The Saga of a Small Block Fan Shroud

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Bob67Barracuda

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Thought I'd share my fan shroud saga for posterity:

Prologue: A decade ago, my brother and I bought a '67 Barracuda convertible. The original 273 was long gone, replaced by a mid-'70s 318 at some point. A few years ago, we had a reconditioned 340 put in. (Read more about that story here:
https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/1967-barracuda-gets-the-340-it-deserves.409648/#post-1972109263).

The car didn't have a fan shroud when we bought it. With the 340 going in, we started researching radiators and shrouds -- mainly here on FABO. Idea was to figure out which shroud would match our existing radiator. Turns out we have the 22" 2785929, which the forum seems to tell us was for the big block 383 (even though our car was originally a 273). That radiator paired with the dreaded "one-year only" shroud 2785312. More research quickly indicated that this shroud is a rare part, or "unobtainium" as I've heard said.

We considered going with a bigger radiator and an aluminum shroud, but chose not to because we wanted to keep the stock look on the 340.

At some point, I set up an eBay alert for the 2785312 shroud. Forgot about it, of course, until one day eBay pinged me two years later about an auction. The shround on sale was in rough shape, with a bolted on metal patch and a big crack in another spot. No one was bidding (big surprise considering this was a 50-year-old hunk of broken plastic), and I nabbed the shroud for $25.

I took delivery and spent a day refurbishing -- fiberglass, epoxy and paint. Turned out pretty good.

IMG_8552.jpg
IMG_3294.PNG
IMG_8567.jpg
IMG_8574.jpg


Then my brother and I got lazy and set the shroud aside for a year. Finally this past week I got motivated. Bolt on part -- how hard could it be?

Ha. First order of business was thinking about the mounting bolts. At first, I naively thought I would just use regular bolts, lock washers and nuts. Then I realized there would be no way to reach inside the shroud to get the bolt/nut combo started and get a wrench on the nut. It became apparent I'd need some kind of mounted nut on the mounting holes of the metal radiator frame.

I saw some $60 kits referenced on FABO. But helpfully someone suggested just getting 1/4" U-bolt clips and 3/4" length bolts from the hardware store. My local Ace came through. Yay!

Time to test out the clips. First issue was that the mounting holes were too small for my 1/4" bolts. OK, time to widen the holes. The upper holes were easy peasy with a drill. But there was no way to get a drill in position for the lower holes... so back to the hardware store for a narrow round file. A few minutes on each hole and success!

Now time to test out the clips again... but wait, what's this? The clip won't go on far enough for the clip nut to line up with the mounting hole on the radiator frame. So it's time to put each clip into the vice and use a Dremel to shave off some metal. Again: success!

The clips fit now and it's time to bolt on the shroud. Remove the fan and fan clutch. Disconnect the upper radiator hose. Practice fit the shroud.

What the hell? I can't quite get the shroud into position... it won't seat down far enough for the holes on the shroud to line up with the radiator mounting holes. Time to file off some of the plastic on the bottom of the shroud. Success!

Shroud back in place, I struggled to get the bolts started into each nut clip. After much cursing, I get three of the bolts going. The fourth one -- lower passenger side -- there's no chance. The holes don't line up at all -- maybe 1/4 inch off. I think the radiator mounting frame is bent and there's no way to get leverage to bend it back. Or maybe the shroud itself is twisted from my fiberglass repair job. Either way, there's no getting that bolt it... so I skipped it.

With 3 of the 4 mounting bolts started, the shround is feeling pretty tight. Am I done?

Ha, ha. No. When I hand turn the fan, it hits the shroud on the bottom. OMG how can this be?

Now I'm in WTF mode. I'm just going to leave the shroud in place and shave it down. Drill with filing bit. Dremel. Hand file. I'm just going to town.

Eventually I get there. The fan turns freely. The shroud is tight.

Reattach the fan. Reattach the radiator hose.

Now I'm worried that somehow when I fire up the motor, it will rumble and send the fan blades ripping into the shroud.

But turn the key and we're good. I take a tepid ride around the block. Still good.

Now I've been driving in unseasonably nice October weather here in Minnesota -- and everything's fine!

The end... or is it?

