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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Vertical to Crossflow radiator

Having spent a few hours getting the fan belt back from around the back of the crank pulley, and having the scars on my arms from the vertical radiator fan shroud, changing the radiator has once again come the front of my mind - helped by the fact I can see Revotec offer a nice fan kit with laser cut brackets over the plastic pull throughs for the vertical radiator.

Has anyone converted their car from Vertical to crossflow and have a list of the parts I need ?

thanks

Mal
Malc Gilliver

Fitting a fanbelt should not be a problem. Many moons ago I modified the adjusting brace so that they swivel on the engine and the adjusting slot is topside adjusted at/with the dynamo bolt (now a Dynamator).

Alan Anstead

Why the double jubilee clips, Alan?
GuyW

Parts needed are:-

Radiator & shroud

Expansion tank and bracket

3 x rad hoses

Thermostat housing

Cross pipe

For the benefit of anyone else contemplating this:-

If you weren't using an electric fan, you would also need a plastic fan and spacer.

I think that's about all...unless anyone can think of anything I've missed.
Dave O'Neill 2

But why change? The change to the cross-flow radiator reduced cooling capacity. My car has a vertical flow radiator with a fan on the front and the rear shroud removed. No cooling or belt fitting problems. The parts list given above is large compared to cutting through three weak welds and fitting the electric fan
Karl Thompson

Alan,

Fitting the belt is a bit tight, but the issue was more I had taken the dynamo off to to sort an oil weep on the filter housing and when refitting it I had knocked the fan belt such that it got between the crank pulley and timing cover and getting it out must have taken an hour + scratched forearms.

From your photo = do you have the temp sender in the radiator - as I can see the head take off is blocked ?

Dave,

Thanks - I see Daniel has suggested that it might be possible to change the direction of flow and delete the cross pipe.

Karl,

Daniel Stapleton's book make the point that the vertical has greater capacity, but not greater flow, and the reason for me is the *** shroud.

As I understand it, a puller fan is better than a pusher for cooling the engine. I hadn't considered cutting the shroud off though !!! That is very much worth looking into in the next few months ( car as a list of stuff for winter )
Malc Gilliver

The crossflow cowl has a nice panel below the radiator which is a good place to fit an oil cooler if you need one.
David Billington

Guy
I am using a 948 thermostat housing on a 1275 head. The silicone hose comes up short so there is a short extension.

Malc
The remperature sender is in the radiator. My Sebring has a 1275 engine with 948 radiator.

Alan Anstead

Alan,

Thanks, been through a load of photos of other Spridgets and it looks like I should have the temp sensor in the radiator, but the car came with it in the engine !

Mal
Malc Gilliver

"it looks like I should have the temp sensor in the radiator"

It depends how original you want it to be.

The original Mk1 Sprite cylinder head had no provision for a temperature sender, so it went in the radiator. There it stayed, even when later engines did have the hole in the cylinder head, which was plugged.

The cross flow radiator didn't have any provision for a sender, so it went in the head.
Dave O'Neill 2

Malc,

If you want to convert, see --

"Thread: Radiator cowl. 1500vs1275. What's the difference? "

2023 technical archive. Last post posted 10 June 2023 at 08:41:

And to add to Dave's list --, a 1500 cowl is cheaper on ebay than a 1275 one, and works fine.

Actually, might as well revive it.




anamnesis

This thread was discussed on 01/09/2026

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