55-56 ford fan

[Sid]

Has anyone used a 55-57 T Bird 6 blade fan on a 55 Ford with power steering? Larry's Bird Land offers a 6 blade fan which is 17" across. On a power steering car the pitch of blades needs to be watched. Or does any one have any suggestions for a 5 or six blade fan for a 55-56 Fairlane?

 

[miker98038]

I’ll assume your asking because of an overheating problem. At idle, cruising, when’s it happening. That will affect the solution. Being a bird owner, I’ve been thru most of that. I don’t know as much about the passenger cars.

 

[Sid]

Yes. Passenger car. Customer car. This car has had heating tendencies to get hot since new. His mother in law bought it new. He keeps on getting in these cruises and when crawling on a hot day it overheats. I did order a 4 row aluminum radiator and was consider going to a 5 or 6 blade fan. I have a couple fans here but the pitch of the blades interferes with the power steering pump.

 

[miker98038]

Several members (here or yblocksforever, can’t remember) solved the idling problem with a slightly smaller pulley. IIRC about 4 1/2”, off a Mustang. And a shroud. Hopefully, someone with the whole story will chime in.

 

[KULTULZ]

There was a 5-BLADE fan available for X-COOLING (B7Y 8600-A - 18" OD). LARRY's T-BIRD offers a current aftermarket 6-BLADE (17" DIA).

Is you WP pulley one or two sheave? A smaller pulley (as mentioned) is usually the first step as like my LITTLE THUMBSCREW, the original 3-BLADE FAN and large pulley will not put out ...

 

[Sid]

I have heard that a 289 W.P. pulley will spin the pump a little faster. I think the belt may end up being slightly off. I was just questioning if Larry's fan blade interferes at all with the Fairlane power steering?

 

[KULTULZ]

I was just questioning if Larry's fan blade interferes at all with the Fairlane power steering?

Now that you would have to ask them as FORD only gave width on a few applications in cataloging. I assume the blade is an aftermarket one-fits-all.

FORD found out on the 55-56 BIRD that going to a four-blade fan from a three-blade and a smaller drive pulley took care of most of that overheating.

When you remove the radiator cap and with thermostat open, do you see coolant flow? If not or slow flow, the pulley needs to go to a lower dia (or the WP may have a defective impeller). You will also need a wide-mouth thermostat to allow the increased flow.

How far is the blade from the new radiator core? Are the lower splash shields @ the engine steady rest still in place?

There are several other problems with the FYB, but this would be the start IMO.

 

[Ole Don]

I used a six blade fan off a Granada with a 250 six and A/C. It was on there for a long time, and worked fine. If the car got hot in heavy traffic, I dropped back almost a car length, and it cooled off. I went electric when I went racing.
If you can find a junk yard with older Fords, the hub diameter is the same on all the car engines except the 429 and 460. Take the fan bolts and the spacer too.