The biggest single cause of cooling problems I have found so far in a
TR3A is the available replacment grill.
They seem to use the same amount of metal in the replacment grill but do
not fold the 'V's as deeply. Result less area for air to flow through
and more edge interference with the flow.
The aftermarket grill has holes 7.2 cm by 1.3 cm for a 9.36 cm^2 opening
The factory grill has holes 7.7 cm by 1.6 cm for a 12.32 cm^2 opening,
providing 24% more area for air to flow to the radiator.
Does this make a difference? With the aftermarket TR3A grill, my car ran
at 185 degrees (measuerd with an infra red meter). It almost never got
cooler and often overheated on minor hills or even idling in traffic on a
hot day (Other details, coolent recovery bottle in place, proper
functional rad. cap, summer bellows thermostat, air deflectors in place,
13 row oil cooler, clean cooling system)
With the grill change and no other modifications the normal running
temperature dropped 40 degrees to 145 degrees. Charging a steep windy
road keeping the revs mostly in the mid 4000's on a hot summer day, the
temperature doesn't reach 185 degrees. With the old grill I would be at
the side of the road with the bonnet up, cooling down the engine well
within 15 minutes of starting.
TeriAnn Near Santa Cruz, California
My old car 1960 Land Rover 109 owned since 1978
My new car 1961 Triumph TR3A owned since 1986
"Who could ask for anything more"
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