Spal Fans

[DCRANER]

I asked some questions a while ago about the Spal fans and was thinking of also doing a BECOOL setup. As it turns out, and this may be old information, but the fans that come with the BECOOL are SPAL fans. So, no need to get the Spals seperately.

I say this also because, I have probably lost my mind, but I am ordering from Summit the complete BECOOL system, polished radiator, etc. That kit comes with twin 13" Spal curved blade fans.

Probably overkill but it will look good. Also ordered the Stewart stage 2 water pump with a 180 degree Robert Shaw thermostat from Stewart, as suggested by swervin.

Oh well, life is short & the GM Mastercard was burning a hole in my wallet anyway.

Doug

[78SilveradoSWB]

You done good... May have burn a hole in your wallet, but you will be so satisifed in the end!

[swervin ervin]

Doug,

I was waiting for you to come in here and tell us you got the Becool. I could tell you had your mind made up before. For sure it will be purdy, and one hell of a cooling system. Glad to see you took my advice about the Stewart water pump. You won't be dissatisfied. Did you go for the polished version?

I want to see some pics of the radiator/fan installation when you get it in. I know everyone will.

Mike

[DCRANER]

Originally posted by swervin ervin
Doug,

I was waiting for you to come in here and tell us you got the Becool. I could tell you had your mind made up before. For sure it will be purdy, and one hell of a cooling system. Glad to see you took my advice about the Stewart water pump. You won't be dissatisfied. Did you go for the polished version?

I want to see some pics of the radiator/fan installation when you get it in. I know everyone will.

Mike

Yes,it is the polished version. And it comes with a polished recovery tank, which does function as correctly as the factory plastic bottle. The Stewart pump is the raw aluminum to match the look of the heads / intake.

I hope to get the truck back in about a week from the paint shop after fixing the hood color, plus I used their lift & help installing the B&M Mega Truck shifter, TransGo shift kit, and driveshaft loop.

When back I will tear down the engine compartment and repaint the wheelwells, etc., March Serpentine Ultra Kit, March polished Alternator & Power Steering pump, then the BECOOL complete cooling kit, and finally the MSD 6AL with their distributor, coil and wires.

So, I have some good work to do and hope it comes out as well as I am hoping for. As asked for before I will take some good pics of my truck outdoors before all of this and then shots of the engine compartment work.

Thanks.

Doug

[LOHRTBT]

Sounds awesome Doug!! Damn man send some of the limbs off that money tree over here!! hehe
I would like to upgrade to the same water pump as well. Just dont have the money to do it now.
Make sure to get us pics!

[DCRANER]

Originally posted by LOHRTBT
Sounds awesome Doug!! Damn man send some of the limbs off that money tree over here!! hehe
I would like to upgrade to the same water pump as well. Just dont have the money to do it now.
Make sure to get us pics!

Hey thanks man.

Truth is, I am 54 years old, two kids college paid for, mortgage paid, etc., so I now have Summit / Jegs on speed dial.

My moto is, when you die, if you have saved $1 or $1,000,000, somebody is going to spend it. So get your monies worth now (within reason of course).

Doug

[LOHRTBT]

Damn straight!!

[swervin ervin]

Doug,

I like your style. Sounds a lot like me.

Excellent choice of parts. Will really make a great addition to the truck.

[DCRANER]

Originally posted by swervin ervin
Doug,

I like your style. Sounds a lot like me.

Excellent choice of parts. Will really make a great addition to the truck.

Thanks, I am really looking forward to putting this all together. I have seen some photos of your truck, very impressive, you and some others on this site have set a pretty high standard.

I have so many plans for my truck. I just cannot leave things alone. I would like to do a nice gauge setup, and have plans for 4-wheel discs. Oh well, can't get too far ahead of myself.

I will take pics as I go along with the engine compartment as many here like to see how these jobs progress.

Thanks again.

Doug

[SCOTI]

I liked the 'BeCool' systems but feel the aluminum (cost, upkeep) is too much for anything I drive daily.

Swervin's set-up sounds like what I need. I would just rather use my old stuff if possible but what would be needed for the fan (s?) upgrade? Can I get a kit somewhere.... ok, can I get an affordable kit somewhere (affordable being subjective..... but I am doing 2 different swaps on 2 of my trucks @ this time). What about the P/N's for the water pump mentioned? Is that waterpump available for serp set-ups? Anything else you'd care to teach?

[swervin ervin]

Scoti,

I know you pretty good from this board, I think.

You ain't going to like what I'm about to tell you. My Spal fan setup ain't cheap. The complete deal cost me $468.00 by the time it was in my hands. A ton of money I know, but I would do it again in a minute. I guess it's all in what you are after. I know there are other ways to go, and cheaper. I done a lot of research on electric cooling fans before I took the leap. Howard Stewart, the cooling guru of Stewart Components recommended the Spals to me. I figured if it was good enough for him, who was I to doubt it. I'm well satisfied with them. Yes, you can get a kit, the one I bought. I got it from a place in California called Scott's Manufacturing. Their number is 1-800-272-3267

Check out Stewart Components site. They also have a message board and actually answer your questions about cooling. You can take to the bank anything they tell you.

http://www.stewartcomponents.com/

Mike

[SCOTI]

Cheap is purely subjective as well.....

