Joe,
I'm a bit behind on my reading here, so forgive me if I offer more
useless drivel than usual, but...
This might be a good opportunity to eliminate the belt-driven fan
and replace it with an electric powered, thermostatically controlled
unit. This winds up being a good update to the TR6 for at least two
reasons:
Supposedly, the reduced drag on the engine allows better fuel ecomomy. You may
have noticed that most fuel efficient cars don't use the old-style belt
drive fans anymore. It's probably not any lighter than the stock fan, but
by placing the fan directly against the radiator, you will get much more
efficient cooling (especially when stopped in traffic.) Also, with the
thermostat control, you will be able to precisely control lower engine
temperatures and insuring that the engine works within the ideal temp
range.
As to what caused the failure, no doubt it was either due to some mechanic
grabbing a fan blade when changing the fan belt (I have seen them try
to rotate the engine this way ;-{ ), or (hopefully not) possibly
due to some sort of critter being under the hood in the path of the fan.
At any rate, if you have the spare $$$, you should seriously consider going
electric. Now, I have no idea how much the conversion costs, but I do know
other TR owners who have sdone this, and they are satisfied with the results.
Bob Lang
MIT Computer Services
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