who here has made there own electric fan shroud...This might be this weekend project for me and I'd like to see what great minds here have made!!
Here's one I made for my Anglia, the circular hole pattern in the lower corner allows air to flow across the alternator heatsink... CC
There is a tech on a low buck one made out of a cookie sheet from walmart. It was pretty good, search for it....H Might be here... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11058&highlight=walmart+cookie+sheet
For my '34 Plymouth used two Volvo 1/2 fan shrouds and fastened them to each other with screws/nuts. Was running a SBC and worked good. Don't be afraid to look at european cars when at the Salvage Yard.
Here is a simple one that works very well and hides the 16" electric fan. Flower learned how to set rivets on this project.
No need for a shroud if you nab a OEM fan setup off of a modern vehicle. Taurus fans are good, and move a TON of air, also the PT Cruiser fans are respected as moving a lot of air also. If you want some zoot, or want to stage fans, the MR2's had dual fans. If you are really wanting to build a shroud, they're easy enough to do. Plan it right, and you don't even need to be able to weld, I've built a couple using just some sheet metal screws, some foil tape, and foam tape to seal it up. Mock one up out of cardboard or posterboard, don't forget the tabs, tape it all together, and then experiment with different ways to cut the tape and lay it out so that you can cut it with your snips easy enough. Bending can be done by clamping the sheet to the edge of your workbench (or kitchen counter, whatever suits you) and use a piece of angle iron as a brake (you'll sandwich the shroud between the cabinet edge and angle iron with your clamps) Make all of your bends. I've also used a set of Vice Grips with bending shoes on it (~$20 at Home Depot) to make stuff like this. Once it's all bent, screw the tabs you've left to fasten it together, flip it over, and seal all the seams with the foil tape. You can get the foil tape from Home Depot in the A/C department. Use the foam tape around the edges to seal it to your radiator, cut the hole for the fan, and fasten it in place (you may need to stiffen the shroud depending on design, this is easy enough to do with some flat stock and sheet metal screws)
I can't argue with that! 47 - The cookie sheet idea is solid, and will work (I've done it). Do try to find one that is very near the same size as your radiator though, to allow for the maximum amount of air being drawn across the cores. Exposed cores, and leaky shrouds are reducing the effectiveness of your fan, and ultimately the cooling capability of your radiator.
bringing this back for a question, i am in need of a fan shroud, so i would like to know which of the 2 styles above would work best for me. my 1951 Buick straight 8 gets very hot in traffic / idle situations, on the high way and light to light its perfect. so, which of the 2 above should i be looking to make? thanks, Yaril
This thread has been dead awhile but I have a question about the cookie sheet shroud... or any shroud that is flat against, or close to, the rad its self. It seems that unless the shroud is tapered in toward the motor, ie not flat, it would be more restrictive than helpful? Does that make sense? So instead of flat like the cookie sheet it seems to me that it should be more like a funnel. Thoughts? I'm sure that it doesn't matter either way because so many people are running the flat style and companies like Summit and Jegs sell them more than the other style... I'm just curious.
Not sure if anyone is interested but what I have seen that might work for a tapered shround is a T-bar drop ceiling HVAC diffuser. It is made of metal is about 2 feet square and can be cut and welded. Just a thought, and of course I thought of this after I had already bought a fan with a shroud. regards, Rusty_bits
Saw a thread a couple years ago about using vintage household electric fan screens and trimming to fit a modern radiator fan. Looked pretty darn good...for an electric fan.
You are correct. For a shroud to be affective, it should be at least one inch (and maybe more) off the radiator surface so the fan pulls air from the total surface area. That is the reason for a shroud - to pull air through the total surface area of the radiator.
Interesting. Thanks for the replay Paul2748. I've seen this flat style for awhile and I've always wondered about how effective it really was. Also, my understanding is that it needs to cover the entire radiator and be sealed, as much as possible, to be the most effective.... is this correct too?
If you look at some fan shrouds, they also have a couple of spots that have flappers over openings, to let more air through at freeway speeds, I added some from a old rabbit after my car was getting warm driving the freeway but cooling great just ideling.
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