1939 Ford pickup Fan distance

F

Fech

Member
Hi all,

Please indicate how far should be the fan from the radiator? In my pickup is 4 inches away. Please see attached.
 

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a fan should be as close as possible to the radiator, about 1" away being normal. In your case, a longer snout would put undue stress on your alternator, so I'd suggest you build a fan shroud, which is more efficient than a close fan anyway.
 
The '39 parts book says 81-C, 91-C and 99-C should have 67-8600, 4 blades, 17" diameter. So, the pickups had a different fan than the passenger cars. Mine has about a 4 inch long tube, putting it about an inch from the radiator.
 

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Fech, you're asking for trouble wanting to extend your fan farther away from your alternator. Your front bearing will be short lived, creating an out of balance condition which will quickly go south and throw a blade. Don't say you weren't warned.
 
The spacer is a part of the fan - I'd look for that fan if possible. Unfortunately I've only ever seen one at a swap meet once. I've put about 40,000 miles on my pickup and not had a problem with the front bearing. Just my experience.
 
1939mars said:
The spacer is a part of the fan - I'd look for that fan if possible. Unfortunately I've only ever seen one at a swap meet once. I've put about 40,000 miles on my pickup and not had a problem with the front bearing. Just my experience.
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The OP has an alternator, having a small bearing offering little support for a fan out front.
 
Thank you all for the responses.

I just don't want to damage the engine by overheating. I am not a mechanic and I don't have experience with classic cars.
 
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