79corvetteTPI

what electric fan has everyone been using to replace the belted fan on the stock radiator?

zwede

Since you live in LA where it gets hot & humid I'd recommend the spals. I have them on my 454/AC in Dallas and never break 200F.

pws69

Dual Spals from Dewitt :thumbs:

PatsLs1vette

im using flexalites dual fan setup cools it fine,never goes above 180.

Sigforty

I just bought a Spal 16 inch for my 71 4 speed. I would have gone with the dual system, but since I have a small radiator it would have been to big. The Spals set ups are the best and you can get a good price on one from Dewitts.

gkull

As an owner of both Flex-a-Lites and Spals. I can comment on both.

Spals are higher CFM, but everything about them is poopie. Pi$$ poor excuse for a plastic shroud and the $48.95 or $120 mount kit's are something you could make better in your garage. Neither of them hold the fan in close enough to pull the max CFM through the radiator. It's also smaller dimension than the Fex-a-Lite.

I'm having a race car shop build a aluminum shroud that will pull through the total core with Spall fans. Our radiators cores are @17.5 inches by 27.5 inches. The spal is more like 15 inches by 24.5 or something like that. 30 amp motors so they move much more air than the Flex-alite dual 11 inchers at 21 amps.

I should go into the shroud bussiness for Spal fans and save everybody money over the junky products from Dewitts etc.

IMO. the Flex-a-Lite fan is a wonderful product for sub 450 or so hp. Nice mounting system with the through the radiator core zip ties & nice rubber seal to protect the cores. It also is larger than the junk spal shroud. So it cools more of the radiator. Less amps for lower amp alternator systems.

I hope that this post put's a fire under DeWitts for selling inferior junk. It would be no problem for Spal to make a different mold instead of a one size fits all Italian thinking. For the price I thought that it would be a nice product.

Your better off buying a couple of spal fans and having your own quality shroud made for higher hp applications. :mad :mad


[Modified by gkull, 11:56 AM 7/22/2003]

vette_c5c6

I am using the dual #210 flexalite perfect fit and they work great.

Wrencher

Here's a inexpensive solution, although I have not tried it myself. '90-'92 Subaru Legacy wagons use 2 electric fans on a core that is the exact same size as a C-3 (at least the early ones). The primary fan is 13.5 (!) inches across, and the secondary (A/C) fan is 11 inches with mounting holes top and bottom in the steel shrouds. I don't know CFM, but they move a bunch of air and are quiet as well. I'm tempted to purchase the alloy radiator from DeWitt's and use these. Any thoughts?

Hans

The_Dude

:iagree: Even with the AC on, on the hottest days, my car runs around 190 degrees. It's basically a stock 350 with headers, stock radiator, Edelbrock Performer, and a comp 268H cam. :thumbs:


[Modified by The_Dude, 12:01 PM 7/22/2003]

gkull

Wencher your idea would work.

But it appears that the quality of the Flex-a-Lite 210 for the low $200 some dollars is getting the votes.

Fevre

:iagree:

Keeps it between 180 and 200 with a 180 stat. I am running about 350 to 400hp and with the alum Summit rad it is working great.

R. Bruno

I guess my experience with the flex-lites is a little different but not sure why. I have the dual #210 set-up with a universal aluminum radiator (new) AND air conditioning, stock 350. In cool weather they work fine. When it gets hot, say 90 and I turn on the AC the temp rises to at least 215 and looks like it will keep going. I wouldn't want to try to drive across the desert even without AC. I haven't pushed it but it seems like the fans can't keep up under a heavy load. They are half the price of the Spals but they may be weak if you have an AC car.

Wrencher

This is what I'm dealing with. Even on a 100 degree day (right now), it'll stay cool going down the road (good airflow through the radiator), but run up to 210 in town. With the A/C on, traffic is out of the question and it will barely maintain temp going down the road. This is with an all stock setup.

Hans

R. Bruno

Wrencher- sounds exactly like my problem. My shroud is gone but I was thinking of putting on a stocktype fan for extra cooling just during hot weather. What do you think?

Tom73

I have read of several using the fan assembly out of a 90-96 vette. Dual fans. And they are GM, so can get parts anywhere. Check Vette salvage yards.

tom...

IGTMYKX

Check my sig

BeaterShark

I have the dual flex-a-lites. They weren't enough for zwede, so he sold them to me. I don't have any problems, but I'm never stuck in traffic for more than 3-5 minutes. I have a universal Griffin rad with 1 1/4" core tubes. I have the fans set to come on at 205*F.

It's kind of hard to tell how well they do as I have a mech temp sensor right next to my header tubes. When I stop, the temp increases, the fans kick on and the temp needle doesn't move. Then, I take off and it *immediately* drops 5-10*. I'm guessing the fans are cooling it down but the heat from the headers is keeping my gauge from letting me know. This is in the 100* weather we have been having in Dallas. In 90* or less, the fans almost never come on.

Oh yeah, I don't have A/C.

BSeery

I was using them on my stock radiator. They fit very nicely and cooled until it got over 105 degrees out and I wanted to run the A/C.

81' Corvette Guy

OK guys...stock motor, rad, and an A/C car..which to go with? I live in Texas and not really having any problems with cooling with the stock setup. But I like the idea of losing the belt driven fan setup and going with a dual electric setup..any ideas?

Gameshow Bob

My policy has always been, when in doubt, listen to zwede. Go with the dual 11" spals