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I have a Derale #16838 in my car with a PWM variable speed controller from The AutoCool Guy. The fans work great and pull a ton of air, the fan controller also works great but the install is a bit sketchy as the temp sensor mounts between the lower radiator hose and the outlet tube. I've been concerned it would leak but hasn't yet. The fans draw a solid 15A each at steady state, full speed and pull 30A each on start up; hence the PWM fan controller, which reduces the start-up current draw. It's much easier on the electrical system. the Derale unit includes an aluminum shroud but they're still pretty heavy so you'll need to make sure it's well mounted. I mounted mine directly to the radiator with the supplied installation hardware. I have to add some spacers to bolt the to the radiator top plate for added strength. Here's some pics
Take a trip to the local salvage yard to find an electric fan. I have a fan from a 94 Ford Taurus on my 71 98. I also have a fan from a 2001 Ford Windstar on my 86 Ford F250 with a diesel engine.
You're going to have to spend big bucks on an electric fan to cool as well as your OE fan or a fan from the salvage yard. A Summit Racing or Jegs cheapie will leave your Oldsmobile stranded on the side of the road.
Look at a Derale dual fan setup with shroud. 4000 cfm unit works amazing!.
Yes, the fan cfm needs to be in that range. That means buying an expensive aftermarket fan or a capable junkyard fan as Olds64 suggested.
Fifteen years ago I installed a dual fan Flex-a-Lite with 5500 cfm rating and PWM controller. It was around $700 even then.
And consider the fabrication you will need to securely mount any electric fan. If you don't want to take on that design project, just upgrade to the most capable Olds engine-driven setup. Those worked well over 50 years ago and still work well today.
Doing it right is more involved than most people realize.
Get an aluminum shroud and two big SPAL fans. You'll need relays and a temp sensor to trigger them. A low/high wire harness is even better. Is your alternator up to the task? How about the charge cable from the alt to the battery? Grounds in good condition?
I'm well over 10 years and probably 25k miles on THIS KIT along with an aluminum radiator. Zero issues, been stuck in traffic for hours (local parades and Hot Rod Power Tour) with no issues.
Check out CE Auto Electric for premade wire harness, and upgraded charge & ground kits.
The best combo I have used, and I've tried them all, is this:
1. Cold Case Radiator - You can get a powder coated black one that looks stock (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/RAD-GMA42B)
2. Fast Monty fan shroud - also powder coated (
I have the Plymouth Breeze fans, paid $40, probably 20 years ago, still work great, move plenty of air. I tried multiple controllers, mostly single relays. They were all junk, failed in one way or another, usually fried a 40 amp relay at the worst time. The Davies Craig dual 40 amp controller with either a push in or screw in temp probe. It has a fully adjustable with an A/C turn on wire.
Also amp draw is a good indicator. There's a very direct correlation between the power draw of a fan and how much air it moves.
The stock thermo clutch fan with shroud moves a TON of air. It takes an expensive setup - usually dual fans, usually >$500 - to get airflow that's at least "close". It still won't move as much air as the stock fan.
It can be done, but it does take a lot of money. These fans also require so much power that you're also upgrading the alternator, and getting enough power out of a small frame to run 2 or 3 big fans, at idle, Your first battle is spending enough money to get big enough fans to actually cool the engine. Your next battle is getting enough alternator to keep voltage above 13V at idle. This gets real bad with A/C. I've been down this road, have the pile of discarded parts to prove it.
Stick with the stock fan setup unless you're *really* intent on making this work.
Also amp draw is a good indicator. There's a very direct correlation between the power draw of a fan and how much air it moves.
The stock thermo clutch fan with shroud moves a TON of air. It takes an expensive setup - usually dual fans, usually >$500 - to get airflow that's at least "close". It still won't move as much air as the stock fan.
It can be done, but it does take a lot of money. These fans also require so much power that you're also upgrading the alternator, and getting enough power out of a small frame to run 2 or 3 big fans, at idle, Your first battle is spending enough money to get big enough fans to actually cool the engine. Your next battle is getting enough alternator to keep voltage above 13V at idle. This gets real bad with A/C. I've been down this road, have the pile of discarded parts to prove it.
Stick with the stock fan setup unless you're *really* intent on making this work.
BINGO!!
People always ask me why I still have the thermal mechanical fan on my car. I tell them if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. These are the same people that are constantly watching the temp gauge because their cheaply parts store fan can’t keep up.
I have run my car at the track with the clutch fan, and immediately remove the fan for another pass. Basically no change. Certainly not the 20hp people say those fans take to turn. Unless the engine is hot enough to make it engage, it’s along for the ride.
No arguments with any of the paths chosen by the various posters. I personally installed a set-up very similar to what 'heatmup' explains above. New Remmel 455 build making significantly more power than my stock(ish) 400G. I did everything I could to try and maintain the factory rad and fan set-up but didn't like the 210-ish temps I was consistently seeing. Went with the Cold Case rad and their dual fan arrangement and I'm 185-ish under the same conditions.
I used a Painless wiring kit with dual relays rather than the Cold Case harness. I also did have to change my alternator from the stock 55amp to a 100amp unit. Been on there about a year and I'm extremely happy with the quality and performance of all the parts.
