Cooling Fan Options

[bluedog]

I have a 1970 C10 with a 350. It has the original solid fan, spins all the time. I am thinking about going to an electric fan or maybe a clutch fan. But I was wondering what, if any, are the benefits of this conversion and are these benefits worth while?

Scott

[Psycho71]

Like you said, a non-clutched fan will drain HP all the time. A clutched-fan will only do that when it needs to pull more air over the radiator. An electric fan won't tax the motor at all, of course. But they can be hard on a charging system. My stock alt. won't keep up w/my 16" fan. I have to charge the battery every couple of weeks, and I really worry when I drive it at night, and usually pull a battery out of the boat and take it along for safety. The 100amp alt. upgrade is next on my mechanical list.

If you have a heavy foot, you'll notice a difference in just going to a clutch fan. I definately noticed the difference when I did the same thing to an old Burb I had years ago. That's why I went electric on my '71.

[shifty]

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=216128

Psycho already nailed the benefits.

[piecesparts]

I realize that you may not like the thought of buying a new alternator, BUT look at Tuff Stuff Performance. http://www.tuffstuffperformance.com/ These guys sell alternators that will carry 80 amps at idle on your engine. Most alternators carry only 35 amps. I have a couple of their alternators and I do not have to worry about enough volts or amperage. I am running dual 11" fans on two of my trucks and have no problems.

[see ten]

Both my trucks and my Jeep run electric fans.

[bluedog]

Thanks for the info. I've seen a lot of electric fans on ebay that would work, but where do I get the thermostat kit to control the fans?

[8696steve]

Summit sells one, for 59.95.
I just bought it But I wont know how it works for a month or two.
The part number is PRF-30103

[piecesparts]

It depends on how intricate of a controller you want. Summit racing sells a couple of different ones, BE-COOL has different setups, Jegs, SPAL-USA sells a very good one (expensive), and there are others almost at every website. Look at this website http://www.centechwire.com/. They have some good set ups and are not too expensive.

[ghackett1]

I'm reading this thread and have a question. I have a 71 402 how many cfm's should I be looking for the electric puller fans to be moving? Everytime I look into these fans there is a CFM rating but I need to know what Is required. By the way the engine is stock. Thanks.

[piecesparts]

The cfms can be related to general Horsepower. Flex-a-lite sells their fans with what type of horsepower that you are expecting to run. As I stated above, I choose to run the dual 11" fans that SPAL fans sells. (this set up is sold through Summit Raacing, also) It is a kit that has the fans and the shrouds all in one kit. I have that kit on my 383 stroker motor in my 84 GMC and also on my 91 Silverado 5.7 daily driver. There are days that I have both fans running (hot summer time, with A/C on, and then there are days that they are not needed at all. The 11" fans are rated at 2850 CFM each and are truly healthy in their performance. however, they are priced right for what you get.
I suggest talking to the people that make the fans so that you get an idea of what you may want. I did and that is how I made my decision.
My intention is that I never sit on the side of the road without cooling, so some overkill is OK with me. I have seen some of the best streetrods flounder, because they undersized on their cooling systems. Really stupid to build so big and then go small.

[brak]

Originally Posted by 8696steve

Summit sells one, for 59.95.
I just bought it But I wont know how it works for a month or two.
The part number is PRF-30103

I'm running a unit made by "derale" in my Rx7.

It cost $35, it's adjustable, designed for dual fans and A/C.
Plus it looks really clean when installed.

[cstm68]

Originally Posted by bluedog

Thanks for the info. I've seen a lot of electric fans on ebay that would work, but where do I get the thermostat kit to control the fans?

summit racing sells a painless one that runs about $50-$60

they come with a relay and a temp sending unit that turns the fan on at 200 degrees and off when the engine cools to 185 degrees. you can get them in different temp settings also?


http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by cstm68

summit racing sells a painless one that runs about $50-$60

they come with a relay and a temp sending unit that turns the fan on at 200 degrees and off when the engine cools to 185 degrees. you can get them in different temp settings also?


http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Yes, you can get the Painless setup with a 185on/170 off switch also. I 2 -14" flex a lites (rated 1350 cfm ea) on my longhorn, with the Painless harness. this setupworks very nice L

[Rokcrln]

I have a fan set up off a 90's camero that is a duel elect. set up in its own shroud. I will be running this in my 71 LT1 powered truck with one fan controled buy the computer (190* or so) and the second with a painless kit to turn it on at 210* and when the a/c comes on. That way it is their when needed but not always running when not needed.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[bluedog]

I've seen some of these fans just zip-tied to the back side of the radiator, no shroud. Is that OK or is a shroud required?

[piecesparts]

The "Pick-a-Part" yards are full of fan sets, and so is E-Bay. Those fans have a flow rating that you will never know what it is until you are either overheating or NOT. Most fans out a car is made for a smaller radiator design or an aluminum radiator, that has a higher heat transfer coefficient. This means that you may have to experiment with them until you get what you want for cooling. I know a guy that is on fan number four, still working to get his DD down to what he wants. As for running a zip-tie to the radiator, that is a choice that is out there. Many people have done something like this. A thought that I used, was "Do I want something rubbing on my radiator tubes and fins as I drive daily?" The answer was NO in my book, so I built a frame out of the "Milled" stock aluminum bars and strapping that you can purchase at any hardware store or farm store chain. I made straps to go across the radiator to mount the fans to and then ran a strap from the top of the radiator to the bottom to actually mount the fans to the truck. It is designed where I can take off four nuts and the assembley will come out of the truck.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by bluedog

I've seen some of these fans just zip-tied to the back side of the radiator, no shroud. Is that OK or is a shroud required?

This is a terrible, terrible way to set things up. Hit a few nasty bumps and ... damn .... There goes the ties pulling through your radiator fins. There are usually washer-like attachments to put on the zip ties to prevent this, but rad fins can only take so much torture.

Around here I could never get away with it. Roads suck.