Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all, I am looking to fit an electric fan to my morris minor, mainly because I do quite a few car shows, normally we end up having to queue to get in and of course the temp gauge goes up! What I want to do is to have the existing fan blade left where it is and have a electric fan in the gap between the radiator and the grill - firstly is this space possible to fit a fan in? My plan was to have it switch operated so when i need a boost of air due to the gauge going up i can switch it on. I am sure I have seen this done before but as at the time it wasn't something i planned on doing. i didnt pay much attention to the logistics of it. Any ideas and if so what model and size fan would I need to go for . I see there are several accu spark ones on ebay? Many thanks

Not the answer you're looking for.....
If I'm stuck in a queue that long I turn it off to save fuel, especially now prices are reaching £2 a Ltr.... it's too expensive to waste.
I can't say I've ever had a problem with over heating.

As long as it doesn't boil over its not a problem. If it does, then there is something wrong somewhere. To echo 'geobernie', overheating is not a problem with a Minor in good operating condition.

It is possible but you need a very slim fan or to replace the slatted grille with something a lot thinner like a mesh (think Bentley minor!).

Yes it's perfectly possible to fit both an electric and retain the original, I've done it! Mine is a £20 "Aeroline" from eBay, I don't think anything larger than 10" will fit nicely, mine was perhaps 8" but this was six years ago so I don't recall exactly. It's the "suck" type that fits on the engine-side of the radiator and is offset from the centre to the near-side of the car.

You can have it come on automatically at a certain temperature and/or have a manual switch, whichever you prefer. If going through a temperature sensor to do it automatically you will also need to power it through a relay. I didn't have much luck with the probe type temperature sensors as they can cause the hose to leak, so would recommend something like this (link) in the top hose (26mm, perhaps 95on/85off).

Why do all the modern cars I have come across have electric fans controlled by water temperature?
Basically, they only come on when needed and do not consume power until cooling is required.
The fans on our Morris Minors are working at their best speed when you are driving along, but air is passing through the radiator already, the fan is using engine power when it is not needed and worse, when it is needed - you are stationary or moving slowly, the fan is rotating relatively slowly and not pulling much cooling air through the radiator.
So, yes it is fairly straightforward to fit an electric fan, either in front of the radiator or behind. But the real benefit comes from fitting a thermostat into the cooling system to control the fan, usually via a simple relay, and removing the fan from the water pump. Removing the mechanical fan allows the use of a slightly larger electric fan behind the radiator.
I have used various thermostats, one with an adaptor ring soldered into the radiator and fitted with a thermostat and lately, one (25mm) from a supplier who has outlets in Feltham (London), Bradford, Bristol, Manchester and Paris.
They also sell a Cooling Fan Kit, which I found easy to fit, works well, but is quite expensive.
When our 'Minors were designed in the 1940s traffic jams were few and petrol was relatively cheap, so bolting a cheap fan onto the water pump was an easy decision, giving few problems.

It's also worth remembering that slim motors were not available back then, the early electric fan motors looked like wiper or heater motors and were around 4" long consequently they were not suitable for small cars with little room around the radiator.

I fitted a Kenlowe from my Triumph between the grill and rad making brackets as required.
Works well (when requested by thermostat) but is a very tight fit - I had to reduce the length of bonnet catch to clear blades.

Alan

Many thanks for all your input, looks like i have some homework to do!
Thanks again