dennyb68 11 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 I'm going to get rid of my electric fan and run a blade does anyone see any problems or have any horror stories with this style fan? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SA69mach 39 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 As long as it is no larger in diameter than 17.125 inches it will work without hitting the lower radiator hose. I run a similar one on my 302, but will probably change out to the clutch fan this season, with the conventional stock fan to suit. A few horror stories of the fans coming apart at high revs, and taking out the hood, fan belts, air con power steering etc. Have not experienced that over the last 5000 miles and two years myself, but to be fair, I am wary of them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gsxrken 21 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 They are very noisy, noticeable even over a rowdy exhaust. They can move a lot of air at idle which you'll notice if you're tuning the carb or fiddling under the hood. Curious to hear why you're bailing on the electric. Most guys go from he flex fan, to a clutch fan, and then a handful go to electric.... In that order. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rsanter 152 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 Those fans are junk IMO There are aftermarket fans that have the nicly curved blades that are much better Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dennyb68 11 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 I had an electric fan fail on the other engine and things got pretty hot before I was able to get pulled over and shut it down. I want to change over to the blade and shroud just so I know that when the engine is running the fan is moving air. The fan that failed was a slim design that mounted in the center of the radiator and worked well before it failed. The fan that I replaced it with was thicker and I had to mount it to the right side of the radiator so about 1/3 of my radiator has no air from the fan flowing thru it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BandBSTANGS 15 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 Before I would go to that fan I would check in to a Ford Contour dual fan setup if you have the room and have the large radiator. Fans are available both used and thru Rock Auto Parts and I would assume other vendors Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969_Mach1 333 Report post Posted January 18, 2015 I've seen blades break off of that style fan. Take a look at Derale's flex fans. In my opinion Derale has a good quality fan. If you consider a clutch fan be certain to look at the max RPM spec on the clutch. It is usually fairly low. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moodster 55 Report post Posted January 19, 2015 Ford made lots of fans in the 70's that were stainless with 2-3 flexible blades... they worked well and were built strong... I'm doubtful you'd ever find one that lost a blade. Anyways if you went to a junkyard you could probably pick one up pretty cheap. david Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DRASTiK 22 Report post Posted January 19, 2015 Aside from the reports of the blades coming off of that style of fan (thankfully, I haven't experienced it myself), there are also some concerns about the blades becoming straight at high rpm, and therefore not moving air at that speed. This would only be a potential issue if you were doing a lot of hi-rpm driving, such as road racing though. For regular driving duties, it will probably work fine. I'd make it a point to regularly check the rivets and blades on that fan though. If you ever detect any play in them, replace the fan ASAP. NOTE: I'm referring to the style of fan pictured in the OP that was (maybe still is) commonly available in auto parts stores for years. Some were cheaply built. I'm not referring to an OEM style fan. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian Conway 264 Report post Posted January 19, 2015 This fan has been on my car for at least 5 years. Pretty sure it is a Hayden flex fan at about $45. This one is a little over 18" and does what it is supposed to do with no complaints. Brian Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rip Rock 13 Report post Posted January 20, 2015 Before I would go to that fan I would check in to a Ford Contour dual fan setup if you have the room and have the large radiator. Fans are available both used and thru Rock Auto Parts and I would assume other vendors I ended up using a ford taurus fan, single fan, because of my rad size. No regrets for 30$ From a local pic and pull. Before my taurus fan I ran a spal electric fan. It was the only thing that would cool my 351c. She used to run hot no matter what until I switched over to electric. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dennyb68 11 Report post Posted January 25, 2015 I bought the contour fan and I'm going to give it a try. 30.00 at the bone yard. It was a major pita to get it out but I got it. it fits the radiator perfectly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JD08 42 Report post Posted January 27, 2015 Out of curiosity, what are the dimensions of that Contour setup? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miketyler 15 Report post Posted January 27, 2015 $30 was a good deal for that unit. Most places around here want $75-$100 pulled for Contour/Mystique fan. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danno 128 Report post Posted January 27, 2015 I am kind of with Denny. The electrical fan is one more thing that can fail. I suppose a normal fan can also fail because of a bad belt, but you need the belt anyway to run the water pump. So what is the real advantage of electric fans? They usually require you to get a larger alternator also. So why bother? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rip Rock 13 Report post Posted January 27, 2015 For me, I like to shut my fan off on the highway, because I don't need it, and sometimes after some spirited driving I like to leave my fan on with the engine off. I really depends on the cars set up for sure, to use electric or not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969_Mach1 333 Report post Posted January 27, 2015 My thoughts are if your application doesn't truly require an electric fan, such as it might for racing, then don't use one. They may seem like a great idea. . . . . until it fails or the brushes simply wear out and your spending another $200 or so to replace it. In most cases, they are much noisier than a flex fan or rigid blade clutch fan. I've never replaced a good quality flex fan and only replaced a couple of fan clutches in my time. But I've replaced at least a couple dozen electric fans. Plus, they tend to draw a lot of electrical current which is something else you need to consider. I would rather install a good flex fan, like a Derale, or a good clutch fan setup, before an electrical fan. THAT IS NOT MY THUMBNAIL. SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED WITH THE NEW FORUM SOFTWARE. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
barnett468 418 Report post Posted January 27, 2015 I bought the contour fan and I'm going to give it a try. 30.00 at the bone yard. It was a major pita to get it out but I got it. it fits the radiator perfectly YOU SHOULD RUN A FAN CONTROLLER WITH THAT TO AVOID PROBLEMS . . I WOULD BUY ONE FROM DCC. http://www.dccontrol.com/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BandBSTANGS 15 Report post Posted January 27, 2015 I have a controller on mine with the high side fan on a switch so I can turn on at any time when needed. My engine has been hot rodded so I like the extra cooling and I added a 3g alternator so that fans, msd, stereo, and halogen lights on relays work properly. On the road late model components will probably be easier to find and are engineered to go 100,000 to 150,00 miles should any problems arise. Different strokes for different folks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MAD IN NC 21 Report post Posted January 28, 2015 On on of my other car (SBC), I had a cooling issue, thought about the flex but gave up due to; 1.) Noise, 2.) cools at idle and city driving but, 3.) at highway speed it is restrictive and effectively a blocking device between radiator and engine. So I went from a 5 blade to 7 blade w clutch and the car nows floats around 180 to 200 degrees. For the Mach1 ended up going with a "pusher fan" on the outside of radiator as the serp/ March system did not give me the clearance I needed on the inside of radiator. To augment the fan I added a new thermostat housing ($20 from NPD) in order to put a 180 degree sensor in it and have the car wired so at 180+ the fan comes on automatically and shuts down around 170.. All good. If I drove 50,000 mile per yr I would have gone fan/ clutch but the Mach1 might see 2k per year max so I'm not worried about the issue of life expectancy... the price you pay to make the car run great and look good i figured........ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dennyb68 11 Report post Posted January 29, 2015 The fan is 15 1/2 X 24" and just under 3" thick.. My plan is to wire this up and if one fan fails the other will still run. I like the clean look under the hood with the electric and the safty when working under the hood. From what I've read these fans are awesome. This sucker really pulls the air if any birds fly within 5 feet it will suck them into the radiator. I will run a controller. I had these other fans already and the shroud so i'm out nothing except the $30 I spent on the fan..The advantage is 10 HP from what I can come up with.. . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BandBSTANGS 15 Report post Posted February 7, 2015 When we put the contour fans on my 70 coupe and turned both fans on at same time it actually pulled my shorts away from my legs (summer time and standing next to rad supt with no sheetmetal on frt of car. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
po51 21 Report post Posted February 7, 2015 Anybody running a fan clutch on their stang? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
barnett468 418 Report post Posted February 7, 2015 Anybody running a fan clutch on their stang? well i have several mustangs . . some have a clutch . . some don't Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rodbrady 18 Report post Posted February 14, 2015 I'm planning on running a clutch fan, however, when I was test fitting the setup, looks like I need a 1/2" spacer to clear the crank pulley. Any reason I couldn't run a short spacer between the water pump and clutch? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
