The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop fan shroud? need one? make one? buy one?

swapped out the OEM radiator when i transplanted a 350 into my '50 AD. since i added the aftermarket radiator many years ago, i can't even recall the brand name, the engine runs just about right temperature wise, but extended periods of idling cause the guage to creep up.

i thought that by adding a shroud to the radiator, i could trap more air coming from the high performance fan? anybody solved this problem with a aftermarket shroud or a homemade solution?

i guess i could add a pusher fan of some sort, but i'd like to explore the simpler (and less $$$) solution first.

i so wish stovebolt.com was around when i stated this project a long time ago!

if the fan is further than about 3/4" from the rad, you should have a shroud - might find one from the vendors, or just check wrecking yards for 60's 70's GM cars, many of which had'em - I found 1 and adapted it easily to my 58

Bill

Does your 350 fan 'cut' the radiator lower than it should? Most do. The experts say the fan should 'cut' the upper/middle section of the radiator. You might be looking at an electric fan with shroud. I'd try what Red58 said first and you might get lucky.

The aftermarket fiberglass ones are junk. I bought one & returned it. The best way is to find a salvage but the older ones are rare & guys want a fortune for one. Red has a good idea about a later one but I,ve never tried that.

make one

http://www.the-rumbler.com/fanshroud-1.html

okay... here's the plan

a. go home and measure fan to rad distance... i'm betting it is much larger than 3/4 of an inch

b. determine the "cut" which again, i think is lower than it should be

c. measure for a donor shroud and proceed to junk yard

d. based on results, thumb through Jegs & Summit to see how much an electric fan would cost me

Jim... thanks for the make the shroud link... even tho i've done everything on this truck from sandblasting to bending brake lines, making a shroud might be low on the list of solutions... darn, now you got me thinking i could do it

An electric pusher fan might be cheaper than you think. Try E-bay or pull one from a junk yard... Maybe getting your fan blades closer to the fan would help, or if you have lots of space a fan clutch might make sense. Another option might be to try 'wetter water' in the coolant. Its an additive that helps cool the engine and really works.

Speedway carries a blow molded hi-temp plastic fan shroud for all different dimension radiators,including the stock size 47-59 radiator which they claim can drop engine temps by 30 degrees. The shroud for the 47-59 Chevy radiator runs about $78 + Shipping and comes un-cut so you can put the hole exactly where it should be based on where your fan blades are in relation to the radiator. The part number is 820-70. Here's some pictures:

Shroud

Shroud2

Have to admit I really don't like pusher fans. To me it always seem like you are in fact impeding airflow by putting something in front of the radiator.

Even if your fan is more than 3/4" away from the radiator, it should still be relatively simple with some thin aluminum from one of the home improvement stores to make your own shroud and assemble it with a poprivet gun. All you're trying to do is direct the airflow towards the fan.

Or you could visit an a/c shop that makes ductwork and ask them to fab something up for you.

I am running a aftermarket aluminum radiator with a pusher fan I picked up at the local salvage yard for #10. Running a 190 deg. thermostat, and a 17lb cap, with no shroud Have expierenced no overheating on the hottest days. Temp might rise to 200deg for a short period.

If your fan is not as close to the back of the radiator as you wish it can be cured. They make a fan spacer in different lengths that you put between the fan and pully. Where the fan sits in relationship to a shroud is as important as the fans distance to the radiator without a shroud. The spacers arn't expensive. You might put one on to space the fan correctly without the shroud to test if a shroud in even needed.

thanks for all the replies... right now i have a spacer on the fan as long as they make them and thefan is still too far from the rad... it's even a high performance fan... so i'm going to take a look at the shroud mentioned by NM51... thanks by the way for the speedway kink...

NM51... how did you know the 820-70 fits the AD rads? i didn't see a fitment chart...

thanks!

I stayed with the stock AD radiator and 350 with a belt driven fan. I didn't want another maintenance item. I used an empty pizza box to make a pattern, had to relocate my radiator mounts to get enough room, in hind site I should have put the motor back a little farther. See it
http://community.webshots.com/user/zeker6
look under Zekes'AD, Zeke

I bought one of the aftermarket ones.And yeah its fiberglas,and it works just fine.I had to trim it a little bit for a giood fit.