mounting ties that you can run through the radiator fins.  I chose to mount the fan to the radiator frame because I do not like the idea of the ties rubbing the 40 year-old fins.  The first step was to cut one inch aluminum flat stock and attach it to the fan's mounting points.

I then attached the aluminum to the sides of the radiator using short self-tapping screws. Some folks mount it top-and-bottom but I chose the sides because there is less chance of puncturing the radiator.

Here is the radiator and fan mounted (the front shroud yet to be reinstalled).  In the background you can see the fan relay on the front wing, mounted using one inch aluminum angle.  The second relay is for an air horn that is not yet wired in this picture.

The Coolest...

...part of the whole installation is the illuminated override switch in the cockpit.  Switch it on for the fan and the LED illuminates.  The override is great for those hot summer days.  See a red light or stopped traffic ahead? No probs - flick the switch and keep that engine nice and cool.

Show me the flow
You may be concerned about getting good airflow when this flush-mount fan is not mounted directly against the radiator fins - but don't be!  I've heard of some people installing foam strips around the gap between the fan and rad but this is not needed and in fact may present a hazard if the foam were to come loose and drop into the fan blades.

I switched on the fan with the car sitting idle in the garage and was well impressed by the strong pull of air some four inches out from the radiator. I floated a sheet of paper in front and it was quickly and strongly pulled up against the radiator.  The CFM of this fan is more than adequate.

I was all set to get the car back on the road when it appears my brake master cylinder failed.  Yet another project has presented itself...

Vintage License Plate for the TR6

Running a "year of manufacture" plate is a nice touch on an old car. Your ability to do this depends on where you live. Fortunately North Carolina provides the following statute for cars 35 years or older. Print the following section and put it in your car along with your current plate. Many local law enforcement officers are not familiar with the law.

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HB 704 Chapter 257 An act to permit drivers of Antique cars not to display the current registration plate under certain circumstances.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1. G. S. 20-63 (d) is amended by adding a new sentence at the end to read:

"Any motor vehicle of the age of 35 years or more from the date of manufacture may bear the license plates of the year of manufacture instead of the current registration plates, if the current registration plates are maintained within the vehicle and produced upon the request of any person."

Section 2. This act is effective upon ratification.

Robert B Jordan III President of the Senate Liston B. Ramsey Speaker of the House of Representative

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Plate Quest
I picked up this plate locally on EBay for the tidy sum of $6.30. I could have purchased one in good condition for $15 but then I would not have had the fun (??) of restoring it.
Colour Quest
Finding the appropriate colours was more difficult than I had anticipated. Sure I could have cleaned up the plate and had the colours scanned and custom mixed, but its a $6 plate! Besides, how many people will actually notice the difference? The white was easy to find at a local auto parts store. There are not many green cars these days - at least not in the colour used on the 1971 plate.
Paints used:
Etch Primer : Duplicolor Self Etching primer (Auto Zone)
Green : Forest Green 2774N (Northern Tool)
White : Wimbledon White BFM0041 (AutoZone)
Clear Coat : Dupicolor, (Autozone)

Other Materials:
Sandpaper - Wet/dry 800 and 1000 grit

And the secret weapon: a cutoff pencil used as a sanding block. I cut the sandpaper in narrow 1.5 cm strips and wrapped them around the pencil for wet sanding.

"Let me see you stripped down to the bone...."

(No Depeche Mode fans in the house? Oh well.)The first step is to strip the plate down to bare metal. You can do this with chemical strippers, wire brush or media blasting. I used glass bead in my media blasting cabinet followed by etch primer.
Paint the letter colour next: 4 coats of green followed by four good coats of clear. The clear coat forms a barrier between the letter and background colours to protect the letters while sanding off the background.
Spray the white background after the clear coats are dry. The background should be shot onto the plate in as few coats as possible that give a solid finish. Two coats were enough.
When the background is dry start sanding with 800 grit then finish with 1000 grit. In this picture the "2" is being sanded with 800 grit while the "SP" has been finished with 1000. "SP" indicates this was a "State Park" tag. I wonder if law enforcement will notice that...
Finish with another four clear coats.All done -baby got back!
Now go for a drive...
"Hey man, what year is your car?"
"Its on the plate, yo!" :)