Is there a way to get a good look at the fan without dropping the engine? I'm having some overheating issues and need to take a look. Are the fins inside the housing and can I look at those with the engine in? And where does the temp sender attach for the stock VDO "red zone" gauge?

You should be able to get a look at the impellar (fan) using a small mirror from the top side of the engine. A small, telescoping one works best and you should be able to get one at your local parts store. Or if one isn't available, using a make up compact mirror works also. Just be careful- the woman you borrow it from will have a shit fit if it comes back smeared in crud and grease. Make sure to use a work light with this.

Or you can remove the front two pieces of sheet metal from the bottom side of the engine and get a little better look from underneath.

Just remember that to get a good accurate look, dropping the engine is almost a necessity as your view will be limited from the top and bottom.

The temp sender is mounted on the bottom left side of the engine in the crankcase housing. There's a cover plate to remove, then a mounting plate its threaded into. But one thing I suggest here if you want to actually remove it is drain the oil first, otherwise it's just going to dump out of the hole in the mounting plate anyway.

And by the way...

for overheating issues not related to timing and mixture (check the easy things first), you might suspect debris like leaves, dirt and grime and mouse nests on the cylinders under the engine sheet metal. easiest to clean after dropping engine. make sure you have all the factory cooling tin in place.