What the hell!!!

[litew8]

- Note to self, purchase electric fan.

[stovboltguy]

i have a friend that had an86 sub 6.2l that for some started running away on him, he reached in to pull the fuel filter at the same time the fan let go, one blade caught him in the left arm pit and removed his arm. he lost so much blood he flat lined twice on the way to the hospital. he looks at life different now.

[stealthy '69]

Originally Posted by stovboltguy

i have a friend that had an86 sub 6.2l that for some started running away on him, he reached in to pull the fuel filter at the same time the fan let go, one blade caught him in the left arm pit and removed his arm. he lost so much blood he flat lined twice on the way to the hospital. he looks at life different now.

Jeez, talk about a party pooper. J/k glad he made it out ok though.

[Stocker]

Scary stuff, glad the only damage was to the truck. You hear about flex fans letting go but that's the first time I remember hearing of a clutch fan coming apart.

Hope that's not the start of a new trend!

[stomper]

I lost a fan blade at highway speed on my first car. 65 impala 4 blade stock rigid fan. BAM it went. 16 yr old kid (me) sharted his pants. Pulled over expecting oil and broken parts when I popped the hood. Lukily it hit the inner sheet metal of the hood so no external damage. I reached in and broke off the opposing blade to balance it out and continued home on 2 blades. Dad and his buddy talked me into a green fiberglass flex fan which I never liked.
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[prostreetC-10]

Well first of all I'm glad you are not hurt and someone walking down the sidewalk wasn't. Imagine if this kicked out under the truck and flew into a busy sidewalk??

With that said, I guess the stock ones can blow up too. A few years ago I made a comment about how I only run the flex-A-lite 10,000 fans and have been running them for years. You would have thought I posted that I was beating seals with all the crazy replies I got. Everyone said I was nuts because of how dangerous they were. I guess this goes to show that mechanical failure is mechanical failure.....can happen any where at any time. Although we don't usually think to check out stock fans for stress cracks, I check the rivets on my fans all the time. Glad it's just a little dent!

BTW.....the 'Maro is almost ready to move under its own power!!!!

[noonzor]

holy schnickeys!!! yeah that would get your attention in a right now kind of way. glad no one was hurt and wish you the best for the repairs!

[Vintage Windmills]

replace that rubber fuel line and add a shroud! Glad no one was hurt.

[eagleuh1]

Wow, first time i've heard of fan coming apart like that. Seen some that ate up a radiator first and then blew apart. Glad its just a hole in the hood. Good luck with the repair and replacement. Jim

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by prostreetC-10

A few years ago I made a comment about how I only run the flex-A-lite 10,000 fans and have been running them for years. You would have thought I posted that I was beating seals with all the crazy replies I got.

I'm glad they are working for you..... now stop beating those poor baby seals!!

[QKENUF4U]

oh but wait... i thought these are the "GOOD" fans to have and it was only those EVIL "FLEX" FANS that came apart and tore holes in the hood/your rad/face......

lol others beat me to the punch line....

glad ya made it home.....

[Redleg]

Had that happen on my first 78. Thankfully didnt dent the hood to bad. As for the loud sounds. Was driving home yesterday and just got second gear wound up when i heard a large thump. I thought for certain i had thrown a rod. Nope, just for some reason it threw itself out of gear.....Loudest i have ever heard it do that.....

Hate hearing those sounds....cause after you usually hear the sound of someones cash register opening and dust beginning to collect in the wallet.

[navysnipe]

I've seen a few of those "Flex fans" on the verge of comming appart. They suffer from plastic degredation ... same thing when you bend a coat hangar back and forth it eventually breaks. The one on my 70 was hanging on by a thread and I replace it with the 25 pound original. There is a reason why the originals where built that way. Safety is more important than a few pounds of weight savings.

Navysnipe

[CParnell]

Holy crap man, that would scare the poop out of me.

[prostreetC-10]

Originally Posted by navysnipe

same thing when you bend a coat hangar back and forth it eventually breaks. Navysnipe

Yeah but that's going from 90* to 90*. If you bend a coat hanger back and forth 1" it's going to take a long time to break. I really think it's common sense. My 5,500 rpm BBC isn't going to trash a flex fan if I inspect periodically like you should your parts anyway.

You are saying safety is more important than weight savings but isn't this thread about a "safe" stock fan blowing up??????

Just playful banter! Please don't find me and shoot me from 1,000 yrds!!!

[Frkypunk70]

Thanks to everyone and their great replies. I think I'm going to take a week or two off from going down the garage and dealing with any carnage (even if that means I can't cut the grass ) Wife talked to Hagerty this morning and they will fix any body damage , but with a 500 doller deductable its really not worth it. So I will find a fan, buy a belt, weld my hood, do the bodywork and pray that my engine still has good head gaskets. Whats funny is, I have a factory rad and shroud I was going to install next week. Wish I did'nt procrastonate now. Shroud could have saved the hood. Lesson learned...except about procratonating on fixing it

[webfoot]

Summit sells brand new delrale fans (OEM looking) and they are pretty well priced, and I believe they are also US made. between 20 and 30 bucks IIRC.

[RenoKeene]

Don't forget your water pump...you did run it with an unbalanced fan.

[Frkypunk70]

Originally Posted by RenoKeene

Don't forget your water pump...you did run it with an unbalanced fan.

Yep..first thing I will look at. Not sure it ran very long before it ejected the belt, but better safe than sorry. I did go down the garage and knock the dent out( I know I'm a junkie) and thought let me see if she will start. 3 pumps of the pedal started right up...actually sounded good. That put a smile on my face. Is there a comparable junkyard fan I can run in it..With my soon to be shroud? Just wondering if anyone has put a newer fan on, out of a yard?
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[ARTISTIC]

Theres probably tons of different workable wrecking yard solutions but I have used mid eighties F-body clutch fans with good results.

[prostreetC-10]

Ah just get a flex fan!!!! lol

[Frkypunk70]

Originally Posted by prostreetC-10

Ah just get a flex fan!!!! lol

I'm actually thinking of creating a double flex fan coolant system
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[crazy longhorn]

How many times has any of us stood over a freshly tuned motor & buzzed the throttle(scarey thought right) I love my elct fans crazyL

[treveiger]

Originally Posted by prostreetC-10

Ah just get a flex fan!!!! lol

The higher the rpms the more your fan stretches to help cool the motor.
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[jwgeorge]

Holy Mackarel! I guess it would be good preventive maintenance to replace the original fan and fan clutch with a brand-new fan, sans clutch. I think your unfortunate incident has woken-up quite a few here! I'm awake now!