Anyone got a favorite electric fan kit for C-body radiators?

Henrius

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The more I think about it, the more I think a conventional engine fan is a power sucker, especially when driving in cold winter months.

I would like to take the clutch engine fan off my 1972 Newport and fit an electric fan rig on the radiator. The car has A/C. Haven't seen any fan conversion kits that fit the radiators of the c-bodies. Anyone have a favorite conversion fan kit they favor?
 
98 Bonneville aux fan, took it out of a parts car I had, minor trimming and wiring and I have a manual electric fans I use secondary to the (gulp) flex fan.
 
If your only going to run the electric you need a good shroud so all the air goes through the core.
 
I can't imagine you will notice any difference in performance with your buttometer.
 
I installed a 15" flex a lite thermostatically controlled electric fan . It comes complete with mounting brackets and the shroud. Hands down was the best move I made for cooling my car . I can be in the middle of the city in August in a traffic jam for an hour and my car will not heat. The thermocouple pushes into the rad fins just below the top hose and I mounted the control dial on the rad support. I have it set to turn on the same time my thermostat opens 185 F . I used a hand held infra red hand held thermometer to set everything so I know exactly where the temp is. The fan doesn't run when I'm driving down the hyway only when I'm cruising around town or at stop lights and such . That being said I do not have air conditioning but I don't think that would be an issue. I removed my 7 blade fan and installed the fan in one Saturday and was cruising around that night. The one big piece of advice I can give is get your self a Infrared thermometer it will be a huge help to you when setting the thermostat fan control. Oh ya and a case of beer !
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This Little tool will tell you exactly what temp your motor , water pump,rad or what cylinder isn't firing properly just by pointing it at the exhaust manifold and pulling the trigger. It has saved me countless hours of work on my motor when troubleshooting heating issues and their cheap to buy .
 
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I forgot to mention that I can feel a small up tick in power ,it definitely helped in the hyway gas mileage!
 
If it works, the hell with what we think! Lol That's good it's running cooler for you. Enjoy the cruising!
 
I just replaced my proform e-fan and put a Spal in. Im controlling the fan with my efi computer but you can use a thermostat kit, they work well. You probably have to make you own shroud, which is possible out of a big alu cookie sheet :)
 
I forgot to mention that I can feel a small up tick in power ,it definitely helped in the hyway gas mileage![/QUOTE}





Interesting that there is a noticeable up tick in power, and I can believe there would be a mpg advantage. Is there any reason to mount it up or down on the radiator other than align it with the water pump?
 
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Dual fan assembly used in new challengers is just great! I have one in my old challenger and it fit there with some trimming on the shroud. I have aftermarket radiator but I made some quick checking and it should be decent install at least into fuselage cbodies too.

Also those fan assemblies are dirt cheap. Only problem is that if you are going to run both fans, I would suggest some charging circuit upgrades
 
The only thing i have noticed going to an electric fan is, that the engine seems to rev quicker. I had to mount my 16" fan offset to the drivers side because the waterpump sticks out too much. That would have interfered.
 
Dual fan assembly used in new challengers is just great! I have one in my old challenger and it fit there with some trimming on the shroud. I have aftermarket radiator but I made some quick checking and it should be decent install at least into fuselage cbodies too.

Also those fan assemblies are dirt cheap. Only problem is that if you are going to run both fans, I would suggest some charging circuit upgrades
Another option is the dual fan setup from a Ford Focus. Dormant makes a replacement that runs around $100. Some simple wiring and you have dial electric fans.
 
Thanks WelderGuy for this great info! I, too, have had overheating problems in stop and go traffic in the summer, whether A/C is on or not!

It is surprising it works well for you since it looks like the shroud only covers about 3/4 of your radiator surface. Your radiator looks like an aluminum aftermarket one. Was it larger than the original?

Was there a reason you put if off to one side of the radiator, rather than in the center? Also, I do not understand why you need the infrared gun, if you set the fan thermostat to the rated temperature of your engine thermostat.
 
Thanks WelderGuy for this great info! I, too, have had overheating problems in stop and go traffic in the summer, whether A/C is on or not!

It is surprising it works well for you since it looks like the shroud only covers about 3/4 of your radiator surface. Your radiator looks like an aluminum aftermarket one. Was it larger than the original?

Was there a reason you put if off to one side of the radiator, rather than in the center? Also, I do not understand why you need the infrared gun, if you set the fan thermostat to the rated temperature of your engine thermostat.
I just mounted it like that only because that’s where it worked out the best for me . For my car it works very well for cooling In stop and go cruising and traffic jams . This particular fan is the high out put, low noise ( curved blades) set up. The fan shuts off when you are Highway cruising and the air flows freely unobstructed through the rad. I found out the hard way after making my own home made shroud , that you can actually hinder the flow of air though the rad and then it will heat while highway driving. I had used a 1/8 sheet of aluminum made to fit the back of my rad with a hole cut to match the size of my fan. What I quickly found out was my aluminum shroud was actually causing an air dam and would not let the air flow through the rad when highway cruising. 10 minutes later I removed the home made shroud and mounted the fan as you see it and it’s worked flawlessly ever since
 
I just mounted it like that only because that’s where it worked out the best for me . For my car it works very well for cooling In stop and go cruising and traffic jams . This particular fan is the high out put, low noise ( curved blades) set up. The fan shuts off when you are Highway cruising and the air flows freely unobstructed through the rad. I found out the hard way after making my own home made shroud , that you can actually hinder the flow of air though the rad and then it will heat while highway driving. I had used a 1/8 sheet of aluminum made to fit the back of my rad with a hole cut to match the size of my fan. What I quickly found out was my aluminum shroud was actually causing an air dam and would not let the air flow through the rad when highway cruising. 10 minutes later I removed the home made shroud and mounted the fan as you see it and it’s worked flawlessly ever since

Your example gives me hope. I've thought of dropping the mechanical fan altogether for my own purposes, since I too drive daily through urban traffic. I use an electric pusher, manually switched at present to supplement the 6 blade 18 inch clutch fan I'm using. Gratified to have avoided shrouding now too, as I too suspected that a shroud can BLOCK air flow as well as direct it.
 
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