[T3] Cooling...etc.

[Frank Meek]

Hi there
I will start this by  saying that I have been around T-3's since my dad and
I picked up a '69 at the factory.  He drove the Squareback and I drove his
Mercedes back to our home in Paris, (at the time).  He was very proud of his
decision to purchase a well thought-out vehicle.  And, while there a many
reasons to be proud of these little cars and their production "firsts,"
(and, there are more than a couple...another thread), it is nonetheless true
that the early FI systems and the transitional nature of the T-3 cooling,
(in preparation for the T-4's), were not the best designs.  My brother, who
inherited this car, (and is currently a professor of bio-medical engineering
at a major university), spent countless hours bemoaning these two
frailties.  He charged, (at the time he was preparing for his doctoral
defense), that the main problems were the control systems, (precisely the
kind of systems he was studying for human prosthetic use), the several
sensors, relays and switches which, he contended, were designed for use in
what he termed a "fixed and limited" environment.  By this he meant that the
latitude and longitude for best performance was that of West Germany at the
time of the production.
However, these parameters were easily exceeded in the Western and
Southwestern US where the temperatures were substantially outside these
designs.  He attempted to correct this with suitably unique and adjustable
sensors.  I cannot describe this procedure in detail, but suffice it to say
that while he, (and several of his colleagues), had had some successes, they
felt enough defeated to give up.  Incidentally, his prosthetic control
systems are used throughout the world...they do work.
I will not say that the subsequent FI systems were quite as limited.
Apparently, from this discussion, they were not.  But, my brother ultimately
converted to Webers at my suggestion.  They ran well and much cooler...even
for towing his sailboat in one-hundred plus temperatures.  And, he did so
when he boosted his displacement to 1776cc.  I still have the case, the
carbs and several important body pieces from this car.
One of the things he did at this time, to gain better cooling, was to
analyze the cooling air intake system.  One of the glaring problems on the
T-3's is the "drip" tubes and flaps at the bottom of the louvers, next to
the valve covers.  These are a primary area of pressure loss in the system.
He put a spring "catch" on these flaps to keep the pressurized air "in the
system."  Periodically, he opened them up and cleaned the interior of the
flotsam. This, in effect, created a better "pressurized" cooling effect.  I
use this as well with my '69 2110cc SB, along with the fiberglass scoops
from my brother's car. I have some custom steel scoops should I ever decide
to "restore" the car.  But, in any case, this trick really works.
I won't enter the carb/FI showdown, but I'll say that I like Webers for many
reasons, including good mileage.
Hope this helps,
Best regards,
FE Meek
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