The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Low $ shroud.....don't laugh, it works!!

With todays financial crisis, my budget for the truck has been virtually eliminated so I've been looking for some creative ways to save some money. With that in mind I came up with a low budget, low tech fan shroud.This is what I came up with. It's two 17x11 baking sheets I got from Walmart for $10. I cut off one side of each one, traced and cut out the hole for the electric fan and bolted the halves together. I then bolted the fan over the hole and used plastic ties to secure it to the radiator. It works good considering what it's are made of and there's plenty of clearance. I know I'll more than likely replace the radiator & get another shroud eventually, but for now I'll use this setup! Stop laughing!!

Hey - no laughing here. Plato once said that necessity is the mother of invention. Good job.

54TOW.....I'll second that! And any dead bugs that get through won't stick!

Now only if he sprays it with PAM!! Ha. Ha.
On the serious side that is using the brain for something other than dreaming. Good Job.
62Blue
Don

Great ingenuity, looks good also, great work!!!

YUP...that is one cool pc. of engineering..and might I say THRIFTY!!!!...good for you !
Tim

Looks good to me man. You need to Patent that "The mobileortho Non-Stick Fan Shroud" maybe you can sell the concept to Ronco.

I salvaged the two fans off the firebird that I got my TPI out of, How big is that fan? Is it aftermarket or one that was on the car you got the engine from?

Steve

Cool!!

Hey, I like the sound of that!!
The fan is actually one that was on the radiator when I got the truck. Looks like the PO was using it as a backup to the stock fan.

Looks good... now you're cookin'!

~Trev

Great use of ingenuity.

GREAT IDEA !! I like it !

I'm not laughing, I used a heavy duty cake pan to make the transmission "hump" in one of my 48 1.5 tons. No one is the wiser unless I point it out to them,
Scott

Now for the burning question- - - - - -how does it work under max-load conditions? I'd be very reluctant to put much of a heat load on that radiator with that much of the core blocked off to the passage of ram air at highway speed. It might work OK for idling around town in a traffic jam, but something tells me when there's a heavy load in the bed and you're on a steep hill at cruise speed, the temp is going to skyrocket.
Jerry

Watch your temp gauge and carry some tools with you. If it gets too hot pull it off and go to plan "B".

Not really planning on hauling anything but far as the overall design goes, I patterned it after something like this. I figured that if they could market it and sell it for $185, surely my $10 version should work as well.

I used a 100qt pot and a Mirro Snow coaster once to make an aluminum fan shroud. 'Roders use what they have on had.

I don't want to burst any bubbles, but don't some of those cookie sheets rust? I know I have some that has if I didn't wipe them down well. I do love the thought, and always love the idea of using whats on hand! Great work!

A suggestion re. rust. Check with the scrap metal yards or used restaurant equipment suppliers or restaurant equipment auctions for stainless steel. It sells by the pound and while not too cheap something that size could not be much.

I agree Scott....Is that not the whole 'ethos' of Rodding?

It's all too easy to break out the cheque book nowadays.
Back in the 40's and 50's the guys used what they had available.

Sure it's nice that there are suppliers to "cater" for our needs. (pun intended!)
I myself have scoured the junkyards for alternative answers to things like the windshield wipers for my A.D. I'm using a series one Land Rover set-up with slight modification.

Jock

"It's all too easy to break out the cheque book nowadays.
Back in the 40's and 50's the guys used what they had available."

Most stuff back then, today we call "rat rods". No one could afford a 15000.00 paint job or a body man at $____ an hour and if you didn't have the skills necessary you "made do".

But today we whine if we must pay $3 a gal. to put gas in our cushy cars. 29 cents a gallon sounds like heaven today but entertainment was so limited cruising between teenage hangouts was about all we had.

I still can't!! I want to make sure I have a dependable cruiser or "ratrod". Most of my parts were gathered from the junk yards or ebay, or I just made them up as I went along with my limited skills. I try to make due with what I have lying around. Heck, I don't evn have a garage!! I'm thinking very seriously on just a black satin paint job when I'm all done that I may even try to do myself.

That's the best way to go. When you're finished you will have much more pride in the product if you did it yourself.

And that is what I am talking about. Mobile, I myself am looking to go the flat black route....with red wheels

Scott

Satin Black and red steelies it's hard to beat!!
Just remember to use a flat/satin top coat, primer is porous and lets the moisture in!!
Good luck!
Jock

Back in the day, when we would do piecemeal body work under a tree outside the house, on Saturdays, we would prime between steps. I remember if you left it on here too long it would disappear. I don't think we had that product back then.

What about a coat of clear on thop of the primer?

A satin clear coat would work, as long as it seals the primer I don't see that it would be a problem.

Good point!