True, a 6 or a 7 blade clutch fan works when the clutch is functioning properly. Other than the Derale fans, I wouldn't waste any money on a lot of aftermarket fans. Fuses and relays can also blow. Yeah and a 80 amp alternator is about as small as you can go and keep up charging the battery.
The Spal fans are the best by every metric in every test I have seen. If you want consistent 180 temps and less parasitic drag the formula I provided above is a no brainer. The relays are simple and robust. The fans move a ton of air, and the radiator is top of the line.
I started down this road on foxbody mustangs years ago and turned to it again when the mechanical fan wouldn't keep my 11:1 400E in the 66 cool. She's by far the hottest running but still never approaches 200 despite the ambient temps and driving condition. You can feel the fans blowing on your ankles at the back of the car. No mech fan comes close to that.
Despite other comments the loss of the drag is easily noticeable too. That's why all my cars run the same system. It's just too easy to not worry about the heat.
Glad to hear about the Spal fans, that makes two aftermarket fans that actually do something useful. The only failure I had with the Davies Craig dual relay controller 5 years on, is losing key on power to the blown factory 12 volt key on power fuse and the fans didn't turn on. It always didn't turn on at the track or while breaking in a camshaft. Every single other controller I tried failed, within a year, some much sooner. Any of the factory electric fans, that fit our cars, are affordable options and will probably never fail plus move a lot of air. My Dakota has the weird combination of an engine driven fan and a pusher electric fan that kicks on a certain temps or when the A/C is on. I had the 5 blade 3.9 clutch fan on it. I then put on the 5.9 8 blade clutch fan. It not only cooled better, it actually was way quieter. It seemed like the 3.9 clutch was constantly engaged. All fans, mechanical, clutch and electric are not created equal in air movement, drag and noise.
Take a trip to the local salvage yard to find an electric fan. I have a fan from a 94 Ford Taurus on my 71 98. I also have a fan from a 2001 Ford Windstar on my 86 Ford F250 with a diesel engine.
You're going to have to spend big bucks on an electric fan to cool as well as your OE fan or a fan from the salvage yard. A Summit Racing or Jegs cheapie will leave your Oldsmobile stranded on the side of the road.
are you using 2 ford Taurus fans and if so would you mind giving me length and height measurements see if they will fit in the front of a cutlass i think you have a 88 with more room probably
I notice that Jesse hasn't seen your question yet. I think it is only one fan but not sure even though I have seen it many times. I'll text him and let him know you asked.
Yes, the fan I have in my 71 98 is a 2 speed electric fan. It's about 23"x16". I have the fan secured to flat stock that I bent around the radiator.
As I recall, I converted my 71 98 to an electric fan when the thermal clutch fan on my 86 Ford truck failed. The Ford Taurus fan is a good fit for classic cars because it can be made to fit easily. Plus, there are still a ton of Ford Tauruses in the salvage yard.
These are fans from a '96 Ford Windstar out of a salvage yard. It's in my '69 Cutlass. The picture shows a Griffen radiator, which wasn't as wide as the factory radiator. I had to trim openings for the upper and lower hoses. I have since installed a factory replacement aluminum radiator that fits much nicer and wouldn't have needed to trim the shroud at all. Just get the wiring harness that comes with the doner fans.
That's a Ventage Air condenser mounted in front with an external trans cooler as well.
Lots of good ideas and recommendations. The point made about using the oe wiring if you get something from an older vehicle is very good. Cut off enough wire after the oe harness to splice to your car. That way you have a convenient way to unplug the device during any future maintenance.
Do a little research, and you can replicate OE with updated wire fairly easily. Look at companies like Mouser, Del-City, Crimp Supply, etc. You want GXL or TXL wire and the corresponding Packard 56 or Metri--Pak terminals and get a Delphi crimp tool (doesn't work well on 56 unless hydraulic).
Any one recommend Electric fan kit for my 1970 442 i wanna take the manual fan off and try Electric fans or is this a bad idea
I have electric cooling fans on a few on my cars and love them. I like to be in control of when they are on and what temps my engine is running at for better performance. The ones I bought for my 442 resto are from Wizard Cooling. The radiator has additional oversized tubes for maximum cooling and the overflow tank is located on the bottom of the radiator out of the way. If you buy the package, the fans and shrouding will be integrated into the fans and the efficiency will be much greater than just adding fans from another car or application and bolting them in. You can see how nicely things fit in the pics. As others have mentioned, you do need adequate alternator output when adding powerful fans but that was never a problem for me as I upgrade the alternator to run all the newer electronics when I do a resto mod build.
Another junkyard option for PWM fans not mentioned yet is from a Chevy Volt. Its a dual fan setup that is popular in the pro-touring world. They are PWM though, so you're going to have to have some form of controller to work them. But PWM is really the way to go if you're going to jump to electric fans anyway.
Simplest option will always be a clutch fan. Just have to be sure to get the right fan/clutch and make sure its working.
Another robust controller is from early 2000s Volvos. They have two relays and a high and low speed. I usually just grab the whole fan to avoid cutting wires. It's not as big as the Windstar but good enough for most applications. Ford Taurus and Mustangs also pull 4000cfm on high speed.
