I'm looking for creative solutions to getting more clearance between my water pump pulley and radiator on my wife's 50 Chevy Convertible. It has a ZZ3 motor with short water pump and a stock style radiator. There is about 2.5 inches of clearance now so the 16" electric puller fan (CFM unknown) can't be centered on the radiator. The system can't keep things cool enough with the A/C running in traffic. I would like another 1.5" minimum to clear the largest Spal 16" 2300 CFM fan that needs 3.39" to clear or even better the Cooling Components integrated fan/shroud like I have on my 32 which only needs 2 5/8" clearance still to close in my case. Thanks
why is there so little room. did you cut the rib on the firewall before installing the motor. I have had to run fan spacers to get my mechanic fan closer to the radiator. I used to run a mechanical with an electric pusher on the grill side when I had AC in my 53
Car was built when I got it. Flat firewall with enough clearance for an HEI. I don't think this an unusual problem for this vintage. After posting I called my radiator guy and verified he could flip the frame of the radiator putting the mounting flange at the back. This would add lots of room but other work would be needed to install it. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
You might also try mounting the radiator on the other side of the support.. Should give you enough clearance...
Spent some more time looking at things and it looks like just moving the radiator to the front side of the core support will work to clear the Cooling Components unit but even that is quite a bit of work. Formed steel transmission lines will need work, splash pan will have to be trimmed, upper side supports will need t*******, maybe new radiator hoses, hopefully condenser hoses have enough slack and need to verify hood latch support in the front part of hood will clear. Should have waited to charge the A/C. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I'll be watching ... mine has a fan mounted to the front of the radiator pulling air out and so far it does not seem to be doing much of a job cooling.. Runs along fine but at idle it takes about 10 mins to get up to about 225 or so. I have not run it any longer to see how hot it will get.
If it's on the front of the motor, you would need a pusher. Otherwise when moving the fan would be fighting the air coming in the front.
That's exactly what happening with mine.. it is between the grill and radiator. Of course gong down the road is not when I need it but it's probably hard on the fan.
So you have a pusher fan pushing more air through the radiator or are you trying to pull air through the radiator from the engine compartment? You need to push more through not pull it out so if you are pulling you have the wrong fan.
I''ve got my radiator on the front side of the rad support with about three inch spaces moving it further from the motor/rad support. It can't go any further forward as the top of the hood is starting to rub the top of the rad. So that's about how far forward you can go. New walker rad. 4 core I believe. -Pat
If you move the radiator in front of the support make sure your hood clears the top of rad when closed On my sons 54 ford we just raised the radiator slightly and pushed it into the core support, we picked up 1.75
I don't want to take over rramjet's thread but yes, the car was set up this way when I got it end of June and it is pulling air out of the engine compartment from the front of the radiator (grill side) and you are correct, it is the wrong fan... I need to move it to the other side so it pulls air in through the radiator and into the engine compartment or change the fan to push through from the front. I have the same issue as rramjet's... space.
I have seriously considered one but don't think I could get the air flow needed to run the A/C in hot weather at idle. I could be wrong. I would still need to move the radiator in order to get the right distance for the fan in the shroud. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Moving mine to the front of support right now still have some issues like hood clearance but just gonna do some fab work to hood support and she should be good to go
What car is this in? Any more pictures? I really don't need much more room but the work to move it 1/2" is the same as 3" from what I can see. Hood clearance is one of my concerns as well especially since everything is already a beautiful gloss black..
Cars came with mechanical fans and AC for a long time before they went to electrics. Much more reliable, and will cool sufficiently if you use a good, stock type steel fan. More than 4 blades..any GM with AC should have one. If it isn't cooling as well as it should, put a shroud around it and it will!
a piont to remember, a bigger fan will get the air in to the engine compartment, but sometimes you need to look at getting the air out, some cooling slots in the inner fender wells should help too
Good point. I know they make ventilated wheel wells for earlier cars had them in a 39 Ford we had but have never looked into any for this vintage car.
It blows my mind how people still insist on reinventing the wheel so to speak. As many have suggested, a mechanical fan and shroud will solve your problem.
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