Radiator Blind for 250GTE

The outside plug 250's all share the same radiator (to the best of my knowledge). The outside plug 250 ranges from the 1960 PF coupe to the 1963 Lusso. Thus, these cars should take the same blind.

john

 

Is it used or NOS, please PM me pictures .

Thanks,
Tony

 

Hi

How was this controlled?

Best

 

I'm interested - more info please.

 

Kafugelum308 - I would be interested in it as well. What other "extras" do you have?

Napolis: It was a black canvas and vinyl blind, wrapped around a revolving cylinder, similar to the spring loaded window blinds you get at the hardware store (though I do not think they were spring loaded). It was raised and lowered via a knob under the steering wheel (photo). As you twisted it, the cable was reeled in or out, thus raising or lowering the blind.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Very Intersting. It was used as a manual thermostat?

Thanks

 

Yeah, I think it was used for warming up cars in cold weather. Wasn't too useful here in California, so when they rotted out, most were tossed.

 

Lancia had a fully automatic radiator louver system on their Aurelia, Appia, Flaminia, and Flavia models all through the Fifties and early Sixties. These were operated by a separate thermostat inside the radiator. The metal louvers in front of the radiator were fully closed when the engine was cold, and went to fully open when the engine was warm. It always worked perfectly on my old Lancias. Ferraris system sounds pretty cheap in comparison.

 

My Duesey has a similar system that opens and closes the vertical grill.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

These blinds are pretty hard to find. Especially the inside the car crank handle. I would be embarassed to say what I paid for the handle and the wire cord for my car.
What are the differences between this blind and the earlier inside plug cars?

 

The Lancia system works great. The only downside is that it is part of the radiator, and really isn't easily removable for fair weather climates. I wonder if it was an option, or they all came that way. . .

 

I took a quick look at the parts book for the Flaminia and the Appia, and there is no listing for a radiator that does NOT have the louver system - it's standard. But if you want to bypass the louvers, all you have to do is remove one pin that connects the linkage to the louvers, and you can then manually set the louvers in any position you want, from full open to full closed.

Sorry for the hijack, I know this thread isn't about Lancias.

Didn't SAAB also have a "radiator blind" system at one time, operated by a cord from inside the car? Maybe that was on the two-stroke versions.

 

There is a long wire spring inside. Once it gets wet it rusts solid, then turns into dust. Unfortunately it can't be taken apart easily; constructed by the devil himself.

 

In the 33 years that we have had our PF coupe, I have never had the need to deploy the blind, it has always been in the open position. I tried tentatively years ago to turn the knob to see if it would unfurl, but met with enough resistance to not go any further. The engine runs fine without adjusting it and it looks like it would tear if moved. My two bits worth.

Ed
PF coupe 1747

 

I do not have a blind to check, but now that I think of it, a spring loaded roller would be the logical way to set it up. That may also explain the switch on the crank (with the yellowed plastic cover in the photo). It may release the wire that has been rolled up inside, so the spring can pull it back down. Does that sound right?

 

I am thinking that as you twist the knob, it will wind up the cable inside the box, pulling the blind up in front of the radiator. Then, when you move the switch, it releases a ratchet in the box, the cable is released and the spring pulls the blind down. I will have to take mine apart to see if that is what happens.

 

That is how it works... as long as it works.

 

Must not always work because it's the only part missing on my GTE. But the control knob is still there.

 

I think when these things failed due to rust or being tweaked when the car was pulled too far into the garage, they were just thrown away, as they did not really work to well.