All the new cars and trucks have electric rad fans. The old fans make you lose HP. Is their a way I can convert my 77cutlass to electric or keep the old fan

 

I have electric fans on all 3 of my 72 cars. I usually go to a pick and pull and find a suitable electric fan assembly to install and it's as simple as that. Of course I get the relay kit separately so the fans kick on at a certain temperature.

 

The electric fans "make you lose" horsepower too, unless you have a long extension cord, a solar panel on the roof, or a nuclear generator in the trunk to juice it up.

 

I forget whether it was Isaac Newton, FDR, or my high school Physics teacher who said,
"There is no free lunch," but I think they all knew each other, so it probably doesn't matter...

- Eric

 

Same here. I did a write up for the Ford Taurus fan using a Volvo controller with
a BMW dual temperature switch to trigger it. It's very budget friendly and will
keep your engine cooler then 95% of the aftermarket fans you'll pay $300+ for.
Total investment is less then $100 for everything for the fan, controller, switches.

Plenty of guys running the taurus fan on big hp big blocks in Arizona heat , never overheating.

Most of the younger guys I deal with have upgraded stereo's and already have
upgraded alternators. But if you don't yet, that's something you will have to do
to run a nice big CFM electric fan.

If your car has a ~63amp alternator , it's only putting out half of that (~31.5amps)
@ Idle. Obviously @ idle is when your fan is going to kick on the most.
The Taurus fan draws ~30 amps on LOW......so you get the picture?
More reading on alternator upgrades http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/highampinfo.html

So you have to upgrade your alternator to run one. I put 140amp CS130's in mine
for $130 a pop chromed out from my Ebay guy. He tailor makes them to your needs.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-C...QQcmdZViewItem

 

2000 Windstar (twin fans) fan fits the big block radiator in my 72 perfectly ($40 on ebay). I bought a variable temp controller from Haywire.
http://haywireinc.com/catalog/produc...07d6d85i4nspl3
You can also get a non adjustable temp sitch from summit.
In addition, one of my fans is activated by the AC trinary switch.

 

May make you lose power, but not as much

 

Aces,my car has a big alternator, I believe it is a 105 or a little bigger. My dad had it changed years ago, remember them talking about it

 

How did you go about mounting the electric fans?

d1

 

Look up the fan on ebay, Rock auto, Autozone, etc. One of them should have a diagram with dimensions.
I just made a couple sheet metal "ears" that mount off the existing rad support and bolt to the existing mounts on the fan.
The bottom sits on the 72s metal bottom rad support base. I put a couple bolts through the support base and drilled holes in the plastic fan shroud to secure it a little better.

 

Keep in mind that new cars have electric fans because it's hard to use a mechanical fan with a transverse engine. My crewcab dually still has a mechanical fan. Hard to beat one for reliability. Use a thermostatic fan clutch and you're good to go.

 

What year is your dually? Mine is a 07, double fan in it

 

In reality, mechanical fans probably only use a couple hp over electrics. They are louder since they spin all the time.
But I suspect most car makers are using them for production reasons or a VERY slight increase in gas milage. Along with electric fans, GM has even used things like variable alternator output, power steering bypasses, etc...in part to decrease parasitic loss on the engine and increase gas milage.
Mechanical fans work really well and are reliable. On my 68 corvette, which has a marginal cooling system, I kept a mechanical fan and added an electric to increase flow.

 

You make your own brackets.
I used aluminum bar stock from Home Depot. Corner style and straight.
Bent the straight pieces in the vice to get the hanging hook angles over the radiator.

Then I painted them black. You can see my pics in the thread I linked to below.
For the plugs, I already had Weatherpack connectors leftover from rewiring my Camaro.

Then you should be good to go.
The write up I did is on Nastyz28 in the electrical stickies which is for 2nd gen Camaro's
However it applies to any classic vehicle that can fit it in. I put this setup in my 442 clone.

Fans are typically $25-$50 from a boneyard, or Ebay.
Controllers are roughly $10-$20 from a boneyard or there's Clay70 who collected a bunch.
Dual stage temp sensor is $16 on Rock Auto.

Here's some details and comparisons on the Taurus fan.
Taurus Fan VS Black Magic Fan
Junkyard Fan!!

 

One really big advantage electric fans have over mechanical is when you are in traffic. I have been stuck in major highway construction jams with no way to get off and the engine got up to over 230 degrees. That does not happen with my electric fan setup. I used dual, 2-speed fans from a Dodge Intrepid. The fit is nearly perfect. One speed is controlled by the thermostat switch and the other in connected to the A/C compressor circuit, a very satisfactory installation.

 

^ Yep.

No increase in air flow at idle with a mechanical fan. (without revving it)
However with an electric if it gets too hot, it kicks in the higher speed.
This is why a 2 speed fan or 2 fan setup is best for performance.

This is not as much of a concern in stock putt putt vehicles.

If you're ever in the area where Hot Rod's Power Tour cruises through
you'll see the overwhelming majority of those car owners run upgraded
radiators with electric fans. Alot of guys who don't overheat in traffic sitting
at the entry gates.

 

You have room to do that?

 

Thanks for the info guy's, me think's we are going to put in an electric fan in

 

The one added to the corvette was simply a round one attached directly to the inside of the radiator.

 

Samething I have on my 78z running my LS1/4L60e
I forget what brand fan it was though.

 

Wow that is clean looking, great job. If you weren't so far from me I would get you to do it.

 

Actually you can see the white cheap molex connector initially used that isn't
waterproof like weatherpacks are. That's why I prefer weatherpacks or metripacks.
http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showth...k+VS+Metripack

That connector has since been replaced by one of these and I used the plastic tubing as well to
hide the wires. These connectors seal up your connections from weather and corrosion that causes
electrical issues from too much resistance after years of exposure our classics end up dealing with.

This is what modern vehicles come with.

 

I have both. Since I am still using my mechanical fan, I decided to run a switch to my electric fan so I could switch it on when ever I wanted it on.

 

How are you running both??
Do you have a fan shroud which helps suck air through the radiator for the mechanical one ??
The electric fan blocking air flow for the mechanical can't be too good either, especially if there's no shroud.

Just a thought....

 

Eric, if your family was anything like mine, it wasn't FDR, Newton, or your physics teacher who told you "There's no such thing as a free lunch...it was your mother!

 

I have just a single 12" fan in the front. It blocks very little of the radiator.