IMG_3296.jpg
 
I do love me a good hot rodding story....Thanks!

No.....it is not the end....but you got this!
 
I'll be wrestling with the same thing over the winter on my 65 Formula S Barracuda. First I have to find a suitable shroud! I'm not so concerned about it being an original one. I just need one to increase cooling in traffic. 65"
 
wow that looks tight, you had better have good motor mounts or a torque strap of some kind.
 
I agree with Trapster. Radiator/shroud mounted to body. Fan/engine on rubber mounts.
If you are sure of the shroud application, then maybe the next step is to verify the fan diameter.
 
The sad part is the 614 or other 049? i forget, shroud might have bolted right in. We'll never know. Keep a good motor support on left side. If that biscuit turns loose the fan will eat the shroud.
 
Having the fan a tight fit in the shroud is good: fan will pull a lot of air.
You want about a 3/4" safety gap between the blades & shroud at the top & on the pass side. Rest of the area can be less, 1/2". If you cannot get this by juggling the shroud mounting, then I would trim the fan blade tips to get the clearance. I had do this with my fan.
 
The 312 shroud may be scarce, but the reproduction one from The Mopar Shop that says 68-69 A body applications fits the 67 rad perfectly.
 
How’s it going with the fan shroud? I did a lot of research on the whole 1967 fan shroud thing… my ‘67 Dart has a horrible homemade metal one and a 318 engine with aftermarket aluminum fan to complicate things. From what I can gather, ‘67 fan shrouds are different from ‘68+ ones because they had a smaller hole for the fan. With a 340 (post ‘67 engine) in the car, perhaps a ‘68+ small block fan shroud would have fit the fan better?
 
How’s it going with the fan shroud? I did a lot of research on the whole 1967 fan shroud thing… my ‘67 Dart has a horrible homemade metal one and a 318 engine with aftermarket aluminum fan to complicate things. From what I can gather, ‘67 fan shrouds are different from ‘68+ ones because they had a smaller hole for the fan. With a 340 (post ‘67 engine) in the car, perhaps a ‘68+ small block fan shroud would have fit the fan better?
I have the 68 shroud on my 67 with no problems, no modifications.
I have a factory 273 with the original radiator, fan and spacer, no clutch.


Alan
 
Thought I'd share my fan shroud saga for posterity:

Prologue: A decade ago, my brother and I bought a '67 Barracuda convertible. The original 273 was long gone, replaced by a mid-'70s 318 at some point. A few years ago, we had a reconditioned 340 put in. (Read more about that story here:
https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/1967-barracuda-gets-the-340-it-deserves.409648/#post-1972109263).

The car didn't have a fan shroud when we bought it. With the 340 going in, we started researching radiators and shrouds -- mainly here on FABO. Idea was to figure out which shroud would match our existing radiator. Turns out we have the 22" 2785929, which the forum seems to tell us was for the big block 383 (even though our car was originally a 273). That radiator paired with the dreaded "one-year only" shroud 2785312. More research quickly indicated that this shroud is a rare part, or "unobtainium" as I've heard said.

We considered going with a bigger radiator and an aluminum shroud, but chose not to because we wanted to keep the stock look on the 340.

At some point, I set up an eBay alert for the 2785312 shroud. Forgot about it, of course, until one day eBay pinged me two years later about an auction. The shround on sale was in rough shape, with a bolted on metal patch and a big crack in another spot. No one was bidding (big surprise considering this was a 50-year-old hunk of broken plastic), and I nabbed the shroud for $25.

I took delivery and spent a day refurbishing -- fiberglass, epoxy and paint. Turned out pretty good.

View attachment 1715803087 View attachment 1715803086 View attachment 1715803088 View attachment 1715803089

Then my brother and I got lazy and set the shroud aside for a year. Finally this past week I got motivated. Bolt on part -- how hard could it be?

Ha. First order of business was thinking about the mounting bolts. At first, I naively thought I would just use regular bolts, lock washers and nuts. Then I realized there would be no way to reach inside the shroud to get the bolt/nut combo started and get a wrench on the nut. It became apparent I'd need some kind of mounted nut on the mounting holes of the metal radiator frame.

