Electric fan size choice

[dieselgeek]

So your saying putting a flat piece of metal against the core and not allowing air to pass through it made the radiator cool better??...

yes. I know that's a tough pill to swallow but that's how it worked. The guy who suggested the smoke bomb test also made our shroud for us. All it did was cover the non-fanned areas on the radiator. Obviously those areas aren't being used for cooling effectively, but it clearly made the area behind the fan far more effective.

The problem we were trying to solve was to improve cooling any way possible with the thinnest radiator/fan/shroud combo available.

Also, I'm reminded there was probably 1/8" - 1/4" of clearance from the shroud to the core. Not quite flush mounted but close. That probably made a large difference.

The OP could try this with cardboard and duct tape if he has overheating issues...

[TC]

no big deal, my actual testing trumps your theory all day long. Stationary fans don't blow air to the rear of the vehicle, they blow air to the nearest low pressure zone.

A simple smoke bomb test would set you straight, but I am not really concerned with winning any battles with you today. Every single member on this forum knows that one of us works on cars and the other doesn't ;-)

I would put my money on that there was an air pocket in the cooling system that was causing the overheating, and it had nothing to do with fans........

[dieselgeek]

I would put my money on that there was an air pocket in the cooling system that was causing the overheating, and it had nothing to do with fans........

we hoped that too. no such luck. would you really put your money on that? methinks it would be better served hiring a hotrodder to finish a project...!

[TC]

we hoped that too. no such luck. would you really put your money on that? methinks it would be better served hiring a hotrodder to finish a project...!

By the way got any pics of the radiator in question, I'd like to see the setup and what was done, I'm sure I'd understand it better.......

[dieselgeek]

By the way got any pics of the radiator in question, I'd like to see the setup and what was done, I'm sure I'd understand it better.......

I searched high and low for radiator pics but no such luck, here's one of only two underhood photos I could find:

[TC]

What it tells me is the radiator was undersized for the application, they probably need a better radiator.........

Thing is I've seen guys run fans like SkullBucket and have no problems at all and that's here in Phoenix in the summertime, hell I even did it like that back in the day...... So depending on the cooling capacity of the radiator you may and may not have a problem, with your example I'd say they needed a more efficient radiator.... I also can't see or know the fan size they were running..... That is one of the biggest mistakes people make, they think all the electric fans flow the same, they don't, and don't think they flow anywhere near what they are advertised as....... Like my friend told me get one with curved blades and that's "rated" the most CFM for it's size...... You have to remember that a Stock Clutch fan pulls something like 4000cfm of air, think about that next time you go electric fan shopping........

[yellomalibu]

Are these the "plastic flex - a - lite" fans you speak of? I just heard from a guy at work here yesterday that these worked great in his sbc luv and s10 trucks

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G4947/

Yup. Cheap and work great.

Just make sure you get the correct one. The reverse cooling ones obviously won't work with the conventional system.

[anotheridiot]

yeah, I get that plate behind the radiator to increase cooling of the fan now. The fan is still sucking air thru the entire front of the radiator, so its not drawing just from the diameter of the fan zip tied to the fins, and its always forcing new air to be brought thru the radiator. I am sure getting it to angle even an inch or so to the fan would increase cooling more, but the farther from the fan the closer the shroud should get to the radiator. at least I am not as worried about trying to go electric on these projects now. I'm sure we all have had many times we felt nothing but hot air shooting over the engine.

It really isnt much different than TC's pic with the way the fans are mounted. I just dont like TC's fan on the right being over the tank of the radiator, at least have them both over the fins, even if you have to mount them diagonally. I am looking at more of buying a regular 3 or 4 core radiator and making it as efficient as an 800.00 aluminum one.

[TC]

It really isnt much different than TC's pic with the way the fans are mounted. I just dont like TC's fan on the right being over the tank of the radiator, at least have them both over the fins, even if you have to mount them diagonally. I am looking at more of buying a regular 3 or 4 core radiator and making it as efficient as an 800.00 aluminum one.

Just so you know that 2 core Aluminum Radiator that I'm using cost $175...... The two fans cost me $76.... and my friend did the fan shroud for $150..... so I got about $400 into the whole thing...... And it will out cool any 4 row bass/copper radiator of the same size that you can throw at it.......... Also it is a 33x19 radiator which is the largest production radiator size that GM put in it's cars........ and is the only size radiator you'll be able to mount two 16" fans on.......

Now this is the thing about the fans, your right I could have gone with dual 14's and had them mount over the core and not the tank, but your not going to find a 14" fan that flows the 2850cfm that these fans flow..... You just got to get it in your head that as long as the air is being pulled through the core it doesn't matter how the fans are mounted, it just matters how much air they can flow........

[yellomalibu]

Just because a person believes something implicitly doesn't make it fact - in this case, it also doesn't mean that a different way may not ALSO work just as well or even better.

I don't think you two are going to get to a point in this thread where you agree - so for the sake of this web board, will you both please stop this back and forth? It does nothing to help anyone - it only drives away readers/ viewers.

[dieselgeek]

Just because a person believes something implicitly doesn't make it fact - in this case, it also doesn't mean that a different way may not ALSO work just as well or even better.

I don't think you two are going to get to a point in this thread where you agree - so for the sake of this web board, will you both please stop this back and forth? It does nothing to help anyone - it only drives away readers/ viewers.

Take it easy dad, we weren't arguing. you have the option of not reading, right?

[skullbucket]

This is a prime example of how NOT to mount your electric fan..... The zip-ties that go through the radiator can rub on the tubes and ruin a nice aluminum radiator by creating holes in the tubes.......

It runs cooler now than it did with the 2 12s and they give you the zip ties because they work fine, been doing it like that for years and not one problem, must be the installer because I wouldn't waste time doing it any other way.
The fan is even about a 1/4 inch from touching radiator.
I'll never run a horsepower robbing, space cluttering mechanical fan again but then again I know what im doing.

[anotheridiot]

Just because a person believes something implicitly doesn't make it fact - in this case, it also doesn't mean that a different way may not ALSO work just as well or even better.

I don't think you two are going to get to a point in this thread where you agree - so for the sake of this web board, will you both please stop this back and forth? It does nothing to help anyone - it only drives away readers/ viewers.

The funny part is the shroud TC had fabricated for 150.00 is basically doing exactly what diesel is explaining with the blocking off the radiator.

[jcharliem]

Just so you know that 2 core Aluminum Radiator that I'm using cost $175...

Hold the phone! Is that the radiator you're using on the "jack stand" Camaro??

[anotheridiot]

I havent seen any 175.00 radiators out there, dont really know if I would trust a three thousand dollar mild build motor to that.