It's not easy being green - 1971 TC

[Cheguava]

Been derailed by some serious dentistry, having been given strict instructions about limiting physical effort I've left the doors until I've healed a bit. Instead of which, I managed to get the dash out, and can look at it in all its (ahem) glory. Crash pad looks ok, but might get a covering of vinyl to freshen it up. Fascia panel has me in two minds, I'm not a fan of the OE lacquered floorboard look, and although the walnut veneer looks ok, i might try stripping the panel back and painting it matt / satin black.

So, onto stupid question time. My radiator was crumbling to bits as I removed it, but as luck would have it there was a Europa rad on eBay which looked decent, even had a Spal fan fitted (mine looked like it had been submerged with the Titanic). It arrived today, and is in evidently good nick, but doesn't have a hole for the Otter switch - it has an indented circle where it would be fitted but no hole. So I was wondering if everyone on here had an otter switch, or is there an alternative to switch on your fan when the radiator gets... otter?  And yes, I am getting ahead of myself buying parts at the strip down stage, but it was retail therapy.

[BDA]

I used a fan controller like this one (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CN4XZI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It includes a relay and lets you dial in the temperature when the fan starts. It doesn't require an otter or other switch because it has a temperature probe that goes between the fins of the radiator.

[EuropaTC]

The otter switch has been redundant on my car since, well, probably before I got it in the 80s. The original owner of my car had fitted a dash switch and when I used the car daily in traffic I'd just flick it on if I got caught in a jam, otherwise it wasn't needed.  All that's happened in my ownership is to rewire and fit a relay in the circuit, plus of course changing the fan for a more modern unit. When I tidied up the radiator 10+yrs ago the old switch was still there but all it's doing is keeping the coolant in.

If you really do want automatic control and can't fit the OEM switch then aftermarket fans such as the Kenlow I have on the Elan came with a bulb sensor & leads which you could slide into the top hose. There is a small rubber moulding, hard to describe but mine is a sort of half circle with indentations for the wire. This sits on the alloy thermosat housing outlet and the original hose slides over the combination and seals very well. You can set the temperature you want it to come on and it also has an override switch with a light to tell you when it's on. The original fan has long since been replaced by a slimmer, modern unit but the controller is still in there.

Brian

[Cheguava]

Thanks BDA and Brian - that's really helpful. Either of those solutions sound like they would do the job, I'm tending towards the automatic with override which was what I had on my old Scimitar which was a little marginal on cooling, particularly if you were blatting along on the motorway and then hit traffic, it was good to get the fan on early.

[4129R]

I have fitted manual over-ride earth switches to my cars. The fan is loud, so you can hear when you have switched it on. Normally only needed in heavy traffic or road works with a long wait at traffic lights.

[Cheguava]

I have fitted manual over-ride earth switches to my cars. The fan is loud, so you can hear when you have switched it on. Normally only needed in heavy traffic or road works with a long wait at traffic lights.

Thanks for this, looks like I can fit a fan controller using the wiring for the otter switch, and add an override switch if it doesn't come with the kit. They all seem to come with a relay, which I'll definitely be using.

[GavinT]

Davies Craig make an old school fan controller with adjustable cut in point. I believe this is the type Brian is referring to.

There's also these in-line otter switch adaptors, too.

[Cheguava]

Davies Craig make an old school fan controller with adjustable cut in point. I believe this is the type Brian is referring to.

There's also these in-line otter switch adaptors, too.

Thanks Gavin - looks like I have decisions to make on the rebuild - positive ones though!  This site is a fantastic repository of knowledge - there's so much I've found out using the search bar, but I really appreciate the responses from people who've been and done this before