Don't beat me up please I know that they are not traditional, and that some people despise them however due to the design of my front suspension and where the tie rod runs behind the rad of my RPU I have no choice but to run an electric fan. A mechanical fan will not work with a short rad and the tie rod running through the space it would run in. What I am asking is what is the best make of electric fan, the best performing and also most compact and reliable ? I have seen guys use the OEM fans such as the Taurus fans which is an option with them being available at the self serve wreckers. Any suggestions ? Or experience you can pass on ?
The best after market fan is a Spal. They will flat out blow your hat off. They don't use them on Ferrari's for nothing. If you want to save money, there are plenty of options at the "pick and pull" junk yards. My 63 BelAir has a dual electric fan set up from 2006 Toyota Camry.
You may want to look into Cooling Components product line also if limited space is an issue. They have units that are only 2 5/8ths in. wide and come in many radiator sizes. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App
View attachment 2688638 View attachment 2688638 I am using one from FOMOCO also used on Mazdas , I formed a shroud by making male and female Dies and squeezing one from aluminum.Ten years on the road , never gets hot View attachment 2688637 View attachment 2688637
I've used the cheaper model aftermarket fans for many years. Had one go bad. For the money. I'd do it again. Yes Spal is the Cadillac.
If it would fit I'd recommend a FOMoCo from Lincoln Mark VIII or Thunderbird 2-speed fan. I put the TBird fan on my 47 Olds with 455, held a 8.5x11 sheet of paper about a foot ahead of the radiator and turned it on high speed. As soon as I let go of the paper it sucked it right into the radiator and held it tight. That's moving some air! Shroud is part of fan assembly. BMW thermal switch and Volvo relay pack and fan all for less than $125 from the 'pik n' pull'. I don't think SPAL makes a fan that comes close. Truth in Advertising: I used a SPAL on my 36 Chevy with LT1 and it was OK but do not under any circumstance use the SPAL multi-speed controller. The first generation was a POS they have discontinued. Also, pay more attention to amp rating of aftermarket fans than to their "advertised cfm" which is usually calculated under ideal laboratory conditions not real world conditions.
36 Vette, Can you supply details on the BMW thermal switch? What year & model? What thread size, etc.
Larry, only four letters you need to know..............S P A L. Besides moving a lot of air, they last and last. Mine runs continually to keep my 27 engine cool and it is now about 6 years old. The one on my daily driver Jeep was 5 years old and still working great when I sold it. Don
Go to a junk yard or Ebay and search for mid to late 90's Ford Taurus electric fan. It'll literally blow you away.
OK, lots of suggestions, keep them coming On looking at Spal there are so many options, not sure which would be best for an open engine RPU. Pusher or puller ? And the Taurus fan, how much air will it pull (or push) Are the Taurus fans or the Spals for that matter really noisy ?
Man, I'll be the down side on SPAL stuff... They don't last down here in the heat more than half a typical Phoenix summer. Junk, utter and complete junk, at least for the extreme climate I live in. I did three on my Plymouth over the course of one year, and did two more on customer cars before I flat gave up. The OEM Ford stuff is the ONLY way I would go electric, Period. Even with the SPAL stuff happy, a customer's Taurus fan pulled damn near double.
I've used several Spals in the past and never had a problem. Maybe they are no longer the quality they used to be. Like I previously posted I'm using a 2006 Toyota Camry dual fan set up on my 63 BelAir that fits the Chevy radiator like it was made for it. I have also heard good things about Taurus fans but never used one. A puller is what you want. Pushers restrict air flow. Forget about any CFM claims from fan manufacturers they are all BS anyway. BTW, don't real hot rodders get their parts from junk yards? Its way cheaper then buying new. Attached is a picture of the Camry set up on my 63.
I have a Cooling Components fan and shroud on my Deuce roadster. Warmed up 350 sbc and full hood. It keeps it under control here inTexas and did great in LA traffic when we took it to LARS in June. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Just Google them. You'll want the one that was in front of a 3.8 litre. Mark VIII or Taurus. Just do the research. Spal has a good rep, but the Taurus fan is like a not so well kept secret. People hear about them and go spend good money for crap anyway. Seriously, just do the research. CFM is well OVER 3,000. The LOW setting on the 2 speed version is 2,700. That's the LOW setting. Here's a sample from a Mustang Forum. "To summarize, the graph I saw shows the 3.8 Taurus fan moving about 3750 cfm at about 34 amps at full speed, and it shows the Mk8 fan moving 4300 cfm at 28 amps full speed."
Cheap and works great. You will have to buy your own relay tho.... http://kmjperformance.com/14-curved...c-radiator-cooling-fan-with-mounting-kit.html
Cooling Components are a quality product. The one I had did the job. They are are pretty pricey. The last time I checked their prices they were just under $300.
