Fan Upgrade

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Sep 3, 2012 | 05:04 PM

crazy96863

Thread Starter

Cargo Master

Joined: May 2011

Posts: 2,387

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From: Northern California

Fan Upgrade

So today I went from the fan on the left to the fan on the right.

Not sure if the clutch will affect the engine performance much but the extra two blades and the additional inch in diameter sure moves a lot more air. The old fan is an 18" while the new one is 19".

This came off a 351m/400 in a 78 Bronco. It bolts right in but sits back an inch or so farther from the radiator; figure I will get a 1" spacer to correct this.

Looks really good in front of my 390. No clearance issues or anything.

Sep 3, 2012 | 06:45 PM

HIO Silver

Fleet Owner

Joined: Dec 2009

Posts: 20,678

Likes: 82

From: NorCal

Even if ya get add a one-inch spacer, the fan will still be positioned too far back. It'd be okay if it had a shroud.

Nice JY day at PnP eh? Gotta love them half-off weekends!!

Sep 3, 2012 | 09:32 PM

crazy96863

Thread Starter

Cargo Master

Joined: May 2011

Posts: 2,387

Likes: 138

From: Northern California

Yup. Great weekend. I checked and this one keeps it cool also. Just barely touchs n in normal. Maybe leave it as is. A spacer puts it where the other fan was.

Sep 3, 2012 | 09:36 PM

smokenchoken

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: May 2012

Posts: 1,724

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From: peru kansas

not saying it will do it any time soon but i keep away from clutch fans because i lost a motor due to one wearing out keep an eye on it

Sep 3, 2012 | 10:13 PM

bamaf150

Posting Guru

Joined: Dec 2009

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From: Mississippi

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazy96863

Yup. Great weekend. I checked and this one keeps it cool also. Just barely touchs n in normal. Maybe leave it as is. A spacer puts it where the other fan was.

Are you using a shroud with it?

Sep 3, 2012 | 11:02 PM

crazy96863

Thread Starter

Cargo Master

Joined: May 2011

Posts: 2,387

Likes: 138

From: Northern California

Everything mechanical will fail at some point. These have proven to be reasonably reliable over the years so not to concerned with failure however I agree that heat is the worse thing for an engine. Out of habit I aways make it a point to regularly glance at the gauges to check this.

I once drove a truck for a couple weeks withou a fan after a failed experiment with an electric fan didnt work out. I noticed it was fine as long as it was moving. Sitting in one place at idle was the worse things as there was no air flow. I believe the clutch fan allows the engine to take advantage of this.

Sep 3, 2012 | 11:08 PM

crazy96863

Thread Starter

Cargo Master

Joined: May 2011

Posts: 2,387

Likes: 138

From: Northern California

Quote:

Originally Posted by bamaf150

Are you using a shroud with it?

No. There was no shroud when I got the truck and it has always run nice and cool. I am not opposed to shrouds and understand how it will allow the fan to pull air in across the entire radiator evenly rather than just the area directly in front of the fan. It is simply a matter of priorities... It runs cool; I actually put a thermostat in it to warm her up a bit. There are lots of other things to fix first. Hell the radiator alone should be replaced as its got a tube of JB Weld holding it together; doing a remarkable job I might add.