I saw some $60 kits referenced on FABO. But helpfully someone suggested just getting 1/4" U-bolt clips and 3/4" length bolts from the hardware store. My local Ace came through. Yay!

Time to test out the clips. First issue was that the mounting holes were too small for my 1/4" bolts. OK, time to widen the holes. The upper holes were easy peasy with a drill. But there was no way to get a drill in position for the lower holes... so back to the hardware store for a narrow round file. A few minutes on each hole and success!

Now time to test out the clips again... but wait, what's this? The clip won't go on far enough for the clip nut to line up with the mounting hole on the radiator frame. So it's time to put each clip into the vice and use a Dremel to shave off some metal. Again: success!

The clips fit now and it's time to bolt on the shroud. Remove the fan and fan clutch. Disconnect the upper radiator hose. Practice fit the shroud.

What the hell? I can't quite get the shroud into position... it won't seat down far enough for the holes on the shroud to line up with the radiator mounting holes. Time to file off some of the plastic on the bottom of the shroud. Success!

Shroud back in place, I struggled to get the bolts started into each nut clip. After much cursing, I get three of the bolts going. The fourth one -- lower passenger side -- there's no chance. The holes don't line up at all -- maybe 1/4 inch off. I think the radiator mounting frame is bent and there's no way to get leverage to bend it back. Or maybe the shroud itself is twisted from my fiberglass repair job. Either way, there's no getting that bolt it... so I skipped it.

With 3 of the 4 mounting bolts started, the shround is feeling pretty tight. Am I done?

Ha, ha. No. When I hand turn the fan, it hits the shroud on the bottom. OMG how can this be?

Now I'm in WTF mode. I'm just going to leave the shroud in place and shave it down. Drill with filing bit. Dremel. Hand file. I'm just going to town.

Eventually I get there. The fan turns freely. The shroud is tight.

Reattach the fan. Reattach the radiator hose.

Now I'm worried that somehow when I fire up the motor, it will rumble and send the fan blades ripping into the shroud.

But turn the key and we're good. I take a tepid ride around the block. Still good.

Now I've been driving in unseasonably nice October weather here in Minnesota -- and everything's fine!

The end... or is it?

View attachment 1715803085

What's gonna happen if your engine torques up some on acceleration ?
 
"Zip-tie" the unaligned holes and flag to indicate that it is a tie and not a screw so that next time it's obvious.
 
I have the 68 shroud on my 67 with no problems, no modifications.
I have a factory 273 with the original radiator, fan and spacer, no clutch.


Alan

Hey Alan. Yes, I think the hole is a little larger on the ‘68+ model. So I figured it would work on the factory ‘67 273 fan. But thanks for the confirmation!
 
How’s it going with the fan shroud? I did a lot of research on the whole 1967 fan shroud thing… my ‘67 Dart has a horrible homemade metal one and a 318 engine with aftermarket aluminum fan to complicate things. From what I can gather, ‘67 fan shrouds are different from ‘68+ ones because they had a smaller hole for the fan. With a 340 (post ‘67 engine) in the car, perhaps a ‘68+ small block fan shroud would have fit the fan better?
No. Did you read my post up there^^^^^?
 
No. Did you read my post up there^^^^^?

65Val, mean when you said the 68-69 shroud fit your ‘67 radiator perfectly? Thanks for that info. I know it fits the ‘67 radiator, but with what engine/fan? I have heard it’s the hole (that the fan fits into) that is different. Not how it attaches to the radiator. Which might be why the OP is having an issue with the 340 fan fitting in too tightly. For example, my 318 with the ‘67 radiator might need the 68-69 shroud and not the 67 one. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
 
Thought I'd share my fan shroud saga for posterity:

Prologue: A decade ago, my brother and I bought a '67 Barracuda convertible. The original 273 was long gone, replaced by a mid-'70s 318 at some point. A few years ago, we had a reconditioned 340 put in. (Read more about that story here:
https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/1967-barracuda-gets-the-340-it-deserves.409648/#post-1972109263).

The car didn't have a fan shroud when we bought it. With the 340 going in, we started researching radiators and shrouds -- mainly here on FABO. Idea was to figure out which shroud would match our existing radiator. Turns out we have the 22" 2785929, which the forum seems to tell us was for the big block 383 (even though our car was originally a 273). That radiator paired with the dreaded "one-year only" shroud 2785312. More research quickly indicated that this shroud is a rare part, or "unobtainium" as I've heard said.

