76olds

I'm looking at the 19" flex lite fan, I read up on their website and say they have improved. I thinking about getting rid of the original clutch fan with my new aluminum water pump. What do you guys think?

oldcutlass

I think you ought to keep the original setup. It's a very good design for the street.

jag1886

I think you need to keep your original fan.

Allan R

I'm with them ^^^^

76olds

Thanks guys the website suggests these fans due to the weight on the aluminum pump, if I read it correctly.

ThePackRat

Another for keep the original setup.

I've run FlowKooler aluminum water pumps & never once considered ditching the factory fan setup.

dmullin

I would keep the clutch fan. Best thing for the street, especially in our unpredictable Ontario summers.

76olds

It was a nasty winter for sure dmullin , I believe I have seen you cruising in your car several times throughout the summers on hwy 89 . We have a trailer up at Pike lake Golf and Country Club your way. We go up most weekends May - Oct.

edzolz

A friend of mine says why would GM spend probably millions of dollars on research to make sure the clutch fan was the way to go on cooling systems. I have to agree, why try to re-invent the wheel.

76olds

I recently googled my question here and did find a few other forums with this ? It seems as thou the majority is really against them, some like them some hate them. I actually read that someone had cut themselves rite to the bone on these flex fans. I'm happy I asked the ? here prior to just ordering one. I have to say they do have a decent appearance to them, other than that as all you guys mentioned I will keep my original stock clutch fan and just clean it up and paint it. Cheers Guys thanks for your advice.!!!

cutlassjoe

I agree! I think some modifications are good but for most of the stock set up works great. My friend is going through this with a Chevelle. He spent $3500 on a complete Wilwood 4-wheel disc brake set up. Guess what...the car won't stop really good...... I know they have to do some tweaking but I have never had a problem with my stock front disc rear drum set up...Just sayin.

ThePackRat

Good deal keeping it.

I always likened the obsession of swapping over to flex fans on older V8 American cars, to what coffee can exhaust tips are to the ricer crowd.

People don't realize that once you swap over to a flex fan .....

The car will never run right unless to start pasting summitjegshookerflowmasterholleyedelbrock stickers all over it.

And if the car in question is a factory a/c car .....

It's imperative that all under the hood components get ripped out immediately or the car will never ever have any real potential.

I knew a guy who's 3rd cousinsbrothersfatherssonstransgendereduncle that was able to drop like 4 seconds in the quarter mile when he fixed such rookie mistakes.

And he hadn't even drilled holes in his mint unmolested dash to mount his 10 inch monster tach yet.

He expects to drop another 2 seconds once that's in.

Smitty275

Here is away to look at some of the simple items like flex fans. Look at their cost VS what the factory set up costs. Do you really think that the factory engineers spent millions of dollars designing the fan clutch system, prooved it worked, and convinced the bean counters that it was the best possibly way, when they could have went into production with a simple flex fan for 10% of the cost? Before replacing things look at them in this light and you'll soon realize there are a billion & one gimmicks out there to take your money that you should just walk away from.

Now please don't confuse this with someone updating their car with current technology. So many things have evolved over the years. Flex fans just isn't one of then.

oldcutlass

The problem with flex fans is there is no data on how much air they move. The majority of them, although they look cool, are junk.

TripDeuces

I'm for the original set up.
I had an all plastic flex fan once and it sounded like a leaf blower on steroids. Got to annoying on the meter real fast. The deal was clinched when the water pump shaft broke and sent the flex fan halfway through the radiator.

MDchanic

True, but "back in the day," flex fans were a high-tech improvement on the old rigid fixed fans of the fifties and early sixties.

The technology passed them by (a few times), but somehow they retained their status as "hot rod" items in spite of this.

- Eric

boese1978

"True, but "back in the day," flex fans were a high-tech improvement on the old rigid fixed fans of the fifties and early sixties."
So would you say that a flex fan would be good in my situation- 68 stroked 380 with the old rigid style....

MDchanic

It MIGHT be better than the stock fan, but why not use a proper clutch fan and shroud?

- Eric

Fun71

I had a regular metal one and when I went full-throttle and wound up the RPM it sounded like an airplane taking off. That fan was REALLY loud.

I can't even remember if it cooled the same as, better, or worse than the clutch fan, it was just so annoying that I took it off and put the original back on.

boese1978

I asked because my car came from the factory with the non clutch fan set up. I have and will use, the factory shroud. I assume swapping to the clutch fan is pretty straight forward?all the same size etc?
Thanks Eric

76olds

The first 76 olds cutlass I bought was a non clutch fan set up as well although it had the 260 and no a/c . I don't recall ever having a problem with it . It was a 4 blade with something like a 3" spacer and only a small plastic cover over the top. No shroud imagine that. It cooled the 2 row copper rad in it anyway. I didn't realize the flex fans were made of such thin material. Thanks guys Put-r-there saved me $50.00 !!

76olds

[QUOTE=ThePackRat;689254]Good deal keeping it.




I knew a guy who's 3rd cousinsbrothersfatherssonstransgendereduncle that was able to drop like 4 seconds in the quarter mile when he fixed such rookie mistakes.

Lmao, Hey I think I know that guy, I met him at the resort.... we were both getting fitted for our new helmets and picking out new yo-yo's.
I will tell em you said heLLo

ThePackRat

[QUOTE=76olds;689412]If his tricycle was lifted an entire foot higher in the back & he had a glass fuel filter hanging around his neck .....

That was him.

76olds

Lord Tunderin Geez, It a small world at the resort. Yes that was him!!! He had summitjegshookerflowmasteredelbrockpainless stickers all over his tricycle. He had his orange tabby racing stripped kitty there with him as well getting fitted with the same dam helmet.