I am thinking of removing the fan on the water pump from my SPI and just going with the thermo fan under the guard. Has anyone done it and does the car still stay cool? I will be running a 2 core aluminium super cool radiator and planning to mount it on the inner guard closer to the thermo.
I think it will work and create a bit more space between the engine and radiator. Below is a photo of the area with the radiator out.
(http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff234/dutchy1978/9299651274e5e4fef0b6c411e8a4f2dc_zpscdfef69e.jpg)
The factory electric fan was meant as a part-time supplemental fan (for in slow or stop-n-go traffic). As such, it cycles based on the temperature switch in the bottom corner of the radiator.
You would likely have to wire the electric fan to be always running. The sideways radiator needs something pushing/pulling air through it all of the time as there are too many alternate routes for the air entering the grill to go out of the engine bay.
A lot depends on the cfm rating of the electric fan. It has to be able to move enough air through the radiator to transfer out a bit more heat than what is being produced in the engine. Unfortunately, I never was able to find out the cfm of the factory fan when I considered the same thing a number of years ago.
Would a front mount MPI radiator setup work? Direct airflow and uses an electric fan on a switch.
Front mount will also work if it will fit. I think the MPI Minis had the engine tilted back a bit to allow room as well as a relocated oil filter and coil pack ignition without a distributor. (The filter screwed horizontally onto the block about where the distributor is.)
There's a pic of my mpi engine bay in the gallery that may show spacing and loction.
Thanks guys, not looking to do the MPI setup. Just a wanted to make some room by removing than. I think it's best to leave it seeing as they did it for half a century.