Fan Blade Concern

V

Visiblepump

Junior Member
The 29 Tudor my Brother in Law is rebuilding has a fan blade on it that I have not seen before. It runs smoothly but is not one piece. The two blades are fastened to the central hub but no welds are readily evident. You can see the line in the photo where the blade is attached to the hub. It appears rather professionally done. Is anyone familiar with a blade like this. Should he trust it?
 

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Hard to tell from the picture what you have. If there is any doubt at all about the condition of this fan, I would replace it. Not worth the trouble and expense if it comes apart taking out the radiator and hood.
 
Looks like an original two blade fan with a crack. Don't run the engine before replacing. It could let go any time. I'm serious. These old original fans can be very dangerous. Don't run the engine with that fan!
 
Mike Peters said:
Looks like an original two blade fan with a crack. Don't run the engine before replacing. It could let go any time. I'm serious. These old original fans can be very dangerous. Don't run the engine with that fan!
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I agree, this could be even worse than the radiator and hood that I previously mentioned. A few years ago, a guy in Iowa was standing by his running Chevy S10 when the fan came apart. He is no longer with us.
 
Yep looks like an original fan that will soon look like the one in the picture.
 

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I believe what you have is one of the later production Ford 2 blade fans. These came out in March of '31. Unlike the original design 2 blade fan where the complete blade was 2 thicknesses of steel, this fan had 2 thicknesses of steel in just the part of the blade adjacent to the hub and the rest of the blade was a single thickness.

Now that said, I would highly recommend you replace it. Both design fans were prone to failure.

Chris W.
 
Are you guys sure that isn't a modern cast aluminum fan? That line looks like the casting mark on mine. A clearer picture would help. OP may want to see if the fan blade is magnetic?
 
I would echo Stingray's post. Put a magnet on the fan. If it sticks, replace it, if the magnet falls off, drive it.
Marty
 
Ford knew about fan blade failures, so the design of the fan blade was changed to a single thickness. However, the change did not work. No original fan is safe to use regardless of how well it looks, and regardless of how it is repaired / strengthened. The amount of fatigue life expended on an original fan is unknown, so all are liable to throw a blade at any moment.
 
Actually some after market steel fans did exist. I happen to have one. They are made of two full single blades, twisted and welled along the edges. Look like the originals ! Mine should be safe, had it X-rayed for crack detection.
 
That's a late 31 fan. Used thru model B production as well. Much stronger hub design that the original fan. Look at the hub - no seams, no welded overlap. If it concerns you, replace it. I personally have no concerns with the late 31 design.
 
I drive my car, so I changed to the 8 blade plastic one on an aluminum hub that Snyders sells.
 
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