Ruby-Opal-Pearl radiator deflector

[GK5268]

Have side deflectors - unfitted - but bottom deflector?  Not seen this?

Colin

Here is mine, nothing special, but it does help to locate the bottom of the radiator grille - this bolts into the deflector - not the best user-friendly designed bit of bodywork!

   

[Colin Morgan]

Thanks - I have not seen anything other than side deflectors before - always learning. (A friend said that a four blade fan dropped the running temperature of his special by 10 degrees C. If anyone has assessed the performance of radiator deflector plates - side and/or bottom - it would be interesting to compare? The bottom one does look as if it will deflect the air coming in the front towards the radiator. The side ones, without the bottom one in place, look as if they might help when there isn't another easier path for the air to take. The bottom panel might, therefore, make the side pair more effective?)

Colin

[Parazine]

I remember, in the days when I ran late Ruby type cars, someone told me that these lower deflector plates were only fitted to early (ARQ) type bodies and possibly only the first of those (1934-5). The factory deleted them on the later ARQ and ARR bodies.

Don't know whether that is a true fact or an old wives tale but it stopped me worrying that the plate wasn't fitted to my 1939 car!

[Hugh Barnes]

The deflectors (of any variety, side or bottom) are not shown in the 'Body Panel' booklet (Pbn. 1521, April 1937) for the 'New Ruby Type RR'

[Nick Lettington]

I had a 34 Ruby, the rad filler cap was on the nearside, but no such wonderful baffle was present.

[John Cornforth]

On page 76 of the "Companion" (reproduced from the Austin Service Journal, January 1935) there is a drawing covering removal of the front fairing and radiator.  Only mention of the two side "Fly Plates", no bottom deflector.

Just a thought, was this deflector perhaps only fitted to export models, along with the 4 blade fan and air filter ?

[Colin Morgan]

Perhaps another possibility is that Austin were worried about the effect on cooling of fitting a cowl in front of the radiator - the Seven was the first model to have this - and so they added the bottom deflector to help with cooling, only to find it was not really necessary? (Except on export models?)

One of the radiator support brackets on my Feb 37 Ruby has a suitable hole for the fitting a bottom deflector, as shown above, and one does not - but either or both may have been substituted over the years.

Colin

[Derek Sheldon]

Interesting that it may not have been fitted on my 1938 Opal (ok APE tourer) in that I missed out on some silver ware at Beaulieu a few years ago because I didn’t have one fitted.

[Mick Hanna]

I have fitted a lower radiator panel to my 1936 ARR Ruby. It was made by Keith Marriner of Metalwork Developments, along with the side panels, back in 2010. He has since retired and I believe the tooling, patterns and drawings were adopted by Oxfordshire Sevens. If you have a copy of Goodwin's Book of the Austin Seven there is a drawing of the arrangement (Figure 53). I will try to post it here along with some photos.

           

[Colin Morgan]

Today I put a thermocouple in the top of my Ruby radiator. This currently has no side or bottom deflectors in place. The peak water temperature measured on a run of a few miles was 94 C. On my return I fitted a cardboard facsimile of the bottom deflector, sealing it with duct tape. On my next outing, the peak water temperature still reached 94 C. So this bottom deflector on its own (without side panels) did not appear to help with cooling. I have some side panels, perhaps it would worth fitting them as well just to see if there is a drop in measured water temperature?

Colin