cooling fans
06-03-2009, 01:15 PM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: arizona
Posts: 421
cooling fans
i have a 1970 mustang with factory ac and a 4 row radiator. im here in arizona where temps can hit 125 degrees. if i get stuck at a light it will get up to 220 degrees and wondered how i would add a couple of electric cooling fans in front of the radiator. ii already have a aftermarket fan blade that does a lot better than the original but figured it would be nice to have the added insurance. i have a aluminum bladed fan on my jeep and a spal pusher electric in front and when i turn it on it really makes a difference. i was thinking about two 10" elect. fans, one on each side of the hood support bracket that runs down the front of the radiator. any thoughts on this, any ideas.
06-03-2009, 02:17 PM
#4
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 588
a electric fan and a mechanical fan probably wont fit unless you have a really really thin electrical fan. i know my electric fan is about an inch or two from my water pump pulley so if your mechanical fan is flat against your pully it might fit
06-03-2009, 02:56 PM
#5
6th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: PA
Posts: 5,232
i have a 1970 mustang with factory ac and a 4 row radiator. im here in arizona where temps can hit 125 degrees. if i get stuck at a light it will get up to 220 degrees and wondered how i would add a couple of electric cooling fans in front of the radiator. ii already have a aftermarket fan blade that does a lot better than the original but figured it would be nice to have the added insurance. i have a aluminum bladed fan on my jeep and a spal pusher electric in front and when i turn it on it really makes a difference. i was thinking about two 10" elect. fans, one on each side of the hood support bracket that runs down the front of the radiator. any thoughts on this, any ideas.
06-03-2009, 03:12 PM
#6
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Texas Hill Country
Posts: 2,100
I am not quite that hot in south Texas, but it regularly hits 100 here. I too had overheating issues with the A/C running in traffic. I can tell you there is no need to run an electric fan unless you just feel like it. The key to getting an engine to cool is having:
1. Enough cool outside air movement through the radiator for heat exchange
2. Enough surface area for the water to exchange the heat to the moving air
3. Enough water movement (no restrictions) so hot water can get quenched
4. A properly functioning thermostat so the hot water has adequate time to cool before new hot water pushes it through.
That being said, I replaced my factory radiator with an nice Griffin aluminum radiator. I replaced the thermostat with a 180* high flow version. I installed a new water pump. I even played with the timing. None of this helped my problem.
What finally helped me was two things.
1. I replaced the stock small block 16" fan with a big block 19" Flex-a-lite fan. I had to upgrade my shroud from a stock FSB shroud to a big block shroud, but everything just fit.
2. I relocated my condensing coil mounts in front of the radiator so that it was closer to the radiator and more up right.
These two things gave me MUCH more air flow through the radiator. I can now leave my A/C blowing full blast with the car idling in traffic 95+* and it never gets above 192. Your 1970 should be very similar to my '69 so check it out.
I do not know what exactly your problem is (see 1-4 above), but unless the electric fan pulls more air than your current mechanical fan, it will not help you. I found very little data to tell me how much air, if any, an electric fan could pull vs. a 19" flex fan with a big block shroud. Do not drink the cool-aid just cuz someone tells you to. Remember monkey see monkey do. I can tell you from experience that a 19" fan with a good shroud and a little tweak to the A/C coil was much easier, much cheaper, and more reliable than the electric fan options I investigated.
1. Enough cool outside air movement through the radiator for heat exchange
2. Enough surface area for the water to exchange the heat to the moving air
3. Enough water movement (no restrictions) so hot water can get quenched
4. A properly functioning thermostat so the hot water has adequate time to cool before new hot water pushes it through.
That being said, I replaced my factory radiator with an nice Griffin aluminum radiator. I replaced the thermostat with a 180* high flow version. I installed a new water pump. I even played with the timing. None of this helped my problem.
What finally helped me was two things.
1. I replaced the stock small block 16" fan with a big block 19" Flex-a-lite fan. I had to upgrade my shroud from a stock FSB shroud to a big block shroud, but everything just fit.
2. I relocated my condensing coil mounts in front of the radiator so that it was closer to the radiator and more up right.
These two things gave me MUCH more air flow through the radiator. I can now leave my A/C blowing full blast with the car idling in traffic 95+* and it never gets above 192. Your 1970 should be very similar to my '69 so check it out.
I do not know what exactly your problem is (see 1-4 above), but unless the electric fan pulls more air than your current mechanical fan, it will not help you. I found very little data to tell me how much air, if any, an electric fan could pull vs. a 19" flex fan with a big block shroud. Do not drink the cool-aid just cuz someone tells you to. Remember monkey see monkey do. I can tell you from experience that a 19" fan with a good shroud and a little tweak to the A/C coil was much easier, much cheaper, and more reliable than the electric fan options I investigated.
06-03-2009, 09:07 PM
#7
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: California
Posts: 10,468
A pusher fan works better when you use a large single fan. If you're having overheating issues, then your fan sucks, needs a better shroud or your radiator sucks or needs to be cleaned. If it's fan related, then just stick an electric on it.
06-04-2009, 10:05 PM
#10
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Cypress, Texas
Posts: 149
JMO, but unless you want an original look the electric fan is the way to go. I put one on my car, and outside of adding disc brakes, it is by far my favorite upgrade to the car. I had some serious cooling issues when I got my car, and don't ever want to go back to that again. With my setup the car never gets above 185 degrees. I don't run a shroud with mine, but the fan covers about 75% of the radiator anyway.