I'm thinking of finding something at the junkyard instead of buying a aftermarket electric fan.....

I would like some advice on installing a fan temp sensor....

Where should it be installed on the motor.....Is there an adapter available to install one in the heater hose outlet on the intake...? or do the later year FE's have a opening in the thermostat housing....

Where can I get a sensor.... I'd find one in the junk yard but I'm concerned about being able to find one with the proper thread size....

Thanks

 

I'm running one on the FE446 I'm tuning right now. It's just a motor on a frame, no body, at the moment. I'm running a Flex-A-Lite Black Magic fan. It has it's own temp sensor/controller and appears to be working while I've been making some tuning runs.

I liked this models mounting clamp style vs. the simpler pull thru zip ties many others use.

I really like that an electric fan can spin at max rpm even when the motor is at idle. This is a good thing when stuck on the interstate in 5:00pm traffic on a hot Texas summer day with the AC blasting.

 

I am running an electric fan on mine..
I found a broken aluminum radiator on the side of the road, stopped to get it to scrap the aluminum
It had a fan on it...
Brought it home, it fit right up against my radiator
Drilled 4 holes in the radiator lip for the screw holes
and it works great.
You can buy an "aftermarket" temp control for any electric fan
Most i have seen have a sender that you clamp in the top radiator hose.
Then you have a little box w/ a "screw" that you can turn to set it at what tempature you want it to come on.
The kits I have seen for 20 bucks or so.
Well worth it.
I have one on my GMC
but on my 66 I just use a toggle switch for it.
It frees up some horse power, looks better, and you don't have to worry about getting your hand in it anymore

 

Later FE's have sensor holes in the t'stat housing, but depending on year you have hose size may be different. Most holes are 3/8 inch pipe, if I rem correctly. Most fan temp. switches are set to ground at a preset temp. that is too high for my liking-like 215-220 degrees. There are some that have a more reasonable on point, try a parts store with a patient man and check the books for specs.

 

Hrm, I've never seen a FE with sensor holes on the thermostat housing
Anyone know where to get one?
I just ordered all electric gauges for my truck from Autogauge, and Id rather it be there, than taking out the stock one from the manifold and risk stripping it out

 

Hey do you have a link to any of those controlers.........?

 

Look for a t'stat housing for ~1972 and newer, it should have a hole.Try Flex-a-lite for the controller.

 

Heres what i found on Jegs.
not quite what i have, but it'll work.

http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...51&prmenbr=361

Here is what i was talking about exactly, and the one I have
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...07&prmenbr=361

Here is another one
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...12&prmenbr=361

And another
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...11&prmenbr=361

 

my 70 has a hole in the tstats housing , it is a camper special though if that makes any difference

 

Stupid question...
but couldn't you drill/tap the waterneck for it also?

 

No, the water neck wall is too thin; the housing with the sensor hole has an actual boss cast into it. I have a chrome water neck with the sensor hole that is from Ford Motorsport; $16.99 from Jegs although I've seen them a bit cheaper on Ebay. It's pretty slick because it uses an o-ring, rather than a gasket, to seal. Works well.

 

Thanks for the information.
I'll check them out when I order an Aluminum manifold
Right now I just got my AutoGage Volt/Water/Oil guages and I am about to install them.
As for a gasket/oring... I use neither.
I perfer this product (forgot name) that is a copper sealant...
Works very well for making gaskets.

 

I added a pic to the FE446 engine page that shows a good view of the semi-installed Flex-A -Lite Black Magic cooling fan. It appears to be doing the job on the test runs so far. I figure it's not under a load, but there is also no help from the truck moving through the air. So, I think it's adequate. It has it's own shroud, which I believe helps a lot. the sensor for the fan control simply pushes into the radiator near the upper plumbing. It is coming on and off to maintain temp at around 200 deg F.

http://www.thedreyerfamily.com/69f250/67f250/fe446.htm

 

GTEx... not bad looking
I'll get a picture of mine
It covers the full radiator width wise, and only leaves 2 inches at the bottom of it uncovered.
It screws right into the taps of the radiator so its a clean fit.

 

I was hoping find one that covered more area, but most of the dual fan setups are too wide and they also cost about twice as much.

Andy, which fan are you using?

BTW, congrats on your 1000th post recently. Did you notice that you are now a posting Guru?