The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop electric cooling fans

Has anyone who runs a 235 in their truck without the "short water pump" ever considered removing the fan blade and putting an electric fan in front of the radiator?
My fan blade is about 1/4" from the radiator and if I break the belt it would take some nimble work to replace it. It has been that way for more than 10 years and the last time I did change the belt is when I pulled the rad about 3 years ago.
Was thinking that maybe one of those electric units might do the job but would need to know what size and how/where to wire it.

You can order them from several sources but the cheapest way to to measure the size you can use and go to the nearest auto salvage yard. You can wire it with a relay or buy a temp. controled switch that is adjustable and it will start whenever the temp gets where you like it. each item should cost about $30 I have a extra fan but you are a little too far away. Works well in my warmed over 350 so should handle yours.

My '49 has a '56 235 in it and I had to use the 'shorty' water pump. I too am considering using a pusher type fan to gain 5 horsepower or so they say and a 'quieter' engine. Do belt-driven fans really make that much noise? Try here http://www.the-fan-man.com/.

I have a 235 in my 52 with next to no clearence. I actually had one blade fly off and land on the crossmember. I was running about 2500 rpm when it happened and it twisted the belt but somewhow did not even scratch the radiator.
I was only about 3,000 miles from home at the time. I used a hacksaw to cut the opposing blade off. with a two bladed fan I was able to get to where I could find another old one with no problems.
If you keep the setup you have you may want to check your fan for cracks, mine had had one blade cracked through the rivets for a long time apparently.

Be careful when buying used mechanical fan blades.
I've been told that cracks in the old fans are not uncommon. I recently bought a used fan from Bow Tie Bits, www.bowtiebits.com they check all the fan blades for cracks, sandblast and prime them before sending them out.
If they fan blade lets go, more often than not they will grenade the radiator as well, and radiator repair/replacement isn't cheap. On the electric fan side, if you're buying a new one look for one that has a replaceable motor. Many of the electric fans out there in aftermarketland, don't have replaceable motors, if the motor croaks you've got to buy a whole new fan assembly. One other word of caution about cooling system "STOUGH" in general, antifreeze is pure murder on cats and dogs, they love the smell and taste of it but it absolutely lethal to them, so please if you've got pets, clean up the spills quickly and keep the four legged animals away from the antifreeze .
JimBo

Jimbo- Good point on the anit-freeze! It causes lukemia in cats and dogs, and it smells and tastes like candy to a kid.

They now make a pet-safe anti-freeze, which I use in all my cars even though it costs a few bucks more.

On the fan issue, I got a new one from Patrick's, I think it wasn't too much. $20??

My machine shop guy also races cars and runs a speed shop for racers- suits, slicks, engine parts, helmets... Asked him about swapping to a plastic 6 blade and he told me racers with heat problems go to four blades like the stock fan in the AD, 'cause it works better. Then I noticed four bladed fans in the speedway catelog!

NM51:
I was talking with an engine builder who had put a Flex Fan in his P/U with a chevy small block.
One day at the track he wound it waaaay up puked
antifreeze all over the track....The Strip owwner was NOT pleased...cause of the problem the fan had flexed too much and tore up the radiator core!!! Beware Flex Fans...granted no one is going to twist an inliner that had, but I personally would rather get bad news from OTHER FOLKS experiences than my own.