Electric fan???

[Metal bee 68]

I've got a 72 swinger, 225 /6. Making it a daily driver. Is an electric radiator fan a good idea? And any recommendations are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[pentastarpro]

Going electric has never solved a temp problem for me.
Proper pulley ration & correct fan has always been sufficient.
Good luck.

 

[kursplat]

are you having an actual problem or just curious? no reason the stock setup, in good shape, shouldn't cool a stock motor

 

[Metal bee 68]

are you having an actual problem or just curious? no reason the stock setup, in good shape, shouldn't cool a stock motor

I'm putting it back together. I don't have a fan shroud and was curious if there are other better options.

 

[Mattax]

Shop manual will show if the factory thought it needed one.
They help mostly when the car is not moving - which these days is when we're stuck in traffic.
A shroud for '72 shouldn't be that difficult to find and mount. It's the pre-70 shrouds that are somewhat rare (but now reproduced).

To your original question.
Electrics are not usually as good as mechanical in terms of airflow.
More important IMO, adding an electric load to these cars, especially something like a fan that will be running at idle, really requires some modifications to the original wiring strategy.

 

[kursplat]

I'm putting it back together. I don't have a fan shroud and was curious if there are other better options.

22" or 19" radiator? do a want ad or hit some wrecking yards. /6 fan shrouds shouldn't be too hard to find. that car can make a great daily driver, just need to work out the kinks

 

[Mike69cuda]

I was just out looking for a 22 fan shroud. Bought one off a dodge truck at pick & pull awhile back and it worked fine. Went looking for another one. Never imagined there was such a dizzying array of fan shrouds. Must have got lucky the first time. Couldn’t find anything close. All the old stuff is long gone around here.

Wound up making one out of a couple of Ford Explorer top halves. Too cheap to spend $200 for a repop.

 

[kursplat]

check out this thread too. i know the thread is old but Dan say's they're still a good source for parts

Old Car Parts Northwest
1120 SW 16th St. #7
Renton, WA 98057
Phone: 425-572-0764
Email: ray@ocpnw.com

 

[devilchicken]

I have electric fans cooling my big block and they work fine for me but I had to do a whole slew of other upgrades as well. I have a universal relay/power block to power the fans and to not tax the original wiring, a Dakota digital fan controller so I can dial in when the fans turn on and off. Lastly I had to upgrade the alternator to a 100 amp unit and the main charging wire from the alternator from 12ga to 8ga to handle the power requirements. This the direction I went with for cooling a big block in a A body and if you are just keeping things as a daily driver I would stay with the factory pieces but if you do decide to install a electric fan look at it from the point of view of what other pieces are required to complement the fan (wiring, thermostat, upgraded alternator, etc)

 

[harrisonm]

I had some problems years ago with my 69 Barracuda with a moderately modified 340. I fiddled around with several electric fan combos with no relief. I finally went with a stock fan shroud and a 6 blade belt driven metal fan. Problem pretty much solved. On a HOT day with the AC running, it does get a bit warm, but it has never boiled over.

 

[RustyRatRod]

No.

 

[j par]

I have an electric fan and have use them for a long time. I recommend them in all of my customers hot rods as well...
I do not like the "whirling blade of death" as I call it..
First you have to run it as a puller which is much more efficient. Also a simple temperature sensor hooked up to a relay. Most parts store alternators are a little over 60 amps which is plenty. Those hundred amp alternators don't really do anything until they're up to a RPM... as in there not helping at idle in traffic any more than a parts store one... This is where a good battery comes in to kind of take up the slack for those moments when the alternator can't put out...
I'm a fan of electric fans......

 

[goldduster318]

I would say they both can work fine. The most important thing here is your radiator - so basically your radiator should be able to keep the car cool with no fan at all at a cruising speed, and only really need it at idle on a warm-ish day.

Also, a lot of the aftermarket electric fans are just crap to begin with, so I don't doubt a lot of you had issues. You want to use one adapted from an OEM application of some sort. There are a lot of good ones for different sized radiators, Ford Contour 2.5 V6 for a 26" rad or a Taurus 3.8L fan for a smaller one are usually good places to start. I have heard of HHR fans and some other ones that are decent as well.

In my case i have a 340, champion 26" 3-row, and the Ford Contour fans - and I only need the low speed. I'm also not losing 25 hp by running a fixed fan.

You will need a better alternator to run such a big fan, which would mean no factory Chrysler roundbacks or square-backs because they don't put out much at idle. I have a delco 12SI on my engine and it puts out about 55A at idle and it's only a 78A version.

 

[BillGrissom]

To match the airflow of an engine-driven fan, you need a powerful electric fan. The 2-speed Taurus fan move a lot of air and is popular with hot-rodders. If you can fit an engine fan & shroud, do so. My 1985 M-B diesel has both an engine-driven fan and pusher electric fan. The electric fan turns on from refrigerant temperature, so its main purpose is to cool the evaporator when idling. Even that isn't sufficient, since the AC gets noticeably warmer when sitting at a long stoplight. That is also true for my 2002 Chrysler minivan, and yes I verified that both fans turn on. Once you start moving 30 mph, the AC gets noticeably cooler.

 

[goldduster318]

Yeah, it's interesting when my uncle's 2008 Silverado 2500 with 9600 GVWR has electric fans, I think they've come a long way, but they do it for fuel economy and also as you mentioned to make the A/C work better.

 

[DrCharles]

To match the airflow of an engine-driven fan, you need a powerful electric fan. The 2-speed Taurus fan move a lot of air and is popular with hot-rodders.

The Contour dual fans move a lot of air, and fit nicely on a 26" radiator. Keeps my 451 cool in mid-90's humid Missouri summers

The electric fan turns on from refrigerant temperature, so its main purpose is to cool the evaporator when idling. Even that isn't sufficient, since the AC gets noticeably warmer when sitting at a long stoplight. That is also true for my 2002 Chrysler minivan, and yes I verified that both fans turn on. Once you start moving 30 mph, the AC gets noticeably cooler.

I believe you meant, "cool the condenser"

Sounds like you don't have enough condenser if both fans are working and the A/C warms up. Or did you do a conversion to R-134a on your MB diesel?

I used to own several (220D, 240D, 300SD) and on the 60 hp 220D I'd turn off the a/c when I needed every hp sometimes

 

[AJ/FormS]

I don't have a fan shroud and was curious if there are other better options.

My slanty has no shroud either, and just a 4-blade fan. It's been that way since I got it in 1994.

 

[BillGrissom]

I believe you meant, "cool the condenser"
Sounds like you don't have enough condenser if both fans are working and the A/C warms up. Or did you do a conversion to R-134a on your MB diesel?

Correct, I meant the "condenser". Like most older cars, our 1985 M-B has a 1-tube copper condenser. The parallel-flow aluminum condensers in modern cars give 30% better cooling, so some owners retrofit one. Some also change from the Harrison R4 compressor (used in many Chevy's) to a modern Sanden 7-piston. I did until the aftermarket bracket cracked, but didn't notice the Sanden worked any better. Our 2002 T&C has a parallel tube but still the AC doesn't work well when idling at a long stoplight. A disadvantage of parallel condensers is that you can't flush out debris like older ones, though most people today just install a new condenser. Many owners think M-B under-designed the AC for the U.S., especially CA Central Valley where I live (110 F days plus evil sun), but the heater is built for frigid German winters, having a monster 3-tube Behr heater core as found in semi-trucks and climate system which disables the cabin fan until the coolant is hot so no risk blowing cold air on rich owners (Germans fear 'une draft' will sicken them).