GTE Radiator Blind

[T308]

Can any one help with some photos of a GTE radiator blind? I'm interested in brackets and placement.

Thanks!

T308

[kare]

You can probably find the holes below/in front of radiator. The radiator blind axle is just placed into the holes and there is a small holder for the cable in front/top of radiotor that pulls it up. Mine is long gone, but the axle and the cable were still there. I can provide photos later if you still need them.

[zac]

unfortunately I allready delivered the radiator to the shop to have a new core put in so I can't get you a good picture right now. the bracket is a piece of angle steel with a slot from top to bottom for the ends of the blind to run in, there should be either 6mm nuts or studs on the front side of the radiator that the brackets mount too. the blind itself is just a metal rod with a piece of white canvas atached. if you allready have the blind it should be pretty straight forward, I have yet to have one on a car that I don't have to completely rebuild becasue of rust and the blind material getting moldy.

Zac

[kare]

I took a few photos of the remains on my car. The frame is there, everything else is long gone. See:

http://koti.welho.com/kpietil4/osia/curt01.jpg
http://koti.welho.com/kpietil4/osia/curt02.jpg
http://koti.welho.com/kpietil4/osia/curt03.jpg
http://koti.welho.com/kpietil4/osia/curt04.jpg
http://koti.welho.com/kpietil4/osia/curt05.jpg
http://koti.welho.com/kpietil4/osia/curt06.jpg

It was very difficult to take photos, if you need more help or dimensions, just ask!

Best wishes, Kare

[T308]

Best wishes, Kare

thanks bud!

[Tom Wilson]

Does anybody have a photo of an actual or restored blind? I've never seen one. It sounds like a heavy duty version of those spring loaded roller blinds you use at home.

[oldfart3]

I made a new radiator blind for my Lusso. The old one's fabric was rotten, the drum was rusted out, and the spring was moderately rusted and broken; so I pretty much started from scratch.

I was able to salvage the shaft and the spring was broken only a few coils from its end, so I was able to resurrect them with lots of Naval Jelly, steel wool, wire brushing, WD-40, Liquid Wrench, etc.

It turned out that a piece of 3/4" galvanized electrical conduit was essentially the same size as the drum, so I soldered a long V shaped strip of galvanized roof flashing to it and bent it flat to grip the edge of a new piece of black vinyl upholstery fabric for the new blind. I got 3 bronze bushings from the local hardware store that would telescope into each other, sweat soldered them together to make bearings at each end that fit the shaft and conduit perfectly, dremelled a groove for the end of the old spring, and used some bulk brake cable from the local bicycle shop for the control cable.

Unfortunately, the reel that mounts under the steering column is missing on my car, so I'm still scrounging for one of them.

I can send photos if somebody can tell me how to post them via this forum.

John Tarr

[Sleeper]

I made a new radiator blind for my Lusso. The old one's fabric was rotten, the drum was rusted out, and the spring was moderately rusted and broken; so I pretty much started from scratch.

I was able to salvage the shaft and the spring was broken only a few coils from its end, so I was able to resurrect them with lots of Naval Jelly, steel wool, wire brushing, WD-40, Liquid Wrench, etc.

It turned out that a piece of 3/4" galvanized electrical conduit was essentially the same size as the drum, so I soldered a long V shaped strip of galvanized roof flashing to it and bent it flat to grip the edge of a new piece of black vinyl upholstery fabric for the new blind. I got 3 bronze bushings from the local hardware store that would telescope into each other, sweat soldered them together to make bearings at each end that fit the shaft and conduit perfectly, dremelled a groove for the end of the old spring, and used some bulk brake cable from the local bicycle shop for the control cable.

Unfortunately, the reel that mounts under the steering column is missing on my car, so I'm still scrounging for one of them.

I can send photos if somebody can tell me how to post them via this forum.

John Tarr

Rutlands has a couple of the roller knobs for inside the car. At least they did last year. Call Brian Keegan there, he knows were they are.

[330GT]

Here are some pictures of the radiator blind from my PF coupe. I guess from the other comments in this thread, I should be pleasantly surprised on the condition. The spring actually works and the fabric still looks fine. The rivets holding the fabric onto the steel strap look original.

Here you can see the track that the strap runs in:


Here's the blind partially unrolled:


End of the roller:


Mounts to the front of the radiator:

What is not clear to me is if the blind mounts at the bottom of the radiator and gets pulled up or in the middle and gets pulled down.

Fabric is a canvas with black vinyl on one side:


I am also missing the cable. If the cable stranded (like bicycle brake cable) running through a housing or solid (like a choke cable)? Any suggestions on sourcing a replacement? I do have the winder handle that goes under the dash.

Here's a picture of the winding mechanism on another car:

[kare]

What is not clear to me is if the blind mounts at the bottom of the radiator and gets pulled up or in the middle and gets pulled down.
..
I am also missing the cable. If the cable stranded (like bicycle brake cable) running through a housing or solid (like a choke cable)?

On GTE the blind mounts at bottom of the radiator and is pulled up. You will probably find the fixing point of the cable in the top of the raditor, on front side. The cable is stranded.

[Jimmyr]

The cable is just like stranded bicycle cable, as it winds onto the drum. Note, these should be used only as show because this is/was a poor way of controlling the temp or warming up an engine. If you forget to roll it down or the roller does not retract it you could cook the motor! Jim

[330GT]

Radiator blind roller part on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0634364419