Update by Tim Suddard to the
Austin-Healey Sprite project car
Apr 5, 2024
|
Bugeye Sprite,
Cooling System
Photography by Tim Suddard
With the engine now installed inside our Austin-Healey Sprite, we could now put the radiator in and attach its hoses. We decided early on that we wanted an electric fan and went through the trouble of fabricating a mount and installing a thermostatically controlled switch.
Only when we actually tried to install the aluminum radiator that we sourced from Moss Motors–with the electric fan mounted–did we realize that there was no way any electric fan would fit between the radiator and the steering rack.
So, begrudgingly, we backtracked, removed the welded-on mounts and went back to the original engine-driven fan.
Another issue: When installing the top hose, we couldn’t make it reach.
We did some research and found that A-series engines used a few different designs for their thermostat housings. We shuffled through our spare parts bins and found one that, with a little tweaking, allowed us to mount our top hose without it hitting the cooling fan.
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