The BMW radiator fan switch is metric thread M14x1.5. I haven't tried it yet, but supposedly, you can use a 3/8 NPT adapter and drill it out with a 1/2 bit and tap it for M14x1.5. You can find the fan switch on most BMW models from 1987-1995. Its generally located in the upper right side of the radiator. There are two part numbers 61318361787 which activates at temperatures of 85*/93*C and 61311378073 which activates at 90*/98*C. Those are the OEM temps, aftermarket switches show a slightly different temperatures. The temperatures are stamped onto the side of the switch. If you get one from the pic-n-pull, make sure you get the plug than attaches to the switch also. Its best to use the Volvo fan relay with the BMW fan switch when wiring up a two speed fan.
Thanks guys, I think I will soon head out to the wrecking yard and grab a couple of Taurus fans. One for a spare. They are cheap and easy to find here. I'll most likely end up mounting it in a custom shroud, it won't be big as my rad is small. The fan switch has to go in the top tank I'm guessing. Anyone have a good wiring diagram for the Taurus fan and the fan switch with relay ?
That's weird. Before I bought a SPAL fan I extensively searched threads here on the HAMB (not sure why the OP started another fan thread BTW; there are several in the HAMB archives). This is the ONLY negative comment I've read of HUNDREDS of glowing posts regarding SPAL fans. I suspect someone in your area is repackaging cheap fans under the SPAL name.
I have found that if you have room for an electric fan then there is room for a mechanical fan, most electric fans are 3" deep. Adjustable fan risers can be built. You could build a shroud and leave clearance for the tie rod. Just another option. Jim
For wiring, I'm a big fan of the controllers from Centech - $75. Clean install, adjustable, etc. Speedway carries them. http://www.centechwire.com/Electronic-Fan-Control-FC-2P.htm
Mechanical fan issue I see here is a high engine position because of the frame is so low to the roadway. A compromise...
The OP started this thread (Another fan thread) because it is not always great reading all the old info in the archives and it is always nice to have new and current discussions on a subject. I will definitely not have room for a mechanical fan. My tie rod running behind the rad moves forward on turning towards the rad and comes within 1/4" of the rad without touching. As well it will move up and down a little with the movement of the suspension. In looking at it I will not have room for the 16" diameter of the Taurus fan but will have to find a small thin fan in the 12-14" diameter range. The thinnest I can find it seems.
SPAL here as well... nothing but good to say. I've used them on several cars now, and currently have two 12" fans keeping my '35 cool. I was out beating on the thing in 102 degree Texas weather a couple days ago, with A/C blasting, and it never budged off normal temps. The thing I liked most about SPAL though was that they have very detailed specs... including detailed dimensions... available for all their fans on their website. This was a huge deal for me, since I had some very specific space requirements. That reason alone was enough to sell me... good luck trying to find detailed dimensions from most suppliers out there... but with their reputation as well, it's a win-win. https://webstore.spalusa.com/en-us/faq/faq+product+technical+documents.aspx
I have three of them hanging on the wall to this day! First thing you have to realize is my location. The typical Phoenix summer is going to tax the living hell out of ANY cooling system or component. One of these failed because the plastic body became, well, plastic and allowed the blades to contact the outer frame. The other two simply burned them selves up trying to keep up with the demands of a 400+ H.P. aluminum headed, air conditioned daily driver in a summer of 115 degree + heat. The second thing to realize is exactly what I just said... My car IS my daily, PERIOD. Beyond that, a good mechanical fan and shroud will still many times over flow more air. The current seven bladed Cadillac clutch fan and shroud allows this car to sit at the longest lights in this huge city and never go above 195 on the hottest day you could imagine - or probably not even begin to imagine! This is my default advise every time! I understand Blue One is in a situation where he really doesn't have much of a choice, but I'd exhaust ALL of my mechanical possibilities long before picking the electric option. If the choice absolutely positively HAD to be electric, I would only deal with OEM stuff and build my own bracketry and shroud.
Due to space limitations I will be looking at Spal closely and may even call them and ask for a recommendation based on my space limitations and small rad size. I will only have room for one fan in the 12"-14" size range and am hoping that with a shroud it will work. Several choices on first look. http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/spu-ix-30103202/overview/ http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/spu-ix-30102044/overview/
I've also used Spal with great results but a friend of mine wasn't so lucky with one on his wife's show car 34 sedan. Seems the fan blade was just spinning on the motor shaft and he couldn't figure out why it wouldn't cool. I also like the Cooling Components setup which I have in my 32 Cdan. Currently trying to decide which way to go with my wife's 50 Chevy. I like the idea of the Toyota setup in gman0046's 63. Think the radiator might be similar to the 50. Still have to move the radiator to use any of the solutions I have looked at except the Sidewinder fan.
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