'35, need electric fan help

AnthonyG

AnthonyG

Well-known member
Took first ride today, wisely stayed very close to home. Over heated as I was turning in the driveway ( 20 minutes ). Engine is 8BA worked to around 200HP. Tried a small fan from the smaller V8 flatty ford made for clearance reasons. Obviously not enough to keep it cool enough. I want to get an electric for the engine side and remove the mechanical fan. I can accommodate up to 17" X 17" X 3.5".
Any Recommendations?
 
It overheated in 20 minutes during a local test drive?

Ok, here's what I'm thinking. How hot is it there? How fast were you driving? Did you get stuck in traffic? Were you moving continuously?

I'm thinking you should not have needed a fan at all for a 20 minute run on local roads if moving constantly.

I would be looking for the cause of overheating rather than a band aid fix.

Mart.
 
check the timing,too advanced will make it run hot, do you have thermostats-highflow water pumps? running straight water or 50/50 mixture antifreeze? water wetter? radiator cleaned and checked for flow? did you check with a lazer thermometer? answer these so we can help find a solution
 
Mart, when I went with the smaller fan ( 4 blade 11 " ) and the 200HP, I always thought I would probably have to go with electric. The drive was slow as it was a test drive after build. I live in the mountains so it was all hills, the biggest hill was up the hill I live on, approx 2 mile long hill.
I know the larger fan an 8BA uses won't fit because I went with the crab type distributor and the fan on the alternator. I know we all like to be traditional but don't think it's possible here. I'm sure there is no other reason for overheating other than the fan is too small.
 
There are a number of threads on this forum re flathead cooling so a search may be helpful. As a fellow owner of a high performance flathead in a 1935 ford I can tell you 1st hand a different fan may not be addressing the actual issue. Better to focus on the condition of your cooling system - and I do mean system - as block condition, pumps, hoses, thermostats and radiator condition all work together and are critical to a reliable cooling capability.
 
Allen, they are high flow pumps, running 50/50, new brass works radiator for perf. motor, don't know what a lazer thermometer is, Started blowing 50/50 out of the overflow. When building the engine we knew the fan I tried and had room for was for the smaller 60 HP 136ci flatty. Gave it a shot to keep it looking traditional, pretty sure that's the issue.
 
PeterC, engine fresh build, radiator new, no thermostats. What year size fan do you use and is it a generator / alternator mount? With the Alternator mount the largest I could fit was an 11" fan from the 136ci 60 hp engine.
 
I have a fresh built super clean 284ci 59A, stock style brassworks radiator, belt driven 6 blade ford fan mounted on its own bearing hub. I run so cool I could not run without thermostats (160) or it would not get warmer than 120!


AnthonyG said:
PeterC, engine fresh build, radiator new, no thermostats. What year size fan do you use and is it a generator / alternator mount? With the Alternator mount the largest I could fit was an 11" fan from the 136ci 60 hp engine.
Click to expand...
 
Planojc, yep a crab on a 8BA, the front of the 8BA will accommodate the same set-up as the 59A. Just liked the way it looked better. But liked the idea of a separate bell housing.
 
I have a 35' with an 8BA. I put an electric fan in there and rarely use it. Only in traffic or setting still. I run 160 thermostats. Most of the heating problems have to do with timing.
 
I don't see if you have 12V or not. It will be difficult to get a 6V fan to pull the CFMs to cool your radiator and if you don't have an alternator you can't support it. Good fans pull around 18-20 amps on 12v.
Edit: I see now you have an alternator. It sounds like you have room for a 16" fan. Get the highest CFM rating you can.
 
tony what I was referring to was an infared thermometer with a sight (lazer)and check in several locations, water necks at head, return hoses to see how much heat is being taken out by rad, and to find actual temp of the engine. I will assume that you have at least a 4lb system, 7 lb, 12 lb or what? and that the cap is in good condition, found one cap that was new but would not seat in the rad cap neck, neck was too deep for the cap, just a few more simple things to check before we start talking about bad head gaskets, cracked blocks, blocked water passages, etc
 
You don’t mention what the temp actually was.

First drive you may have just been pushing out the excess coolant / may have been over full

Did you do the re torque of the heads?

What do the plugs look like? .... you may need to jet up

Like said check timing, if good check coolant for combustion gasses

Id check all this stuff before changing parts, but thats just me but i know what you're sayin about hills...they dont like um one bit
 
Hi guys, totally respect an.all your experience and knowledge, no one has made comment on the small flan. Normal fan is a 6 blade ford fan with a larger dia. The only fan I could fit due to build config. was a small 4 blade 11" 136 c.i. 60 hp type. Doesn't anyone think that's adequate?
 
Stock 35 fan has four blades, 15 1/2" dia.
Bear in mind, the fan [any fan] is redundant once the automobile is being propelled down the road at sufficient speed to force airflow through the radiator core. The fan is only there to allow car to be idled, etc, and its ability to cool is enhanced by fitting of a shroud to assist in directing the airflow.
I am not familiar with the brand of radiator in your 35, [my 35 runs stock Ford radiator with big top tank], but I do know that these radiators 'expel' a quantity of coolant through expansion of same, this expulsion can be sudden and spectacular, leading one to automatically think the engine is overheating.
GM on here will endorse the use of a 'check valve' to overcome this, others will suggest running the overflow tube into a catchcan.
I am another member on here with a highly modified flathead in a 35, that runs cool. Without further information from you, I can only guess that you are experiencing this sudden coolant loss, and have convinced yourself that somehow the fan is at fault.
Follow other peoples advice, use a laser thermometer to actually see the temperature variations throughout the system. If it's not boiling/steaming it ain't overheated. Please report back, good luck and enjoy the experience.
 
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