Here's my 2 cents: I love electric fans. The engine runs soooo smooth without a unbalanced mechanical fan hanging on the front of the engine. I don't have any high compression engines at the moment, so electric fans I get out of Fords from the junkyard for $20 work great for me. Some of them are 2-speed fans. Before going electric, I make sure I have a big radiator, and it works like new. Maybe lower the thermostat to 180 degrees, depending where you live. My 73 F100 360/4-spd runs right at 195-200 with a 195 thermostat. I would like to lower it to 180 for the days that it's 110 outside. I also run live temp guages, so if there is a problem, I will know right away. My 84 conv. mustang runs real low 13s on stock tires, and has no problem with the electric fan. I upgraded to a 3-core radiator, and 180 thermostat. Both vehicles don't need the fan if you are going about 30 and above on hot days. In the winter, they rarely go on. (The thermostat does all the work) So if it ever does go out, you aren't stranded as long as you can move fast enough to keep it cool. It's also nice because on cold days, the engine warms up much faster, meaning the heater works sooner. And you can keep it running after the engine is off if you need to cool the engine down for tuning or something. That is where an electric water pump would be nice, but I would never trust one for anything on the streets, because if the pump goes out, then you are stranded. I think the only downside to the way I do it with the electric setup is I don't have as much peace of mind as when I used a mechanical fan. I guess I could just buy a new one from Ford. Like a previous poster said, the factory Ford fans are designed to tolerate the weather, so they are very reliable. That is why most new cars have electric fans. I guess the real test will be when I get my drop top 66 Fairlane 12:1+ 427 8v running. I still think with a good radiator, these Ford fans move enough air that it will work.

 

Good luck with that. The ONLY difference between a 180 and 195 thermostat is THE TEMPERATURE THEY OPEN AT. It will still reach 200 degrees regardless type of thermostat.

 

Are they? I think the stock Ford clutches only grab, forcing the fan to turn inline with the engine when it reaches a certain temperature.

 

There are 2 types of fan clutches, thermostatic and centrifugal. I would use a thermostatic over the centrifugal in hot climate conditions.

A centrifugal spins faster as RPM's raise.

 

I know that it will still reach 200, but I prefer to run cooler than that because there are some long, steep *** grades here. On a 110 day loaded down, going up hill, it's asking a lot from any rig, but the reason I said that, and I wasn't completely clear is that it has been my experience that there is a (for lack of better words) tipping point. Once this point is reached, it seems like the temp starts to rise much faster and is harder to cool down. I assume because the coolant is expanding and dumping into the overflow, so there is now less water to do even more work. Soooo, if the thermostat opens a little sooner, then full flow is achieved a little sooner and it seems like that tipping point is now raised a few degrees higher. I say all this because I have to manually turn my fans on. Usually I just turn them on if I'm not on the highway so I don't forget and overheat anything. But sometimes I like to play with it and I watch to see what it does. When I run the 180 thermostats I don't have to turn the fans on nearly as much on the hot days. The reason the 195 is in there is because it seems during the winter the motor runs too cold and doesn't really heat up with the 180. (The 195 was a test. I was trying to keep the temp up higher because it drops quickly when the thermostat opens. You can totally see it.) I think my engines run best between 175 and 185. When it's only 20 degrees outside and a big radiator it's difficult to get up to operating temp. I've thought about fabricating something to limit the air flow in cold weather so that it stays in operating tempurature. Rolling down the highway the temp hovers in the 150s. (Stock temp guage indicates it's in the normal range whether it's at 150 or 200....I like to keep it in the sweet zone) On the highway, it doesn't matter what thermostat is in it because it never achieves opening temp. Water flow is already reduced, so the only other way is to either slow down the pump, or less airflow. Slowing down the pump isn't likely. Thankfully I have a work van to drive everyday so I only put about a 1000 miles a year on all my vehicles combined, so tinkering around and not having a thermostat to turn on the fans automatically is not a big deal. For anyone else I recommend an adjustable thermostat.