What year/make/model is this fan from?

Z

Ziggster

Well-known member
Just came across this for sale on FB. Never seen such an odd looking radiator fan.
 

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I would be afraid to use it as it may have microscopic fatigue cracks and fly apart.
I had that happen once. Blade went thru the hood and into the radiator while I was leaning over the engine compartment. VERY LUCKY I WASN'T KILLED.
 
Correct, unless I know for sure it is NOS and never been used.
For the past 30 years I have been using stainless steel flex fan.
Fan is bolted to a home made hub fan carrier. Engine is 8BA in a 40 ford.
So far, so good.
 

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The five blade fan in the original post is a Ford extra cooling accessory. Whether it takes a wide belt or a narrow belt will determine the year.
 
I was a professional mechanic for 30 years and I never saw a fan come apart. I know it happens, but it doesn't break without warning. If you strip old fans down to bear steel and inspect the blades and rivets it is not going to fly away in pieces. During my career (not flathead era) I worried more about loose water pumps letting the fan hit the radiator. If you inspect your car and I mean really inspect it for cracks and things like that you will catch problems before they happen. I worked on a fleet of 400 vehicles for 30 years and we kept them until the engines were fianlly wornout. Then we made a financial decision if it was time get rid of the vehicle or rebuild the engine. It depended on if the rest of the vehicle was just about used up or not. "Every service" I grabbed the fan and inspected it for being loose.

My dad was in the Model A Club since the late 1950s. As a kid I used to hear stories of the two-blade fans coming apart from my dad. He actually had a spare one in case the one on the engine got a crack in it. I have a '29 Model A Roadster and I do keep an eye on the fan. Those damn stories have made me Model A fan paranoid but not so paranoid I'm going to stick a modern fan on it. That would destroy the vintage look of the engine.
 
It would be interesting to ask on Fordbarn how many folks periodically strip down their fans to bare metal and inspect the blades for hairline cracks. I can only relate what happened to me. 2 of the fan blades came apart with one piece going into the radiator and another piece cutting through the hood. The fan blade rivets held. Wish I had take photos. All I know is that I am super grateful I wasn't hit.
 
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I attended a swap meet with a friend who needed a fan for his '35. We were happy to find one, and I confirmed it to be correct for his car. Two weeks after being installed, one blade parted at the crack we should have seen, and went through his hood. Yes, his comprehensive insurance paid for the hood, but not the fan. There's a first time for everyone, shame on the seller. We are both the wiser now, so no shame for learning a lesson.
 
On my '28 A pickup original 2 blade I welded all the suspected areas 'tween the blades & pully, no problem for 30 years. Yes, I inspect it every 3-5 years. Lost a blade off my '30 A fordor in the 60's in Big Bear Lake, Ca. about midnight, great vibration so I pulled over & looked under the hood w/flashlight. Couldn't find it so drove on home (5 miles) at idle. Next morning I looked again and it was laying on top of the firewall mounted battery between the posts! Got lucky on that bit anyhow, replaced the fan that day.
 
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