We considered going with a bigger radiator and an aluminum shroud, but chose not to because we wanted to keep the stock look on the 340.

At some point, I set up an eBay alert for the 2785312 shroud. Forgot about it, of course, until one day eBay pinged me two years later about an auction. The shround on sale was in rough shape, with a bolted on metal patch and a big crack in another spot. No one was bidding (big surprise considering this was a 50-year-old hunk of broken plastic), and I nabbed the shroud for $25.

I took delivery and spent a day refurbishing -- fiberglass, epoxy and paint. Turned out pretty good.

View attachment 1715803087 View attachment 1715803086 View attachment 1715803088 View attachment 1715803089

Then my brother and I got lazy and set the shroud aside for a year. Finally this past week I got motivated. Bolt on part -- how hard could it be?

Ha. First order of business was thinking about the mounting bolts. At first, I naively thought I would just use regular bolts, lock washers and nuts. Then I realized there would be no way to reach inside the shroud to get the bolt/nut combo started and get a wrench on the nut. It became apparent I'd need some kind of mounted nut on the mounting holes of the metal radiator frame.

I saw some $60 kits referenced on FABO. But helpfully someone suggested just getting 1/4" U-bolt clips and 3/4" length bolts from the hardware store. My local Ace came through. Yay!

Time to test out the clips. First issue was that the mounting holes were too small for my 1/4" bolts. OK, time to widen the holes. The upper holes were easy peasy with a drill. But there was no way to get a drill in position for the lower holes... so back to the hardware store for a narrow round file. A few minutes on each hole and success!

Now time to test out the clips again... but wait, what's this? The clip won't go on far enough for the clip nut to line up with the mounting hole on the radiator frame. So it's time to put each clip into the vice and use a Dremel to shave off some metal. Again: success!

The clips fit now and it's time to bolt on the shroud. Remove the fan and fan clutch. Disconnect the upper radiator hose. Practice fit the shroud.

What the hell? I can't quite get the shroud into position... it won't seat down far enough for the holes on the shroud to line up with the radiator mounting holes. Time to file off some of the plastic on the bottom of the shroud. Success!

Shroud back in place, I struggled to get the bolts started into each nut clip. After much cursing, I get three of the bolts going. The fourth one -- lower passenger side -- there's no chance. The holes don't line up at all -- maybe 1/4 inch off. I think the radiator mounting frame is bent and there's no way to get leverage to bend it back. Or maybe the shroud itself is twisted from my fiberglass repair job. Either way, there's no getting that bolt it... so I skipped it.

With 3 of the 4 mounting bolts started, the shround is feeling pretty tight. Am I done?

Ha, ha. No. When I hand turn the fan, it hits the shroud on the bottom. OMG how can this be?

Now I'm in WTF mode. I'm just going to leave the shroud in place and shave it down. Drill with filing bit. Dremel. Hand file. I'm just going to town.

Eventually I get there. The fan turns freely. The shroud is tight.

Reattach the fan. Reattach the radiator hose.

Now I'm worried that somehow when I fire up the motor, it will rumble and send the fan blades ripping into the shroud.

But turn the key and we're good. I take a tepid ride around the block. Still good.

Now I've been driving in unseasonably nice October weather here in Minnesota -- and everything's fine!

The end... or is it?

View attachment 1715803085

632A3A7E-F24F-4004-B581-8D818190D314.jpeg
 
65Val, mean when you said the 68-69 shroud fit your ‘67 radiator perfectly? Thanks for that info. I know it fits the ‘67 radiator, but with what engine/fan? I have heard it’s the hole (that the fan fits into) that is different. Not how it attaches to the radiator. Which might be why the OP is having an issue with the 340 fan fitting in too tightly. For example, my 318 with the ‘67 radiator might need the 68-69 shroud and not the 67 one. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
I was just saying that the sales listing for the 68/69 shroud also fits the 67 rad. I use a clutch fan setup with mine…

21D82C36-C8EB-4173-94FD-D01C30A3673C.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Thought I'd share my fan shroud saga for posterity:

Prologue: A decade ago, my brother and I bought a '67 Barracuda convertible. The original 273 was long gone, replaced by a mid-'70s 318 at some point. A few years ago, we had a reconditioned 340 put in. (Read more about that story here:
https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/1967-barracuda-gets-the-340-it-deserves.409648/#post-1972109263).

