Electric fan size choice

[JeffMcKC]

Interesting that Ron doesn't seem to share your concerns.......

http://www.rondavisradiators.com/radgallery.htm

Yawn, radiators for cars that never run and low power trucks WOW. I will stay with what works for us, in cars that run and have a little power.

[dieselgeek]

The OEMs spent a million times more money developing cooling systems than any aftermarket radiator company. It's worth studying what they do and trying to apply it to hotrodding, IMO.

[TC]

The OEMs spent a million times more money developing cooling systems than any aftermarket radiator company. It's worth studying what they do and trying to apply it to hotrodding, IMO.

Ya they spent millions on designing a radiator that just barely does its job at the cheapest price possible........ You have no clue what kind of testing they do at Ron Davis...... They actually have a test bench for testing electric fans, that's how I can tell you that none of them flow what they are rated at, always less, especially when you put a radiator in front of them........ Remember the OEM's make most radiators for 200-400hp cars, Ron does them for cars making 1000-3000+HP, I would think he knows what it takes to build a radiator, since he is one of the top performance radiator builders in the Nation............ But if you were actually in the know, you'd know that...........

[dieselgeek]

Radiators for 3000hp cars that run for 9 seconds aren't shit compared to a 220hp engine that has to run uphill at WOT for hours on end. A 10 year old kid can figure that out, but not TC.

Maybe come back when your hotrod runs and THEN tell us all about how to build one. A pile of junk sitting on the garage floor doesn't qualify, unless the competition is "who wasted the most money"

[skullbucket]

I'll tell you what does work from proof.
1 $280 Ebay 4 core aluminum radiator.
1 $50 Ebay 16 inch electric fan.
1 $35 temp switch, wiring harness.
Runs around 165 degrees.
A person can do all the in house testing and bench race paper testing they want but the street is where the proof is.

[TC]

I'll tell you what does work from proof.
1 $280 Ebay 4 core aluminum radiator.
1 $50 Ebay 16 inch electric fan.
1 $35 temp switch, wiring harness.
Runs around 165 degrees.
A person can do all the in house testing and bench race paper testing they want but the street is where the proof is.

Is that the same 4 core that I posted earlier??...... If it is, what's your take on the quality??....

[skullbucket]

Its a Champion from Atomic Radiator off ebay.
i'll continue to buy that brand until they go out of business.

[Barry Donovan]

The OEMs spent a million times more money developing cooling systems than any aftermarket radiator company. It's worth studying what they do and trying to apply it to hotrodding, IMO.

I agree.
the overlapping engines (anything beyond four cyl), they think they can get away with anyhting..the monster lingers. A fan is a first to get bit.

I paid too much for a little itty bitty brass copper radiator, was not happy at all at first. A rare oem option for my tin can of the late 80s...best thing I ever changed my mind over.

there is physics in long runs.
some fans are designed to kick on with a/c as well.

tc is not wrong about being as cheap as possible, but you can use what is given to really think out a better setup and not be extreme.

"just cool it" is pretty stupid.

[silver_bullet]

i try to follow both schools of thought that are being discussed here... the auto manufacturers are spending a ton of money on the design of the system, and then butcher the engineer's design with the pencil pusher's cost per unit compromise... usually the part that gets cheeped on is the radiator, as most consumers do not push a factory vehicle to it's capabilities.. i therefore tend to try to use factory fans and controls, as those must be reliable enough to survive the lease period or warranty...
usually upgrade the wire gauge and have found that the replacement radiators from the local O'Reilley's often have a much thicker core, and a lifetime warranty!

[anotheridiot]

Is that the same 4 core that I posted earlier??...... If it is, what's your take on the quality??....

I am pretty sure you said yours was a 2 core, which is why I questioned the fans.

[TC]

I am pretty sure you said yours was a 2 core, which is why I questioned the fans.

Dude do you even read these threads??....... Go back a couple of pages, I posted a link to a 4 row radiator that I will be using in my Monte........ That is what I'm talking about........

[anotheridiot]

Dude do you even read these threads??....... Go back a couple of pages, I posted a link to a 4 row radiator that I will be using in my Monte........ That is what I'm talking about........

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........

No I was talking about this one, you said it was 2 core not 4 core.

It is kinda hard to keep track of posts between everyone calling you stupid, but I never read anything about you using a 4 core radiator. Maybe you were mentioning in one of your other projects, or museum pieces.

[TC]

No I was talking about this one, you said it was 2 core not 4 core.

It is kinda hard to keep track of posts between everyone calling you stupid, but I never read anything about you using a 4 core radiator. Maybe you were mentioning in one of your other projects, or museum pieces.

Ya it does suck that some people need to pad their ego's, it does really screw a thread up........

Anyway it's like this, I have 3 radiators that are all 2 core all aluminum radiators, two of them are for the '71 GMC and Camaro(the one's I posted pics of), the other one is in my '99 Camaro............ If you go back a few pages to Post #137 I posted this(below)..... Which is a 4 row all aluminum radiator that I'm going to get for the Monte....... I know with all the project cars I have it's kind of hard to keep up, so hopefully this clears things up........

And for anyone that cares, I also found this 4 row all aluminum radiator that they rate at 1000hp, I'll probably being using this on the Monte.....



http://www.ebay.com/itm/261066546958...ht_6261wt_1397

[OldMachinist]

I thought you only used Ron Davis radiators. Will his son fab a shroud for this cheap Chinese one?

[TC]

I thought you only used Ron Davis radiators. Will his son fab a shroud for this cheap Chinese one?

I guess with a lot of you guys being Noobs to this site, you really have no clue about my cars..... And after so many years of talking about them I tend to think everyone knows about them..... Anyway I never said I only use Ron Davis Radiators, I would like to see that post, as all my radiators came off Ebay.......... What I have said countless times is that my friend works there and is Ron's son and let me make this clear he did the fan shrouds at his house, not at his work, it was side work for him, which I had done years ago. Will I have him make me another shroud for the radiator for the Monte?? I haven't made up my mind yet, as I was thinking of getting another welder that has a spool gun so I can mig aluminum and go at trying to make one myself......