Adding Electric Radiator Fans

by Jeff73SS Sun Jan 29, 2017 8:14 pm

I have a 73 SS I am putting back together and I bought an electric fan kit two 10 inch fans. Both will fit inside the original shroud side by side but I am wondering If I would run cooler without the shroud at all since the fans are right up against the radiator. Any opinions or trail and error attempts gone well or wrong would be good feed back.
Thanks,
Jeff

by bitterfitter Sun Jan 29, 2017 9:30 pm

Do the 10" fans have shrouds? Just like the original fan; they should have a shroud that is there to force the air though the fan correctly. I don't think putting 2 unshrouded fans inside the original shroud will work as well as you would like.

If it helps, I used a Lincoln mark 8 fan in my '74. Pulls a ton of air, has a built in shroud and is fairly thin. Just pulls a lot of amps.

by dynchel Sun Jan 29, 2017 10:12 pm

I used ford contour V6 fans I bought from a junkyard for $60.00. bought a controller from eBay for $30.00 (turns them on at 195°. Finally a alternator upgrade, 105 amp over the original 70 amp (don't remember exactly, but not enough to power two fans). Total cost about $200.00

by chevellelaguna Sun Jan 29, 2017 11:02 pm

When possible you should always use a shroud. It'll help direct air into the radiator. Also it's best to leave the front of the rad clear from any obstruction so you get the most airflow going thru the front of the radiator unobstructed. Sometimes lack of room dictates where you can mount the fan. Make sure if it's behind the rad that it's pulling air thru the radiator. With the electric fan, a good clutch fan, a shroud, and high flow water pump you should get great cooling.
I run a 12.5:1 compression small block, have a 4 row copper rad, edelbrock victor water pump, clutch fan, and dual 12" electric fans in a shroud and it still overheats. I removed the factory shroud, and that's likely the culprit to my overheating issue.

by pila Mon Jan 30, 2017 1:32 am

The idea of electric fans didn't impress me much, after reading all the opinions etc. I have an 18 inch 7 blade fan with a clutch, that fits the shroud, cooling the 507 Caddy engine in my El Camino, and it's never been over 180-*, with a 180* thermostat. I do own cars with factory electric fans though...

The shrouds are the key to making the fans work though. No shroud, on any type fan, and the blades are just beating the air & not directing the air it seems...

by Joe73 Mon Jan 30, 2017 8:24 am

Pila is dead on. 18 o 19 inch, stock 7 blade fan with a Hayden 2747 clutch is the best bang for the buck. It will do 700 HP big. BLock with ac on in the dead of summer. Just have it an inch or so inside the shroud. And yes run a shroud. Do some research. Electric fans are good on thin aluminum rads where they can suck air through easily. Once you get to 3 of 4 cores (which are not needed) the stock fan will pull the air through much easier and in large amounts. I'm ditching my 4 cores brass for an aluminum 2 core with 1 inch tubes.
Google. " Low dollar big cooling". Lots of good reading along with personal experience.

by dynchel Mon Jan 30, 2017 8:26 am

Mine didn't have a fan clutch before, just a solid mounted fan.

by Joe73 Mon Jan 30, 2017 9:52 am

Mine didn't either John. Just stock 4 blade bolted to he water pump. Mine is a non AC car. I immediately changed out the fan to a 7 blade clutch fan from an AC 73 Vette. Never looked back and no issues.

by thatfnthing Mon Jan 30, 2017 10:09 am

As stated above, a shroud is a must with whatever type of fan you use in order to properly guide the air. However, electrics can be every bit as good as an engine driven fan. They will free up horsepower, but you may need to upgrade your alternator, and you will definitely have to do some wiring, as they will need some sort of controller.

Mine are a dual setup from the 98-02 Camaro, and they fit our stock radiators like a glove. I scored mine off ebay for just under $100. They draw significant juice, so a 100A alternator should be considered a minimum. I use a Flex-A-Lite controller to run it, and it ramps them up gradually. The system works way better than the stock engine-driven fan, and the bonus is I have enough room that I can actually get in there to work on something.

Adding Electric Radiator Fans Fans211

by Joe73 Mon Jan 30, 2017 10:20 am

A fan clutch disengages at upper Rpms. So minimal drag on the engine.

by thatfnthing Mon Jan 30, 2017 10:42 am

Joe73 wrote:A fan clutch disengages at upper Rpms. So minimal drag on the engine.

Not trying to start an argument, and not saying it's a huge power draw. Just to my mind minimal > zero. To each his own. I've been much happier since I switched to electrics, and I figured I could count on the factory to come up with a robust design that would get the job done without breaking the bank.

by dynchel Mon Jan 30, 2017 1:00 pm

Adding Electric Radiator Fans IMG_20151228_110942705_HDR_zps8tqfjcf7

here's my junkyard contour setup. I know the donor car seems strange, but a co-worker "jeep guy" said they are the best cheap junkyard setup. they are common on rock crawlers... Which have virtually no air flow over the core.

by Joe73 Mon Jan 30, 2017 1:26 pm

I think GM did a great job designing their cooling systems. If a 7 blade with clutch can cool an under-rated 450hp LS6 big block, then its good enough for me.

Real good read right here. With testimonials. Looong Read but great info.

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/32-heating-cooling/606465-cooling-101-setup-keeps-old-school-bbc-sbc-motors-nice-cool.html

by Jeff73SS Mon Jan 30, 2017 3:28 pm

Thank you all for the input. The fans are shrouded the shroud over each fan is about 1.5 inches. They mount to the radiator with a plastic tie wrap that goes through the mount through then a spring which a small foam pad goes up against the radiator push the tie wrap through the radiator out the front then another small foam pad then a clip to hold it all together. I do have a 105 amp altenator to run it. I decided to go this way to get weight off the front and fan off the motor. I am going to not put it inside the stock shroud. I guess we will see ho it works out.
Thanks,
Jeff

by pila Mon Jan 30, 2017 6:45 pm

Kind of amazing as to what the mfgr does sometimes. I had a '67 Bonneville 4-dr hard top some years ago, with the 400 engine. I got it from the original owner. First thing I noticed was the cooling fan, which was a 4-blade with no clutch. So, I added a coolant temp gauge, to see just how hot it would get. The temp was just on the verge of boiling in the summer.
That's when I swapped the fan for a 6-blade, with a clutch. Problem solved... Shortly after, I rebuilt the engine, and found that the top rings were broken on a few cylinders, which I attribute to the hot running engine...

by dynchel Mon Jan 30, 2017 8:00 pm

Funny, I've never heard so much praise given to a clutch fan, I've always been led to believe electric is the way to go. Mine never had a clutch, just a solid mounted fan. I added a razor sharp flex a lite fan & always feared losing a hand while setting timing. Lol

by pila Tue Jan 31, 2017 2:46 am

I don't have a problem with electrics, since many vehicles are that way these days. I have three vehicles with them. I do see a trade-off with fans that draw a lot of amps from the electrical system. Of course that depends on if that's a factor for folks looking for all the power they can get from their engine etc. The AC system draws considerable power, and even gas mileage is affected with it. Some cars, like Cadillac, had a switch in the carb linkage, to disable the compressor clutch, when standing on the throttle in passing gear, so, it's a trade off of keeping power when needed it seems..

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