Technical Flathead V8 fan? Clearance issue in AV8

I am having some issues fitting a mechanical fan into my av8. I have a59ab motor in my car and have the bishop tardel book and have the motor mounts within a .12 of being exactly where the are in the book. I tried the fan setup that I had that mounts on the generator and that looks to high and would hit the radiator hoses. I am using a 6 blade ford fan that measure around 15inches across. I am wanting to run a stock hood top and leave the radiator where it is and not move it forward. If I do I dont have alot of clearance for a fan and wanted to know what works.In the bishop tardel book he took a later fan with the built in bearing and cut it down using a specialty fan bracket but I dont know if that will fit for me? Id rather not run an eletric fan but if there is no other choice I reckon I will have to. So if anyone could help that would be great.

Here are some pics of my setup I have the fan carrier on in these pics but dont ave to run it, bc im running a head mounted generator.

 

Just some guesses after looking at the pictures and trying to remember what I have on mine.

I have the same style motor in a '29. My motor is up tight to the firewall and just barely have room for the fan. When I say tight I mean tight. The head on the right side will be tough to remove because of the firewall and I had to beat a spot in the firewall back where the fuel pump sits.

The fan on mine sits lower. I have a generator up on top where you have the fan mount and my fan hangs down below off the same bolt. I think the fan mount is from around a '46 or so. Not sure on that.

Mine works well but it is tight. I think you may have to move your motor back some.

Neal

I included a picture. Tough to see but the only picture I could find quickly. I did not have room for the breather on the fuel pump. The fan is driven off the crank pulley.

 

It would be a pain the rear to have to move my engine back now. I was wondering how bishop tardel made his work and for some reason mine isnt? J'st wandering are you able to run a stock hood?

 

That radiator might be your problem

 

I was waiting for someone else to chime in here but I think it was discussed before that the book is wrong.

Yes, I use a stock hood.

I have a couple of pictures of where I have the front mounts. It is when I had a 8BA motor in it.

Neal

 

Looks like the quickest and easiest thing to do would be the electric. unless you want to move the whole motor back a few inches to get your fan in there. or you could go to a smaller radiator....but then you could have cooling issues in the summer. catch 22's ****

 

yea its looking like eletric, I am going to get and 8ba fan ***embly today, and one of those carrier brackets from speedway and try to cut it down and see if there is room for a mechanical fan, if not them it will have to be eletrical. The radiator will have to stay does anyone think I can make a mecahincal fan work?

Heck if I go to eletrical fan i might as well use a GM alternator and not run my my generator that looks like and alternator what yall think?

 

If I have to run an eletric fan what is a good company that makes one?

 

Spal makes good fans.

 

keep the gen. Hayden makes a good one I think. Usually I dont worry about the brand though. get one that has the most cfm and is small enough to fit.

 

I have an answer for you, your not gonna like the thought of it but here it goes. Don't run a fan. It sounds crazy, I ran mine for 5 years without any fan at all. ran all day long at 165 ish any day of the week. Even in 90 degree weather. I made sure my cooling system and components were super clean. Block was cleaned, new pumps, no T stats, premium coolant (anti-freeze)and a good re-cored copper 32 rad. I also just avoided slow moving traffic and I was fine.

 

How about afco fans? is 1550 cfm good? also I found an afco 14" fan on speedway for $137 and a fan similiar to it with size shape and sfm on ebay for $39 anyone have any experience with the ebay fans? I dont want to skimp on the ride but if both fans are the same and similiar is there a difference?

 

I ran into the same problem,ended up using electric,works great,don't use a cheap fan,look at were the wires go into motor, that's the week spot,the wires will pull out.The fan I bought(can't remember brand) did not work out off box(swap meet buy,china?)turned out wire came loose inside motor,had to take it apart and resolder all the wires.

 

dng wow, thanks for the heads up

 

You should be able to use a 33-34 fan. It`s the shortest one.
Or modify a later one to be mounted direct on the pulley
Tight but should work
Too bad you didn`t push the engine back 3/4 inch .....

BTW where did you buy the ally radiator, looks good!!!

 

prc is where i got the radiator

 

Here is my build thread. You can see what I did.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=540287&showall=1

 

The 46-48 fan mount hangs down, rather than up as in your pics. You may be able to make it work.
I'd give consideration to jrblack30's suggestion. The reason I say this is because I have a little Mustang radiator, Bob Drake waterpumps, no thermostats, regular coolant plus Purple Ice. I cant get it over 170, even idling for 20 minutes. It needs to be 185 or thereabouts to be efficient. I am going to try removing the fan to see if it lifts at all. Other options are fitting thermostats and removing the Purple Ice. My point is that you have a much better looking radiator than mine, so it's quite possible it will run OK without a fan. Are you running a full hood? That would require a good fan, mine is totally open.

 

Same radiator that's in the '29 AV8 I'm currently building. I fabricated my own fan carrier and have plenty of clearance using a 15" fan with engine in same location as yours.

Bob

 

I just got off the phone with "endlessearth" from here on the board, and he hipped me to your thread. I solved a similar issue with his '29 last summer. He is running a '38 21 stud flatty, and by combining a few later bits and pieces I came up with a workable solution. it's too late tonight to go out and snap some picts, but I'll do so and post them up here tomorrow morning. Don't do an electric fan just quite yet...

 

Your engine placement is definately a bit forward from where mine is, looks like close to an inch. I also run an electric pusher fan in front of rad, its hardly visible. I seldom need it though only uin heavy traffic like a parade or something.

There was a good thread before about engine placement http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=423796&highlight=hole

 

bobscogins sent you a PM,

need louvers? yea pics would be great thanks man

 

also I was given an 48 fan that mounts on the from of the intake and hase the bearing and carrier on it. Also looks like it has a clutch in it to not sure though, It is a 6 blade fan. So if that helps any I got it, and going to look for more fans today also.

 

What is prc?
or who?

michael

 

Performance Rod & Custom
http://www.prchotrod.com/

Bob

 

Billy, here's the left side of my home made fan carrier. Details to follow if I can post this photo. Click the thumbnail.

Bob

 

Bob,

The fan carrier looks good, and may work for me, what kinda of fan is on it? It looks like every piece is custom or did you use pieces of other fans to make this?

 

They can be a pain in the ****,If i can remember rightly i cut an 8BA fan carrier down as short as possible and then pressed the shaft as far back as possible then used a 37 fan and trimmed the blades a bit as i am running a Harmon & Collins mag and they are a big thing and try and take up all the space !! and moved the generator to the drivers side cylinder head. Try and leave at least 1/2" between your fan blades and your rad as the motor will move on the donut mounts in fact i have engine stay bars front and rear because of this plus it will also cut down on clutch chatter

 

subscribing... working on this myself.

 

Hi Billy,

After looking at my solution and that of bobbbooth above, I think his is the better way to go for your situation. The killer is how short the '28 '29 radiator is in comparison to a late "A" or deuce.

Basically, what I did was to adapt a 59A style fan bracket and pulley onto the earlier 21 stud engine in this car. I had to sleave the pulley because it is a slightly smaller I.D. that the later engines, I did a bit of grinding to drop it as far as I could, and since this car is channeled, cut the tips of the down a bit and rebalanced.

I also shot a quick picture of another flathead fan that I have hanging from the rafters in my shop just to show the larger type fan and hub ***embly that I believe is late forties truck. hope fully some of this helps.