ahebron Posted March 25, 2020 Report Share Posted March 25, 2020 Any trick to fitting and removing the Vitesse radiator. My 6 has a big saloon plastic fan and it is a rather tricky job removing or installing the rad. I find the best trick is to remove the sparkplugs and spin the fan back and forth while dropping the drain tap and bottom into place. I took mine out to straightup bent fins and managed to snag the drain tap and crack the solder, as a temp fix I sandblasted the area around the fitting and used Selleys Kneadit Steel to make a temporary repair till I get it fixed, car isnt driveable but am hoping to run the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted March 25, 2020 Report Share Posted March 25, 2020 turn the engine or remove the fan is the only way to get the bottom tube past the fan blades its a bit easier with the old metal fan as a bit more room to fiddle the tube but yes its a pain job that looks simple and needs six pairs of hands Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahebron Posted March 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2020 Thanks Pete I thought that was the case but hoped some of the 'old hands' would have a few clever ideas. I do have an old metal fan on the spare block but it is well past its best and I believe the plastic is more efficient. When I used to drive the car 37 years ago the throttle would on occasion jam open and the fan would 'pull' the engine forward on its shagged mounts causing the metal blades to hit the lip of the bottom radiator tank making a hell of a racket. I got used to it in the end 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted March 25, 2020 Report Share Posted March 25, 2020 agree the plastic is also much quieter than the metal monster nasty things metal fans we had metal blades fracturing and exit via cab floors ...nasty things when matched with unsympathetic vibrations pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahebron Posted March 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 With help from Rhyna we got the radiator back in. I took the plugs out to make the engine easier to turn and the rad literally dropped into place with a to and fro on the fan. The damage around the tap I painted red after temp fixing it so I will know something is wrong when I look at rad when this bother is all over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 The only way I could get my rad out was to remove the drain and then rotate the engine with the outlet in-between a pair of the fan blades. Tricky and lots of scraped knuckles. I have a replacement radiator but I assume pretty much as original and the drain got in the way of the fan blades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daverclasper Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 I took mine out with a few flattened fins, on re fitting, I took my time juggling the fan and rad and it did slip in ok. These cars may well have differences I assume. Mine is original metal fan. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68vitesse Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 I cheated with my Vitesse got rid of the engine fan and fitted an electric one. Regards Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 I can't remember any great issue with removing the Mk2 Rad other than having to rotate the plastic fan blades to clear the bottom outlet as you lift the radiator clear of the valance, but I'm using the std Vitesse yellow plastic fan. One trick I do use is to have a cardboard sheet/plate of the same size as the rad core that I fit over the fin tubes to avoid damage to the fins. Paul I'm very interested in your electric fan installation, can you provide a photo of the install. The original Mk2 fan which is fitted to the crankshaft is too slow at idle (700 to 900rpm) with our high temperatures and esp in traffic jams, where you have to keep the revs up over 1500 to cool the engine. An electric fan will run a lot faster OK with a load on the battery but that's what the alternator is for. Peter T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahebron Posted March 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 Yep I did the cardboard trick after spending a bit of time straightening the fins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 33 minutes ago, Peter Truman said: I can't remember any great issue with removing the Mk2 Rad other than having to rotate the plastic fan blades to clear the bottom outlet as you lift the radiator clear of the valance, but I'm using the std Vitesse yellow plastic fan. One trick I do use is to have a cardboard sheet/plate of the same size as the rad core that I fit over the fin tubes to avoid damage to the fins. Paul I'm very interested in your electric fan installation, can you provide a photo of the install. The original Mk2 fan which is fitted to the crankshaft is too slow at idle (700 to 900rpm) with our high temperatures and esp in traffic jams, where you have to keep the revs up over 1500 to cool the engine. An electric fan will run a lot faster OK with a load on the battery but that's what the alternator is for. Peter T I agree that an electric fan can move more air through the rad at tick over so have a Spal 13" unit mounted engine side. I removed the original fan and boss on my Vitesse and used a shorter bolt plus large washer to retain the crank pulley. The new fan is 62mm deep at the motor, draws around 12.5A and does a fine job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68vitesse Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Johnny never thought of removing fan adaptor. Used a slim line fourteen inch fan but had to cut some of the plastic frame away to give clearance for fan boss, water pump and check for clearance to replace fan belt. Used a Revotec adjustable controller in the bottom hose with override switch and run light, used stainless studding sleeved in neoprene tubing, through radiator to fit. Installation has worked fine for some years even during the very hot weather the last summers. Similar fan bought for my long term project if I ever get it restarted, seem to have plenty of time at the moment. Regards Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Yes that'll do the job nicely! I wondered if the boss was part of the crank balance but removed it and didn't notice any decrease in smoothness. As I didn't fancy cutting the original bolt think I bought one for a Mk2 Vitesse which for some reason was quite a bit shorter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Paul, Interested in your leccy fan set up, what sort of temperature does the coolant get to in summer traffic? I can't get to my Vitesse at the moment as it's locked in a garage and everyones on furlough😡, but I think I only had 10-15mm clearance to the rad. If I do the mods will that give me enough clearance? Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Sorry above questions were to Johny and Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68vitesse Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Clearances are tight very much depends on the electric fan, Johny used a smaller fan and original fan needs removing, your figure's seem very small. Regards Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave.vitesse Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 As the 2 litre engine was used in a number of models the fan spacer come in three sizes. The Vitesse should have the thinnest spacer. I have found some Vitesse fitted with the thicker types, that then will restrict the clearance. You need shorter bolt with the thinner spacer. I did an article about this a number of years ago, maybe I need to rerun it. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahebron Posted March 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Yes please! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Dave, yes please can you rerun article. Paul, the PO had a 'high capacity' replacement rad fitted so mine may be slightly thicker. Unfortunately as I said I can't get access to my car to measure. Cheers Iain 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68vitesse Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Just looked at Rimmers site they list a different adaptor and bolt for the Mk1 2L and Mk2 2L, that's something I've learnt today. Regards Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68vitesse Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Max. thickness of my radiator 75mm core slightly thinner. Regards Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 This was the thickest adaptor I ever saw; I bought the whole thing years ago for about a pound (just wanted the NOS fan) and it was only recently that I discovered it came off a tractor. Clearance on the GT6 would have been very limited... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Yes spacer listed on Rimmers and Canley say no longer available. This type of detail information is why this forum is soooo helpful. If only I could get to my car?*!?! I'm bored and had the head and intake manifold refurbished at CTM Dagenham (superb job) and I was just about to take the block out when the world stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinR Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 I got one of these from a supplier in the USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 10 minutes ago, Iain T said: If only I could get to my car?*!?! I'm bored and had the head and intake manifold refurbished at CTM Dagenham (superb job) and I was just about to take the block out when the world stopped. I can get to mine but can't get materials! Been waiting over a week for fuses, can't get paint, or sandblast medium, but thankfully lots of petrol so greasy bits are all being cleaned. You'd think with so many people being housebound they'd allow you the materials to do things while you're stuck there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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