Opinions on the issue holding my build?

[chevy72blu]

Ok, my truck is in my parents garage 300 miles away from me while I am going to school. I only get a few weekends here or there back home and I rarely get an oportunity to work on my 72. Summer classes start the second of June and I plan on spending about 2 weeks back home with as much time as I can with my truck.

72 SWB, 496 BBC hot street/strip, TH350.

Electric fan fitment. I modified a pair of 73-87 frame towers for my BBC and installed the motor between the 2 sets of holes for a little more weight transfer, and moved the trans X member back that much to accommodate. It has a single piece drive shaft that I had made for it several years ago, and the slip shaft is pretty much at its limit as far as how much further I can push the motor back. The donor block I bought came with all long water pump accessories (Alt, crank pulley) and I had to buy a LWP BBC PS bracket on ebay for 60 bucks. I am using a Griffin aluminum 2 core with Flexalite 4.5" thick 4600 cfm dual electric fan. Its been a while since I looked at it, but it seems that I am about a 1/2" off from sliding the fans in. Here are my options, what do you think I should go with?
a) Sell my brand new (installed) Edelbrock aluminum victor long water pump, brand new PS pump bracket, alt bracket, and crank pulley(they are different between long and short WP's, right), and exchange it all for short stuff (it wasnt easy to find that long bracket, are the shorts easier?).
b) I have since bought the correct 72 frame towers from a board member and im going to install them in a few days. Because the 73-87 towers made the motor sit so high and at an angle, I think the correct ones will take the edge of the situation. Move the motor as far back as possible (it seems like I have at least another 1/2", the X member back to accommodate, and shorten my drive shaft.
c) the most extreme, but cheapest; cut out quite a bit of the radiator support, bend a tube for the upper part of it and move the radiator as much as I need further towards the grill
d) Sell my brand new fans and buy a thinner setup. I can post the motor specs if you like (or check my build thread), but I have been told that I need at least 4500 cfm to cool it appropriately in the Vegas heat. I cant find many fans that pull that much air especially thin ones. I really want to stick with the electric setup if at all possible.

Thanks guys! Im really looking forward to getting home and working on it (and possibly meeting a board member)

[BACKYARD88]

Would it be possible to use thin pullers and pushers witht hem to achieve the 4500CFM?

[chevy72blu]

Originally Posted by BACKYARD88

Would it be possible to use thin pullers and pushers witht hem to achieve the 4500CFM?

I thought so also, but many on the board have told me that pusher fans impede air flow at cruising speed and do more hard than good

[BACKYARD88]

OIC. I thought maybe if they were off at highway speed they would be OK but I don't have the experience with them like some of the others do. I'm sure you can figure something out without having to change everything over.

[chevy72blu]

ttt - I am heading back in the morning and getting to work, whatever I choose to do

[chevy72blu]

I suppose I will just go down the list starting with the easiest. Ill pull the driveshaft, unbolt the trans x member, and slide it back as far as possible - hopefully that will be enough and I'll only be out 30-50 bucks to have it re-balanced.

Ill let ya'll know how it works out, unless anyone else wants to chime in

[BACKYARD88]

I'd like to hear how it goes

[FormerMember]

I have a dual set of Spal fans on my Jeep that hit 4800CFM, puller.

However, I would wait until you had the correct motor mounts installed. Considering that you purchased them already.

[chevy72blu]

Originally Posted by grendel

I have a dual set of Spal fans on my Jeep that hit 4800CFM, puller.

However, I would wait until you had the correct motor mounts installed. Considering that you purchased them already.

I am going to do that before I make my decision. I couldnt find any dual spal setups that pulled more than 3100 cfm. They seem much thinner than flexalite, though. Part #?

[FormerMember]

Originally Posted by chevy72blu

I am going to do that before I make my decision. I couldnt find any dual spal setups that pulled more than 3100 cfm. They seem much thinner than flexalite, though. Part #?

I have a call into Ron Davis Radiators to ask. They made my radiator to handle the BBC in my Jeep.

[berencam]

Originally Posted by chevy72blu

Ok, my truck is in my parents garage 300 miles away from me while I am going to school. I only get a few weekends here or there back home and I rarely get an oportunity to work on my 72. Summer classes start the second of June and I plan on spending about 2 weeks back home with as much time as I can with my truck.

not sure how limited your funds are, but have you considered moving the truck down to where you live and put it in a storage unit and work on it in the storage unit? Considering the price of gas, if your making 20 miles on the gallon your looking at over 100 bucks just on a round trip, so you could easily pay for a storage unit. Just something to think about.

[chevy72blu]

Originally Posted by berencam

not sure how limited your funds are, but have you considered moving the truck down to where you live and put it in a storage unit and work on it in the storage unit? Considering the price of gas, if your making 20 miles on the gallon your looking at over 100 bucks just on a round trip, so you could easily pay for a storage unit. Just something to think about.

I cant afford to "specifically" come home to work on the truck (financially or family-criticism wise). I am home to visit anyway as it is my few weeks of summer. I would like to do that anyway though- my truck haunts me in my sleep =P


I just went outside and looked at it; There is easilly a half inch that it can be moved back, if not more. I cant get a great look at it with the wrong mounts, but Ill find out tomorrow.

As for the SPAL fans, were they a custom rigged unit themselves, or 2 seperate fans installed in a custom shroud?

Thanks guys!

[FormerMember]

Originally Posted by chevy72blu

I cant afford to "specifically" come home to work on the truck (financially or family-criticism wise). I am home to visit anyway as it is my few weeks of summer. I would like to do that anyway though- my truck haunts me in my sleep =P


I just went outside and looked at it; There is easilly a half inch that it can be moved back, if not more. I cant get a great look at it with the wrong mounts, but Ill find out tomorrow.

As for the SPAL fans, were they a custom rigged unit themselves, or 2 seperate fans installed in a custom shroud?

Thanks guys!

2 Separate fans in a shroud. The whole radiator is custom. It's for a 496BBC in a Jeep YJ



and it's in this:

[chevy72blu]

I would really like to see a few more pics of your YJ. A buddy of mine and I recently put a 350 in his 97 TJ, and the rad fitment was a PITA.

Im going to rent an engine hoist tomorrow and get the new mounts in, then I'll see where im at. I'll take a few pics along the way. Also, my fan's shroud is pretty thick, and I think I could get another 1/4-3/8" out of it with a jig saw.

Thanks for your help guys

Edit: worse comes to worst, I will sell my fan setup, buy 2 2500cfm SPAL's and make my own shroud out of sheetmetal.

[FormerMember]

Originally Posted by chevy72blu

I would really like to see a few more pics of your YJ. A buddy of mine and I recently put a 350 in his 97 TJ, and the rad fitment was a PITA.

Im going to rent an engine hoist tomorrow and get the new mounts in, then I'll see where im at. I'll take a few pics along the way. Also, my fan's shroud is pretty thick, and I think I could get another 1/4-3/8" out of it with a jig saw.

Thanks for your help guys

Edit: worse comes to worst, I will sell my fan setup, buy 2 2500cfm SPAL's and make my own shroud out of sheetmetal.

You asked:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=489888

There's really not much YJ left