Electric Cooling Fan

M

motordr

Well-known member
I am considering the install of an electric cooling fan in my 32 Coupe. It has the Ed Whitney 12V alternator in a generator, on a C69A flathead.
It looks like I have clearance issues with the stock fan, so I'm thinking either a flexilite type on my own adapter, or the electric fan option.
What has been your experience? Thanks,Ted
 
I purchased a fan that attaches to the back of the radiator. You would of course remove the original fan. I also installed A/C and have a thermostat switch on mine so it only runs when needed. Wired it to a ignition activated circuit so it doesn't run when the truck is parked. Never overheated (about 215 degrees) and I live in the sometimes hot (It's a dry heat!") Arizona.
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Starting with a good cooling system, you should have no problems with a thermo fan, make sure it's a good one and wire it up with an adjustable thermo switch. No issues with mine running daily, hardly ever comes on.
 
Hi, Ted,
Not sure if this is what you have in mind, but I too live in sometimes "hot" Arizona and I mounted a fan in front of the radiator in my '39 and control it with a toggle switch under the dash, using it as needed. The combination of the regular fan and the electric fan has worked quite well for me. Perhaps you would have a space issue between your grill and the radiator. The installation was pretty simple.

Dick.
 
Sorry, re-read you post and you think you may have a clearance issue with the stock fan. Any chance you could adapt a thinner fan?

Dick.
 
Thanks, yes I do have a clearance issue with the stock fan. I need to gain about 1/2" to feel comfortable,plus my other 32 with a walker rad and stock fan heats up when stuck in traffic on a hot day.
So I'm thinking of a more efficient plastic fan on an a shortened hub, or just go with an electric fan assembly. So on the electric fans there are a lot of choices, cfm and amperage draw. Some fans draw a lot of amps. In favour of the electrics is that it will help airflow in stand still traffic.
 
For a frame of reference I have a 15 " Flexalite Black Magic 3500 CFM puller fan on a 550 HP hemi powered street rod. Its thermostatically controlled, set to come on at 185* and draws 18 amps when running. There's never been a time even in stop and go traffic that the temp gauge has gone past 195*. If you can fit it in I would recommend the use of a puller fan with a shroud rather than a pusher. Depending on the capacity of your radiator and the flow rate of the water pumps I would think that a 12" Flexalite rated at 1500 CFM or something equivalent would be adequate for your needs. As I recall you will need at least 4 1/2" of clearance from the back of the radiator to the front of the engine to fit this setup in. Full disclosure: I'm also running a 50 GPM Meziere electric water pump which moves the water at that rate independent of engine RPM.
 
Do some of these fans impede airflow when they are not running? I am a bit concerned about continuous amperage draw, but can live with it when stuck in traffic. Some fans draw only about 5 amps, are they any good? How much power does it take to pull air through a recorded 32 Ford rad?
 
I read that when you install these fans, you should also install a relay. Because when the fan is toggled off, it could still spin and reverse electric into the system (and a relay prevents that). Is this correct? And is a relay necessary, if you wire it to run all the time?
 
I'm not an electrical expert, but I believe it has to do with the amount of current the switch can handle. Like when you add relays to your headlights and they are brighter than before. Same principle. The relays can handle more power than your dash switch or the temperature switch. Because of that, there is less voltage drop. I might be wrong in the science, but that's the general idea.
 
Ok so if I were to do this I would install a separate switch. I just need to insure it's capable of handling the load? My car is also 6 volts.
 
motordr said:
Do some of these fans impede airflow when they are not running? I am a bit concerned about continuous amperage draw, but can live with it when stuck in traffic. Some fans draw only about 5 amps, are they any good? How much power does it take to pull air through a recorded 32 Ford rad?
Click to expand...
In researching what type of fan (puller vs pusher) to use the consensus of opinion seemed to indicate that a pusher fan would tend to restrict air flow at higher driving speeds. That and the fact that the use of a fan shroud in combination with a puller fan concentrates air flow forcing more thru the core convinced me that a puller is the way to go. The topic of electric cooling systems has come up on the HAMB. I would suggest you search the threads there as some of your questions might have answers.
 
Depending on the fan size and airflow, they can draw more current than a small dash switch can continuously handle. A relay allows you to use any switch you want and guarantee the wiring (through the relay) is adequate to handle current drawn by the fan motor.

Separately, do not wire the fan directly to the ignition circuit. If you do, the following occurs: when you shut off the engine (cut power to the ignition circuit) and the fan is on, the spinning fan motor can switch from motor to generator and will actually produce enough residual current/voltage until the internal resistance stops the fan from spinning. This is usually sufficient to keep the engine running for several seconds after you switch off the ignition.

The relay, if placed correctly, will isolate the fan from the ignition circuit and avoid this as well as protecting your dash switch from too much current.
 
expavr said:
In researching what type of fan (puller vs pusher) to use the consensus of opinion seemed to indicate that a pusher fan would tend to restrict air flow at higher driving speeds. That and the fact that the use of a fan shroud in combination with a puller fan concentrates air flow forcing more thru the core convinced me that a puller is the way to go. The topic of electric cooling systems has come up on the HAMB. I would suggest you search the threads there as some of your questions might have answers.
Click to expand...

That being the case, if you use it as a puller, then you would need to remove the stock fan. Are these electric fans much better than stock? Obviously when sitting in traffic I would think so, but what about when driving?
 
Well, lots to think about after following your leads,thanks! I'm thinking, which fan will move equivalent or slightly more air than the stock fan? What is the lowest amperage that will do the job? What is the most reliable? Spal or OEM seems to win on the reliability and efficiency, I wonder what amps they pull?
Thinking now also about a clutch fan bolted to the front of my Ed Whitney alternator in a generator, has anyone done this?
 
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