Bam, bam, hiss

D

Don W/Norfolk

Senior Member
The scene: Me and my new '41 pickup' out for a Sunday joy ride around the neighborhood. Suddenly, there was a clattering and banging sound from under the hood followed almost immediately by white smoke from under there.
The inspection: The original 5 bladed fan had pooped in the punch bowl and destroyed the radiator. One blade was completely missing and another was partially AWOL.
I'm off to remove the radiator and assess the necessity for repair/replacement.
In the meantime, I need to find a replacement fan.
Questions:
1. What is the concensus about replacing the origianl type fan? Good idea or bad? What's the best source?
2. What alternative fan would be best?
3. Thoughts on a electric replacement? 6VDC
Any and all thoughts/comments welcome.
dw
 
Over the course of decades OEM fans can work harden and fail due to constant flexing.
When this happened to me I replaced OEM fan with a new stainless steel flex fan.
 
We had this discussion over on the H.A.M.B. a few years ago and came to the conclusion that an electric fan with an adequate output on a 6 volt system would put too much draw on the charging system.
 
I'm stuck on the detail "5 blade fan". Does your truck use an original crankshaft mounted fan, or is it a later type mounted off the generator bracket? The original fan for a 41 Ford pickup is a crankshaft mounted 6 blade fan.
I have not experienced fan failure of an original Ford stamped steel fan. I also do not use previously abused fans with sharp bends or tears.
 
I set up a 32 roadster with a pusher electric fan and that was 20 years ago and countless perades and thousands of miles. Never a voltage draw issue but I could see how its possible . My 41 pickup has the six blade steel crank mounted fan. These work ok but really are to small , low and turn to slow. So if I were setting up my pick up agai for a daily I would go with the electrick. Tim
 
I'd like to say I was describing the fan with my tongue firmly planted in cheek, but alas, I'm not that clever. It WAS a six bladed fan but sadly, one blade flew the coop.
 
I was a fleet mechanic for 30-years and we kept trucks for up to twenty years. Every service I took a look at the fans, inspected the rivets, inspected the play in the bearings. I never had one go through a radiator because I caught it before it got that bad. I like keeping things original. I wouldn't have a problem using an original '41 fan, but you have to inspect them, the rivets for tightness and the blades for cracks on a regular interval and they will be fine. If you find a really nice one for a spare I'd buy it and keep it just in case. I have flathead fan spares.

My dad had Model A's and those two-blade fans were big problem in the club for guys that didn't expect them, they would break and go through the radiators. Late model cars have the same problem when they lose water pumps. Water pumps almost always have some play people ignore before it eventually gets so bad that the fan eats the radiator. Expensive mistake.
 
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