The car didn't have a fan shroud when we bought it. With the 340 going in, we started researching radiators and shrouds -- mainly here on FABO. Idea was to figure out which shroud would match our existing radiator. Turns out we have the 22" 2785929, which the forum seems to tell us was for the big block 383 (even though our car was originally a 273). That radiator paired with the dreaded "one-year only" shroud 2785312. More research quickly indicated that this shroud is a rare part, or "unobtainium" as I've heard said.

We considered going with a bigger radiator and an aluminum shroud, but chose not to because we wanted to keep the stock look on the 340.

At some point, I set up an eBay alert for the 2785312 shroud. Forgot about it, of course, until one day eBay pinged me two years later about an auction. The shround on sale was in rough shape, with a bolted on metal patch and a big crack in another spot. No one was bidding (big surprise considering this was a 50-year-old hunk of broken plastic), and I nabbed the shroud for $25.

I took delivery and spent a day refurbishing -- fiberglass, epoxy and paint. Turned out pretty good.

View attachment 1715803087 View attachment 1715803086 View attachment 1715803088 View attachment 1715803089

Then my brother and I got lazy and set the shroud aside for a year. Finally this past week I got motivated. Bolt on part -- how hard could it be?

Ha. First order of business was thinking about the mounting bolts. At first, I naively thought I would just use regular bolts, lock washers and nuts. Then I realized there would be no way to reach inside the shroud to get the bolt/nut combo started and get a wrench on the nut. It became apparent I'd need some kind of mounted nut on the mounting holes of the metal radiator frame.

I saw some $60 kits referenced on FABO. But helpfully someone suggested just getting 1/4" U-bolt clips and 3/4" length bolts from the hardware store. My local Ace came through. Yay!

Time to test out the clips. First issue was that the mounting holes were too small for my 1/4" bolts. OK, time to widen the holes. The upper holes were easy peasy with a drill. But there was no way to get a drill in position for the lower holes... so back to the hardware store for a narrow round file. A few minutes on each hole and success!

Now time to test out the clips again... but wait, what's this? The clip won't go on far enough for the clip nut to line up with the mounting hole on the radiator frame. So it's time to put each clip into the vice and use a Dremel to shave off some metal. Again: success!

The clips fit now and it's time to bolt on the shroud. Remove the fan and fan clutch. Disconnect the upper radiator hose. Practice fit the shroud.

What the hell? I can't quite get the shroud into position... it won't seat down far enough for the holes on the shroud to line up with the radiator mounting holes. Time to file off some of the plastic on the bottom of the shroud. Success!

Shroud back in place, I struggled to get the bolts started into each nut clip. After much cursing, I get three of the bolts going. The fourth one -- lower passenger side -- there's no chance. The holes don't line up at all -- maybe 1/4 inch off. I think the radiator mounting frame is bent and there's no way to get leverage to bend it back. Or maybe the shroud itself is twisted from my fiberglass repair job. Either way, there's no getting that bolt it... so I skipped it.

With 3 of the 4 mounting bolts started, the shround is feeling pretty tight. Am I done?

Ha, ha. No. When I hand turn the fan, it hits the shroud on the bottom. OMG how can this be?

Now I'm in WTF mode. I'm just going to leave the shroud in place and shave it down. Drill with filing bit. Dremel. Hand file. I'm just going to town.

Eventually I get there. The fan turns freely. The shroud is tight.

Reattach the fan. Reattach the radiator hose.

Now I'm worried that somehow when I fire up the motor, it will rumble and send the fan blades ripping into the shroud.

But turn the key and we're good. I take a tepid ride around the block. Still good.

Now I've been driving in unseasonably nice October weather here in Minnesota -- and everything's fine!

The end... or is it?

View attachment 1715803085
8C4D27D9-413C-4562-A764-39CF662B1CF6.jpeg
 
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