I am having some problems getting my radiator to clear my fan. I have the short shaft water pump from Patrick's and a new radiator from US Radiator. The problem I am having is the fan is hitting the bottom header becasue is sticks out to far. The original radiator is shot which ****s because it would work just fine. US Radiator said they would make me a smaller radiator that would clear but I was wanting to find out what others have done with their trucks. Thanks.
I don't want to ask a stupid question but did you think of using a smaller fan? The later water pumps are not only longer but are mounted considerably lower (about 2 inches). I would be tempted to try a smaller diameter fan with perhaps more pitch or more blades. The 235 is a relatively easy engine to cool, but I notice you do live in Texas (cooling in Canada at this time of year is not generally a problem). I had a similar issue in my 50 Chevy and went to a V6 Mustang fan a little over an inch smaller in diameter than a 55 Chevy fan but cleared everything cools great.
The fan hits the header? i'm confused. when i put a new radiator in my 54 i ended up having to take the whole radiator core support out and then piece it back together with the radiator already on the support. if you try to wiggle it in between the water pump and the support then you wont be able to get it in (if its like the radiator i bought) so i suggest taking the support out and try it that way. Should probably replace the bolts and rubber washers while your doing it, mine were completely gone. ten bucks at the hardware store. also went with an electric fan to help it cool in the hot Texas heat. makes a world of difference! hope this helps
The fan I am using is about 16 inches and the one that goes on the 1955-1962 chevy 235s. Patrick said thier was no other fan I Could use. I have lowed the radiator in the core support and still does not work. I would run a electric fan but there is no room and I am trying to stay as stock as prossible. I may have to cut the core support to get my clearance.
I would go with a different radiator before I would cut the support. Something tells me they gave you the wrong one....
US Radiator has sent me two and the one I have now is the right one if I had the 1954 Chevy 235 in it instead of the 55 chevy 235. They said they could make me one that is a 1 and 1/4 inch core and that would give me the room but would not look close to a stock radiator.
Running the fan looks like its going to be the problem. Since I went electric I was able to avoid that problem. Just had to buy a puller and offset it to the p***enger side to miss the water pump. I remember now that I had to do that because the fan was not going to fit. (sorry I did the swap over a year ago)
What type and size electric fan did you use? Everyone I have talked to said to buy the short shaft water pump and it would clear and it does not. This has been eatting at me for over 3 months.
I ordered it out of jegs. I measured after the radiator was in and got the biggest fan, with a little room to spare, that had the most cfm
well in 55 they had a mid year change in the body make sure you know exactly what you have a 54 or a 55 1st series. pretty sure they are the same but they may have sent you the the radiator for the second half of the 55 model year. also I managed to sneak a 292 I6 in my dads 55 1st series with factory radiator before it was taken apart for a rodstoration. i'll see if i can find any pics for ya. oh i did end up making a shroud out of sheet metal though
If you have a 55 to 62 motor even with a short water pump the fan sits lower then it did with the original 54 motor,there is a adapter made to put a 54 on back water pump on the 55 to 62 motor eliminating this problem. I have one on the 57 235 in my 37 and got it off pre68dave on the Stovebolt page and he also sells them on that auction site.
Call Patrick's. You need a 235 fan and a shortened water pump. I made my own by pressing the pulley over the shaft until it lined up with the crank pulley, then cut off the rest. Here is a build thread on a 53 I did this to. I show how I did it here. http://talk.cl***icparts.com/showthread.php?t=9530
is your water pump the problem??? i know they made different w/p for different years back in them years... like a short pump vs/ a longer one .check the application books...if that fails put one of those plastic flex fans on there ...you can get them in all sizes ....CHEAP...smaller fan IS a good idea from earlier post.... with all these posts you can make it fit!!!.........k
I have the short shaft water pump and it stills does not give the clearance. US Radiator is going to build a custom radiator for me with my specs.
Well, now that you have the problem solved, this might have helped if I saw it earlier. If what you are saying is that the fan is too far forward and the bottom header tank is in the way the simple solution is to notch the blades to clear the header. Measure and mark out the same size notch on each blade to clear the header. When you take the same size piece off each blade it will still be balanced. Drill a 1/4 hole at the corner of the notch and cut to the hole, leaving a radius in the corner to prevent cracking. Give it an extra 1/2 inch to allow for bouncing around. I've done this and it works.
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