> Hi people,
>
> We have just been discussing skirted vs. non-skirted thermostats. I hear
> that orignial
> style skirted ones are no longer available. So, it is possible to create a
> skirted
> one from a functioning non-skirted one?
No, not practical. Okay, so I suppose if one REALLY wanted to do it, one could
- but it would have to be a labor of love!
>
> What exactly does the skirt do? Does it move to occlude the bypass
> outflow, or is it
> in a fixed position?
Occludes (blocks) the bypass when the engine is warm.
>
> I'd be interested in fabricating new skirted thermostats. Maybe I can make
> a buck doing it too? I have an old head and thermostat housing lying
> around here.
> I pulled out the thermostat, and voila, a non-skirted replacement type.
>
> Does anybody have a defunct skirted thermostat that they would mail me?
> I'll see what it takes to make new ones. Best of all, does anybody have
> any engineering drawings of the skirted types? My factory service manual
> only has one poor picture of one. Can't tell anything about it from there.
>
> -Tony
> ARhodes@compuserve.com
>
Tony, non-skirted thermostats will work just fine if the flow around the bypass
is reduced. Best thing I've seen is a rubber plug with a 1/4" hole to stick in
the hose. This allows minimal circulation when cold, but insures most fluid
goes through the radiator when hot. One could also modify the thermostat and
water pump housings to use a small diameter hose such as John Ewell (Triumphus
Mutatus Allottus) has done to his TR3B.
Although skirted thermostats are rare here, they seem to be common in the UK.
I was picking them up several years ago at the Beaulieu Autojumble for 1.5
Pounds each (sorry, they're all gone). Might you have contacts in the UK that
could look for you?
|