INTRODUCTION

Morgans and specifically the Plus 8 in particular is notorious for over-heating, before investing in a high capacity aluminium radiator it is worth considering installing a modern fan, also if the fan fails modern fans are far more efficient than the standard fan as fitted by MMC up to 1998.

These notes deal with the fitment into the car, the connection of the fan will covered by the instructions provided in the kit. All the dimensions etc. are based on an 82 +8 but from memory the 82 4/4 is very similar.

GENERAL

All radiator fans should be behind the rad as when placed in front, it’s in the way of the airflow when switched off, as it is above a certain road speed even when on!  If the radiator is out of the car when the fan is fitted, fan thickness less important and fitting will be easier but that will be the only way it ever comes out again. The efficiency of all fans is seriously increased by sealing it to the rad with some form of shroud so all the air pulled by the fan is coming through the matrix.

TYPE OF FAN

Fans are available from suppliers who service the performance market. There are a number of brands like Kenlowe and Facet. (Webmaster note; Greg Solow's Engine Room can supply a fan with 2.3 times the capacity of the Kenlowe and that fits well but it is costly and an extra bracket will be needed to the lower nut of the upper radiator mount to support the added weight. The much larger motor size is made possible by an ingenious design of the fan blades and the installation is very similar.) 13 inches is the biggest fan which will fit (in my car) and the Kenlowe 13” suction fan is 66mm thick which will go in from underneath, anything much thicker will not. This fan is £100 approx and the kit contains the thermostatic control, wire and connectors and decent instructions. The kit also contains a metal shroud but I could not get it in using my own instead.

FITTING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Remove the bonnet. Then tape a sheet of stout cardboard over the back of the radiator to reduce the risk of damage to the core. Put the car on axle stands. Disconnect the power supply to the fan and/or disconnect the battery. Remove the fan from the support bracket. If the fan has never been removed the spacer tube may be corroded onto the bolt. In my case, one came off and the other would not budge even after 24 hours of release agent. I was able to drive an old screwdriver between the halves of the tube clamp using a medium sized “Morgan adjusting tool” and then cut the bolt with a Dremel and a hacksaw. Once undone the fan will easily come out between the chassis cross member and the track rod.
2. Working from underneath check the new fan for position. The performance is not affected by not being in the middle of the rad but it should not project outside the edge of the core and not rub on anything. Some awkward measurement and guess work will give a starting position for the fan relative to the tube clamp bracket. It can be adjusted later.

3. The Kenlowe fan has 2 sets of mounting holes. The ones to use are flush with back of the included surround in a recess. The others should be cut off with a hacksaw both in the diameter and in the height to give a 12 to 15 mm clear space all round the surround so the fan can be sealed to the radiator. I used 20mm x 4 mm steel strip to make the mounting plates but anything sensible is ok.

Cut strip to length, mark out and drill 6mm holes for the fan and 8mm holes for the mounting bolts. Take care that the holes for the mounting bolts are accessible from the rad side of the fan so you can get the bolts in. Put a strip of double sided adhesive tape as sold for trim repairs round the outside of the fan surround but leave the backing tape on. Measure the circumference carefully to make the shroud. Two M6x50 mm bolts are needed for the tube clamp and two M8x60s for the fan mounting. If they are too long you cannot get them in.

4. From under the car feed the fan in between the rad and the cross member. Insert the mounting bolts from the front of the fan and put a nut a few turns on the bolts. Put the M6 bolt in the front half of the tube clamp before putting the M8 in the tube clamp. About 6mm clearance is needed between the mounting plate and the clamp. Either use washers or the nut already on the bolt (with a shake proof washer). Start feeding the mounting bolt into the clamp and then repeat on the other side. If using the nut as a spacer tighten it now. With luck you can get a ring spanner with a slight crank in it onto the bolt head from the back of the fan. Without it you have a problem. A second pair of hands is useful at this point.

Put the back half of the clamp on and tighten until the fan can be held in position but adjusted. Side to side adjustment is easy but if the height is wrong the fan has to be removed and a new 8mm hole drilled in one or both mounting plates to achieve a correct position. ( I got it right at the second attempt). Position the fan as parallel to the rad as possible and then tighten up the clamp.

5. Measure the distance from the rad to back edge of the clear rim on the fan surround. Any suitable material can be used for the sealing shroud. I used 3mm thick nitrile rubber sheet. Cut a strip to the correct width and the measured circumference + 2mm in length. Peel the backing strip off the adhesive tape and put the rubber on making sure the front edge is lightly pressed against the radiator core. Make a daisy chain of large cable ties and use this to secure the shroud to the fan.

6. Unless you choose to use the original Otter rad fan thermoswitch, follow the manufacturer’s wiring instructions to use the one included with the Kenlowe. The thermometer bulb goes in the top hose. Again due to age mine would not come off and I had to cut it. Having a new hose available avoids problems. The control box can be mounted on the inner wing in an accessible place. On my car the outside rearmost connector on the fuse box provides an “always on” connection which allows the fan to continue running for a while after the ignition is turned off. Fitting an in-line fuse is advisable if this connection is used.

This job requires the standards attributes for working on a Morgan.

The hands of a woman
The strength of an ox
The agility of a monkey
The patience of Job

Removing the Exhaust Manifold Bolts
tip forwarded by Bill Beddows

There is an obvious danger in removing the exhaust manifold bolts and on many Plus 8s. The heads are aluminum and the bolts are steel which is often a recipe for a disaster and though the miracles of modern technology can have you avoid a rebore and re-threading by using a helicoil or the like..stripping the bolt hole threads is to be avoided.

Time can make these bolts very reluctant to release. A penetrating oil and pateince can often help and I have applied heat gently to some effect but remember that alloy gives no warning before it melts.

Here is a trick from a fellow at Rimmer Brothers. Simply run the engine until it is really hot. Then, with welding gloves on, try to remove the bolts. You should get a better reception. They should be torqued to 14 ftlbs.

By the way, there was a long period where no gaskets were used between manifold and heads. There are gaskets available now from a number of sources, individual ones for each branch of a branch manifold (heddars)  and large ones for the heavy cast manifolds.