Also have the Contour fan here. The controller was the only expensive part, it was $35 for the fan assy. I don't even use the high speed on the fan ever even at the Woodward Dream Cruise on a high 80's day.
Yes, you can't run a stock charging system. The stock system is pure garbage anyway, long tortured path, undersized wiring, alternators with poor total and at idle output. It should be changed on everyone's car since they basically can't even keep the headlights fully bright at idle with nothing else on. Of course you could upgrade your charging system for about $150 if you know what you are doing and have no more issues.
Cooling systems didn't really change too much but you do need a fan/shroud that fits your radiator. There may be a slight advantage to a crossflow radiator but otherwise it's not terribly different. The air still has to flow through the radiator opening on an A-body. Of course it's also easy to size your radiator wrong or build a thermally inefficient engine.
For example, my uncle has a 2009 Chevy 2500 HD pickup that rolls down the road at almost 23000 lbs on a daily basis towing a skid loader. This truck has electric fans, stays cool, has the A/C blasting, and has 230,000 miles on it. It stays cool no problem.
The mechanical fan is a drag that is costing you HP, fuel mileage, etc, and it's turning when it doesn't need to. Generating 40A to run a bigger electric fan costs about 1hp with efficiency losses from the alternator, worst case 2hp. The mechanical fan is easily 10-30hp depending on what you have. And chances are at RPM the electric fan is off.
Back to the original poster - Sounds like your system works fine. I doubt you gain anything by cooling the temp down below what it runs at with no intervention.