Going to put an electric fan on my 40 ford. I’m wondering which would work the best, a pusher( front of the radiator) or puller ( in back or the radiator) ? Any help or experience with these would be appreciated.
Puller if it will fit. I'd try to get a mechanical fan in there and cooling well, first...if it has one that doesn't keep it cool, post some pictures and we might be able to offer suggestions. Although some cars are built such that you just can't fit a big enough fan in them.
Puller with shroud is always the best design. I really like the 1993/94 Lincoln/T-Bird 2-speed fan. Factory electric fan for big V8s. I have put them in 2 cars with great results. Always a few on ebaY. Here is the Lincoln fan with the factory shroud. Here it is adapted to a '59 Chevy fan shroud. Like it was made for it.
A puller fan is better See if you can find an oem fan that will fit Much better quality then you will find with the aftermarket fans. a mechanical fan is a better choice if it will fit Look at jag inline 6’s from the 80-90’s very slim profile on them
Summit offers a REAL mechanical fan that will move a lot of air and they are available in several different sizes, I use these on everything and never run hot My old sedan can sit in bumper to bumper traffic for a hour and not overheat. These fans are all steel, not flexible aluminum. HRP Derale Rigid Race Fans
For the last I have switched to brushless type from SPAL, Have used SPAL for years, but the brushless are speed controlled.Can spin up as needed.
Definitely. We often think shrouds are just for mechanical fans, but they equally apply to electric fans. They greatly increase efficiency.
Careful, recent experience tells us if we discuss electric fans we may be OK, but if we discuss how to wire them correctly we’ll be censored be the HAMB police.
The problem with that argument is, most hot rods don't overheat when the engine is pulling 2000 rpm. It's when they stop or sit in traffic at idle that things get warm. I guess you could pop it into neutral and hold the engine at 2,000 rpm in traffic, but that might be a little weird...
I know a guy with a '65 GTO clone with 455 that gets up towards 220 when running around town. Its hot enough it don't like to restart. Called and ask what I would do. I suggested a new radiator ( he still had original 1965 2 core ), new fan shroud, and new clutch for the fan he had. Instead of what I suggested, he bought a new aluminum radiator with dual 12" electric puller fans and solid shroud. When I say solid shroud, I mean only openings are for the fans which set 3/4 inch off the core. His looks just like this one, rad-6374s-hdd1.jpg . The installer wired it through the dash, no relay, no heavy wire, just a simple on off switch. He came by complaining it still runs hot! I explained that the air can't get through at highway speeds, and the fans are too small and are lacking the proper amps to run. It ran cooler with the 50+ year radiator. His dual 12" fans only pull 850 CFM each! Even a crappy mechanical fan pulls more air then that. Point I am making is, be sure you know what you are purchasing and you know how to install it.
If a proper working mechanical fan can pull 9000 cfm at 2000 rpm, it surely can pull 3000 + cfm at idle. That is more then enough to cool about any engine if everything is working right.
Prestige Thunderbird in Santa Fe Springs Ca. offers a 7 blade fan in the 15-16” range. I use a 6 blade and as long as there is water movement with the thermostat open at idle you will be fine. I had to put on a smaller water pump pulley to do this.
I am running electric puller fans in my 40 Ford coupe with a mild Flathead and 39 Ford convertible wit 383. Both work well I do parades and highway driving with both. Check my 40 coupe build thread for details.
Get a hand held temperature gun and find out what is really happening. Read the temperature at the top of the radiator and again at the bottom. There should be a significant drop in temperature. If not , there are lots of things that could be wrong other than the fan. Cooling involves a lot of components other than the fan and they all have to work together. Is the water pump good and working correctly? Is the water pump turning too fast or too slow(pulley sized correctly)? Is the thermostat working and what range is it? Is the radiator in good condition and properly sized? Does the radiator have a shroud? Do you have an aluminum or brass radiator? How many rows of tubes in the radiator core. Is the radiator properly sized (cooling capacity) for the engine in the car? Is the front of the radiator clear of obstructions? Then there are the engine components that affect the water temperature to consider. Engine running too lean or with too much ignition advance. A blown head gasket or a missing thermostat. If you put a big enough fan on the car it will probably help but it may be a bandaid over the real problem that needs to be corrected.
I run both a mechanical fan on the engine, and a pusher ahead of the radiator on my '39 Chevy with 350 SBC. The pusher has an adjustable thermostat, and it's set at 185 degrees, so it only comes on if I get stuck in traffic on hot days. The engine usually runs around 170-175 degrees, but sitting in traffic on 90 degree days I saw the engine temps creep up around 200 or better. So adding the adjustable pusher solved this. I made it a pusher because it's hidden behind the grille, and in front of the radiator. So I don't have to look at an electric fan under the hood. Keeps my engine bay looking cleaner, but still does the job.
This was all good info Helping my friend on his 350 powered’47 Ford (41 front clip) Currently installing the 3rd aluminum radiator. Flex fan took out the 1st one, then a pusher electric fan gouged the 2nd Being in Orlando, we need all the help we can get. Engine runs close to 200, electric fan has thermostat switch in left cylinder head. Also rigged a override switch under dash for heavy traffic. Swapped in GM 4 blade stock fan and going to see what happens today Also added external transmission cooler, to avoid hot fluid inside radiator JT
When you get done, start the engine with the cap off and the coolant 1” down. When your sure the thermostat is open look in and see if there is any movement of water. If not slightly speed up the engine rpm. If you now have movement of coolant you need smaller water pump pulley. If there is movement I would build a shroud over the radiator and support with a upper lip seal that conforms to the shape of the hood. This will force all the air entering thru the radiator and not over or around it. I’ve also built aluminum fan shrouds from kits Speedway sells in their Circle Track catalog. They have different sizes for the radiator element not including the tanks. For the most part I turn them vertical in our older cars. Painted semi gloss or BBQ black they look great and perform well with a 4 blade fan. The GMC in the photo is 10-1 compression, it has a 160 thermostat and will idle at a stop light and might see 180. As soon as the car moves right back to 170. Radiator is 20 year old 3 row brass/copper.
You say there should be a "significant drop in temp" from the top of the radiator to the bottom, what do you consider "significant" ? Asking 'cause I'm chasing a cooling problem.
I run a Cooling Components puller electric fan with a Walker radiator on my 302 Ford powered '30 model A coupe in Florida with out a problem.
I would hope to see more than ten degrees difference.... btw on this setup there is an obvious problem. The alternator is mounted high, and close to the engine center line. There is very little belt wrap on the upper pulley. I would not expect this to cool well. as the belt will likely slip under load.
Hey Squirrel, I totally agree. the car came to me this way. Still sorting through one problem at a time. We just got back from a road test. It's 87 degrees this evening and at stop lights, the temp creeped up to 195/200, then went down to 180 while cruising. Also first drive with new Edelbrock carb. runs like a champ. Old Holley knock-off was way too big. Once again, it's a work in progress. Happy to close the garage door with quite a few boxes checked off. JT
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