Road Test

[Englishman]

Gentlemen,
   We very nearly had one Frua less in the register !!!
   I took CF 64 on its maiden voyage but when smoke was seen coming from under the bonnet I quickly pulled over on the freeway shut the engine down and exited very quickly. Did not open the bonnet until I got it home a couple of hours later.
   It appears the wiring to the fan mounted on the back of the radiator had shorted out burning out the fan motor and a healthy part of the loom.
   Car now being completely rewired towit I need a set of Clear Hooter Switches any help greatly appreciated.
   We are mounting two 9 inch fans in front of the radiator and I am louvering the bonnet each side of the engine above the exhaust system, also reviewing some exhuast fans to pull heat out through the side vents.
   Despite the Dynamat inside and sandwiched externally in the firewall and footwells the car was very hot.
   I still need a Nose Badge Andy !!
   The upside was that prior to my mishap the car performed magnificently and the power from the Cobra Jet is amazing, stopping the car is another story - not sure if the brake boosters are working.Ground clearance is another issue especially where the headers and extractors enter the collector. Australia loves speed humps which are usually 3 to 4 inches high and my ground clearance is a bout 2and a 1/2 inches.
   A bit of trial and error and I think we will have the car set up for Aussie conditions.
   Cheers
   Englishman

[Emmanueld]

Peter Hi,
   
   I am sorry about what happened. The main battery wire and the main Alternator wire should be replaced no matter what. The main battery wire is thick and long, it goes from the solenoid to the battery in the back. If it goes to ground, you can kiss your car goodbye. Mine will be replaced when the car is reassembled. We use a very large gauge welding wire which is much better quality than battery wire. Also modern aircraft wire insulation should be used to protect it, and grommets should be replaced as well. The starter solenoid on my car was attached with sheet metal screws, if it comes loose, Puff. It will be bolted on and rubber boots will be used on the posts. The alternator wire is to be replaced with 8 gauge wire of high quality with also a fuse link added. Fords always used a fuse link. They last forever and are cheap insurance for fire. An 8 gauge wire should be protected by a 12 gauge fuse link. (always 4 gauge higher than the wire it protects. I have bought an early mustang alternator harness which I am modifying to work with the Frua. It has a large plastic bracket to keep all the wires together at the alternator and a large plug to connect to the voltage regulator. It can easily be incorporated in the AC loom and will help secure the cables. It also looks right with the Ford engine! Also, I am planning to install a relay for the the engine fan. the original wires are too small to handle the large fan I added. Painless sell a fan wiring kit with a relay that can use the original wires as a trigger. The 50 Amp fuse can then be replaced by a 15 Amp. I forgot, my brakes are very good, no problem there, just have yours checked for vacuum leaks, If the brakes and servos are in working order, your car should stop quite well. No problem there. Good luck
   
   Emmanuel

[cliffordl]

Brian Eacott is your man for the Clear Hooters switches. 02083978472 (no email as far as I am aware). He has all as new old stock available but for the wiper switch. They do come up on ebay (often triumph related on canadian ebay) from time to time but do check the exact size as the majority are smaller than those that AC used.
   
   Cliff.