Extreme heat and fan applications. What do you use?

[lotus]

It gets hot as hell in Bakersfield in the summer and I know it gets hot as hell in other areas too...What do you use in your car fan wise?

My 52 chevy has a 350 sbc and will have AC. I will be driving it daily mostly on the highway but it will hit stop and go traffic and who knows it may even be used to cruise sometimes.

The tranny is a turbo 350 and the gears on the rear end are 3.05 (i think...)

I am debating and looking for advice on which fan setup I should use. The radiator is a stock one that has been updated core wise by a radiator shop.

There is NOT a fan shroud in the car.

My choices are 17" flex fan
or
17" 35 degree steel fan (http://streetrodstuff.com/Products/1244/)
or
A Black - Black Magic electric fan (http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/black-magic.html)

or ???

I like the look of the steel fan...but keeping the car cool and economy both rank up there higher than looking cool though.

what do you have and how is it working for you???

[Tman]

I am of the opinion that a good Mechanical fan is best.......WITH a shroud! My 54 has been great with a similar setup and the stock rad. I do want to add a shroud.

[Morrisman]

A total stock mechanical fan will do the job IF you put the proper shroud around it.

Or you could buy the biggest area electric fan available that will mount direct to the rad, and has built in shrouding, and that should do the trick too.

I've seen people buy silly little 11" electric fans, strap them in the middle of a 3' wide rad, and wonder why they don't cool worth a shit at slow speeds http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[mikes51]

I've got a mechanical fan (flex) with shroud. The fan blades sit about 1/3 in the shroud, 2/3 out.

I use an electric fan in the front of the radiator, it turns on by a relay whenever the A/C is turned on. The electric fan has those curved (swept back shaped) blades.

[SKR8PN]

Spal...........

[Petejoe]

Put A/c in my 50 pickup years ago.
Has a 350... Run both a mechanical fan and an electrical pusher. Can't beat keeping the condenser cool in bumper to bumper traffic.

[C9]

I run a 6 blade 17" Hayden stainless flex fan - and have run a 5 blade Hayden 17" stainless flex fan.
Both worked well.
The car (32 roadster) has a Walker fan shroud and that seems to help although in milder warm weather - 90 degrees or so - it does alright without the shroud.

Reason I specify Hayden is that their blades are stepped back from the fans mounting flange.
Other brands of stainless flex fans in the same diameter have the blades centered on the mounting flange.
In my car fan blade placement makes a big difference in whether the fan will fit or not.

Skip the electric fan and run a mechanical.
They pump a lot more air.

Fan noise is a little more noticeable with the 6 blade than with the 5, but it's no big deal and the car is a hot rod after all.
Engine run is a 462" Big Block Buick (BBB) w'T-400 and a stock sized engine compt with flat firewall and one dimple on the right side to clear the rocker cover.
In fact, I think the fan noise it does make adds to the mix of 'hot rod' sounds.

I have a similar setup on my BBB powered 31 on 32 rails roadster except it runs a 15" Hayden stainless flex fan with an aluminum shroud in the planning stages.
Reason for the different fan diameter is the 32's engine is offset to the right 1" and the 31's engine is centered.
I expect the 31 to cool just a well as the 32 does.
Which is to say - 188-192 degrees in summer traffic here in Visalia with the highest temp seen 205 degrees in the In & Out Burger line.

Fwiw - the 32 is in Las Vegas right now and grandson is driving it with no problems in their sometimes serious, most times crazy traffic....

[Digger_Dave]

[ QUOTE ]
.....I expect the 31 to cool just a well as the 32 does.
Which is to say - 188-192 degrees in summer traffic here in Visalia with the highest temp seen 205 degrees in the In & Out Burger line.

[/ QUOTE ]

Will it work in AZ? (I think that's where you said your moving to)

My '41 Ford Stake Bed Delivery, (350 / 350 with separate cooler) has been to Bonneville @ 100 deg. plus temps and JUST BARELY survived with a 16" shrouded electric fan. (pusher) If I stopped moving for more than a couple of min., the engine temp would climb over 210. (or higher!! ) Overflow ("puke can") would get a real workout!!

The summer temps aren't as bad up here so the electric fan manages to keep the engine around 190 deg.

My SCoT blown flathead powered "A" WILL use a mechanical 6 blade SS flex fan, with a shroud. (tight, but I think I can make it work)
This in addition of a "Flatattack" 348/409 Chev water pump adaptor.

And C9's TRICK designed engine mounts!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[porknbeaner]

I used a pair of 11 inch spal fans on a high zoot car I helped a friend with. One automatic on a stat/switch and one on a toggle. If he got up above 210 (like in traffic) he flipped the togle and turned the second fan on.
Last year in 100+ weather he never ever overheated, but he does have to pay atention to the gauge.
I like big flex fans, unless I have an air conditioned car, then I use big clutch fans (the ones with thermostats), like come on the later Monte Carlos, and fan schrouds (sp).

[Paul]

I'm using one of those swept blade non trad electrics in pusher mode,

in front of a recored stock '35 Dodge radiator that I had cut down 8",

aftermarket aluminum pump on the big block Chev.

If I run it hard for any length of time on a hot day it gets up around 200 degrees,

but around town even on the hottest days (about 85 to 90 here) it stays down around 185 or so.

Paul