$468 for 2-fans & shroud/hardware isn't out of the park IMO, but if something say used worked as well.... it's worth investigating. I'll spend money, I'll just try & spend wisely.

I'll check out the links for the w.pumps. Does 'Scotts Manufacturing' have a website?

Oh yeah, what exactly did you get for your $$? (parts etc.)?

[swervin ervin]

I don't think they do. I've searched for one and never could find one. Call them up and talk with them. They are more than happy to answer all your questions. A nice bunch of folks to deal with. They will know exactly what you need. Everything works and fits.

But, it don't come with a shroud. You've seen my fans, right? If not here they are again.

[SCOTI]

Yes, I'd seen them but I've consumed 1 beer since then . Don't the 'BeCool' kits have a dual fan & shroud combo? Seems like I remember reading they did. Anyhow, I guess your set-up works as well/better since it's actually proven.

I used the 'flow-cooler' w.pumps before (SBC) but just because I didn't want to spend the $$ for the Stewart piece.

[swervin ervin]

I'm sure the Becool kits probably have a shroud. But, my way of thinking, the shroud is for looks and not cooling. Think about driving down the road, and btw, the fans are never on while driving, even in the hottest weather. Anyway, a shroud would impede air flow it looks to me like. We all know that the air moving through the radiator fins is what keeps the coolant cool. I believe, and I may be wrong, but would it not slow down the air flow?

Now, I know that when the fans are running, it will pull air through the entire radiator surface. But believe me, you would be amazed at how much we actually don't need a cooling fan. If you get a good (read: Stewart) water pump and a decent radiator, cooling is not a problem, especially on a small block.

Some folks, not knowing any better, will wire the fans to where they run all the time. This defeats the whole purpose of electric fans IMO. The Spal kit I got came with all the wiring, relays, manual switch (if ever needed) and a thermostat. Pretty much fool proof. Spal is the leader in electric cooling fans. Another good one is Derale (sp?).

Like I said, there are a lot of fans you can get and much cheaper. Before you consider any of them, look at the amps compared to cfm rating. From everything I've read about them, they should pull 1 amp for every 100 cfm, or there abouts. Some of the cheaper fans overrate the cfm. If you see it stated they are 1900 cfm and only pull 12 amps, beware. They are probably 1200-1300 cfm fans. It just won't compute any other way.

Mike

[SCOTI]

Originally posted by swervin ervin
Before you consider any of them, look at the amps compared to cfm rating. From everything I've read about them, they should pull 1 amp for every 100 cfm, or there abouts. Some of the cheaper fans overrate the cfm. If you see it stated they are 1900 cfm and only pull 12 amps, beware. They are probably 1200-1300 cfm fans. It just won't compute any other way.

Mike

Good to know info. I think I'll go w/the Stewart w.pump for sure & get some decent guages to monitor whether or not the dual fans are warranted.

[swervin ervin]

The thing about dual fans, is when they do come on, it will cool down quicker, more than twice as quick. The only time mine come on is in the summer, when sitting in a line of traffic or maybe at a drivethru window, etc. I can get in my truck, in the hottest weather and unless I get caught at a light or something for 5 minutes or more, they will never come on. I have drove all winter and my fans have yet to come on. It's sort of weird. All these years I thought it was mandatory to have a good clutch fan or similar.

You will not be sorry if you get a Stewart pump. I bet money on it. You know if NASCAR runs Stewart pumps, they have to be good. This is why they are based in Concord. A rock throw from Lowe's Motor Speedway.

[PHOENIX]

Electric fan(s) are a great upgrade for sure.
If you have any cooling problems, this is worth looking into.
My truck used to get hot when sitting at lights or drive-thru's.
Not anymore, and like Mike said they are almost never needed.
I have mine hooked with manual switch only, because that is what I prefer. When I do hit that switch, the temp drops quick.
Its a life saver in hot weather or waiting for a train on grand avenue. I have one big fan with built in shroud and flaps to bypass the shroud when driving. The fan is big and covers the rad from almost top to bottom. The shourd covers around 80% of the rad with little space at each end. I have 4-row rad (another good upgrade for hot weather). Not sure the amps this fan is pulling, buts its a lot ! I need to hook a meter on it and find out.
With my lights, sterio, and fan on it puts a strain on my electrical system. Time to upgrade alternator (I need something that puts out a lot of power at idle - Power master 140amp puts out 80 amps at 800 rpm).

PS:
Dont have costs for my fan setup because I got it for free from my father (works for Dodge dealer). He did say that the fan/shroud run around $500 for the setup from the dealer. Fan is from a 5.9L Jeep (Dodge/Jeep factory fan, same fan as viper, different shroud).