Replacement Fan

Gyrodoc

Gyrodoc

Senior Member
1928-1931 Ford Model A Fan (4-Blade)
[A-8600-4B] $65.00

1928-1931 Ford Model A Fan (4-Blade)
Click to enlarge
Replacement style 4 blade fan to fit all 1928-1931 Ford Model A's and 1932-1934 4 cylinder engines

The picture didn't copy over, but this fan has an aluminum hub and 2 single blades that attach with 1/4 inch bolts. Anyone have experience with this fan? Good/Bad? I need a new fan for my driver model A.
Richard
 
I too would stay with the 2 blade aluminum fan. Be cautious and make sure that the taper is correct. A couple of my fellow club members have experienced in- correct taper on the fan causing it to be loose on the shaft.
 
Buy a new aluminum 2 blade fan from a reputable supplier. Some of the early fans had taper problems, balance problems and/or straightness problems.

Charlie Stephens
 
I agree that the 2 blade is the way to go.
BUT....think its very possible everyone is out of stock...
And may be out of stock for several months.
At least that is what I found last week.
Gil. NoCal
 
Do the 6 blade plastic fan & never worry again, NEVER heard of one breaking. (If anyone is gonna' give me HELL for this advice, FORGET it, I'm going to BED!)
Bill W.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
Do the 6 blade plastic fan & never worry again, NEVER heard of one breaking. (If anyone is gonna' give me HELL for this advice, FORGET it, I'm going to BED!)
Bill W.
Click to expand...

I agree Bill, I also like the six bladed plastic fan. I also acknowlage that it does look crap compared to an original fan. I chose the six bladed fan as I live in the tropics and thought it would be more suitable for our climate.
I however disagree with you regarding the fact they never break. Mine broke about six years ago. (ALRIGHT I'LL ADMIT IT, IT DIDN'T BREAK ON IT'S OWN, IT HAD SOME HELP FROM MYSELF.) make mental note to self, do not try turning motor over by fan - the crank handle is the correct tool for that job. "Bill, please don't let Buster T see this post. He's probably got more sense than I have"
Anyway as a quick short term fix I removed the blade opposite to balance the fan. As it turns out it didn't make any difference to it's cooling performance so I continued to use it as a four bladed fan.
 
I would think for folks in warmer areas, a 6 blade would really cool better at low speed or idle than a 2 blade --yeah likely a little more drag but I would not think that's a big deal.
 
I had a post a few weeks ago about a "clacking" noise from the engine which a stethoscope seemed to confirm was coming from the timing gears or cam plunger and spring. After taking apart the timing covers and finding nothing, quite by accident, I bumped the 2 blade alum fan and it was loose on the water pump shaft. An enlarged fan keyway slot was letting the fan rattle on the shaft so a new fan and shaft were required.

I contacted all of the major suppliers and found they all had back orders til Dec '15 before they could get new 2 blade alum fans. I settled for the 6 blade plastic fan which doesn't look particularly original but it works well on a daily driver, which is not a trailer queen.

I can always switch it out in Dec when the alum ones are available but probably won't so long as the 6 blade fan holds up ok.

Glen
 
I like the safety aspect of the plastic fan, if you touch your elbow to the backside, it just goes, BRRRP!
The machining of the hub & taper seems very precise & I've never seen a problem with poor fit or wobbling. Most Modern Iron use them also.
DON'T use Loctite on the taper, I almost NEVER got Minervas' off, when her "LEAKLESS" water pump took a DUMP!!
Bill W.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
I like the safety aspect of the plastic fan, if you touch your elbow to the backside, it just goes, BRRRP!
The machining of the hub & taper seems very precise & I've never seen a problem with poor fit or wobbling. Most Modern Iron use them also.
DON'T use Loctite on the taper, I almost NEVER got Minervas' off, when her "LEAKLESS" water pump took a DUMP!!
Bill W.
Click to expand...

So it took a dump instead of a leak.:D:p
 
Bill not only provides entertainment, if you read carefully, you will see that he provides lots of good advise. Keep it going Bill.
 
There have been reports of that old style bolted together fan coming apart. If it were mine, it would be in the scrap bin. I like the 2 blade aluminum fan, because it works well, and looks original. The plastic fan looks funny and out of place to me, and it also looks too small for the radiator, but some folks like them.
 
“I too would stay with the 2 blade aluminum fan. Be cautious and make sure that the taper is correct. A couple of my fellow club members have experienced in-correct taper on the fan causing it to be loose on the shaft.”
“Buy a new aluminum 2 blade fan from a reputable supplier. Some of the early fans had taper problems, balance problems and/or straightness problems.”
I bought an aluminum fan from one of the purveyors of junk a few months ago, but I haven’t mounted it yet. It is dated 10/17/14. Anyone know if it is one of the wobbly ones?
 
forever4 said:
15-20 years ago I used to buy and try to use quite a bit of reproduction parts, but it was such a parade of junk, made for the masses with low standards, and I could not stand it. That is when I began to insist on NOS, NORS, and mint used parts. They cat lest and work better.

See the link for some insight into the problems to be found with repro shafts and fans, including the six blade plastic.

Click Here> Water Pump Shafts & Fan Hubs
Click to expand...

well a contention sometimes appears on here that the quality of certain repro parts has increased as time has passed but we all know that can be iffy. in some cases I actually think some quality has decreased. one of my cars has a repro light switch that has worked fine since the 1970s, also------gasp-----repro headlight sockets that I bought off of Rick when he first announced a new, better repro. Turns out the sockets have lasted longer than Rick.
 
Minerva came with a 4 blade fan with an alujimum hub & it got loose from the hub & was in danger of coming off. The hub was a flimsy design, "MAYBE" they're BETTER now???
Bill W.
 
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