My 53' has those X-braces and I had to cut them out because I re-positioned the mounting flanges and moved the top of the radiator away from the fan. My clearance on the fablade is close at the bottom only now but is still OK. I used a fan from a 56' Chevy car and everything works really well. No cooling problems at all so I'm glad I didn't invest in the electric pusher fans as I had first considered. Incidently my engine is a 235 and I used the new water pump from Patricks.
