Hi guys,
If you know me, then you know that I am always looking for a way to save a buck, and I like to get my money's worth when I do spend it. I would like to install an electric fan in my '80 'vette. It has the original 350 that it was born with, Edelbrock Performer intake, block hugger headers and dual exhaust, aluminum radiator, that's about it for mods, sometime in the future it will get new aluminum heads, a slightly bigger cam, and long tube headers, along with a 2000 rpm stall torque converter. I see this fan on Jeg's website:

http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performan...ductId=1042833

Is a shroud really neccessary? Does this fan draw enough air to cool a slightly warmed over 350 with an aluminum radiator? How the heck do I hook it up? (Keep in mind that I don't have a money tree out in the back yard! Please start from the beginning and keep it simple, I don't know much about electrical work, but I can follow simple instructions) Like I said, I like to get my money's worth, but I also understand that my time is valuable, so a would definitely consider a solution that might cost a little more but save time and aggravation. Simple and reliable are the two watchwords to keep in mind here. Thanks in advance for any help.



Keep the shiny side up!
Scott

 

ive got 2 electric fans with no shroud from auto parts set to pull air through. I forget exact size, measure for being able to do max size. the 2 fans cost around $60 each. i ripped out all my ac system so the condenser was out of the way for doing the fasteners. I live in florida with 90+ temps and its fine

 

heres cheap with the shroud. althrough an alternator upgrade would probably be necessary......... so cheap goes to more $$$$$$$$$
http://www.ebay.com/itm/11-Dual-Extr...3e4bea&vxp=mtr

 

that is a nice setup and low priced

 

Install the stock 80 auxillary electric fan used on the L-82s. 81 and 82 fans will also work. These mount in the stock shroud.

 

Head to the wrecking yard and grab a Taurus or Lincoln Mark 8 fan.Ford doesn't do much right but they do use killer electric fans,one will move more air than four of the ones that you picked from Jegs.

 

Also include the Volvo fan in the list and some relays to run it. They do use some current, but you may only need low speed. You could get a temp switch to control low speed and use a manual switch for high speed. Here is a wiring diagram, substitute temp switches or manual switches for the ECM outputs. You should only put power to one speed at a time, this diagram will handle it. Some of the cheap aftermarket fans are not waterproof and have short life spans.

 

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRM-19114/

I have two of these fans in my shop I purchased (2) in case just one fan didn't do the job. It did, and it cooled my 600hp Big Block just fine. I have 750miles on one, and the other is brand new in a box if you are interested, I'll let either/both go fairly cheap.

 

I have a Lincoln Mark VIII fan and shroud in my storage room. I installed it a couple years ago, and had problems with one of the relays blowing all the time, leaving me with no cooling fan. This is the article I used as a reference when I installed it.

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2...cfan/index.php

Got pissed off and put the clutch fan and stock shroud back on. Now I'm willing to give it another try, and I'm trying to look at options. The Mark VIII fan was a monster, I was almost afraid that it would cave the aluminum radiator in from how much air it pulled! (exaggerating!) It worked great.......when it worked. But I guess it pulls a lot of power, too. I had the alternator upgraded to 120 amp for it, but it kept blowing the relay, so I fired it. I would love to use it, since I already have it, but is there a simple, reliable way to hook it up? What I really need is for someone to explain it to me like they would to a little kid, it seems like everybody who likes to talk about this kind of stuff assumes everybody else already knows what they are talking about, and I don't. At all. Is there a kit from Painless or someplace that I can use? When I go online and look at stuff like that, I have no idea what I am looking at, or even what I am looking for. Like I said, I don't know much about electrical work, but I can follow simple instruction. Emphasis on the word simple! Thanks for everybody's input so far.

edit: I was looking at smaller fans because I figured they might be easier to install, with less durability required because of the lower amp draw. The Mark VIII fan draws a lot of current, I guess.



Keep the shiny side up!
Scott

 

I agree Mark 8.

 

First you need to find out if it is a two speed or single speed MK VIII.
Check the pictures (post #7) Then you can go from there on a controller. http://www.pro-touring.com/showthrea...o-Speed-or-Not

 

What relay were you running? Was it the one from the article you linked?
The Mk VIII fans do draw a lot of amps.
I've been using a 70 amp Panasonic relay with one for a few years so far with good luck.

 

is that fan alone enough to cool an engine?

 

Hey Scottyp99 sounds like you had some bad luck with the MK VII fan. when I was considering the options to cooling with electric fans I also considered that fan. it sounds like it would work really well. My hesitation with using it was exactly what happened to you. There was no duplication for cooling so if the one and only fan failed for any reason then there you were with no cooling whatsoever and likely in traffic since murphy's law features prominently in my life.
So I decided to go this route instead.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/11-Dual-Extr...3e4bea&vxp=mtr

They cost more than the single MK VII fan but now I had my duplication for cooling. I wired them up separately or what is called in parallel electrically. This means each fan has it's own relay it's own short stop circuit breaker and it's own 10 guage wire to the battery. The only thing they share in common is the temp sensor to turn them on. I also wired in a manual switch to turn them on manually should the temp switch fail.
Already I have had a each relay fail but at separate times. So in each case the remaining fan was still running and was sufficient to keep the engine cool enough. Once I had the temp sensor fail and had to use the manual switch so I highly recommend the manual switch.
You can buy the relays on ebay. I have several spares. Buy them at least 10 amps higher capacity than the start-up current for the fan. you can buy the short stops at Oreily's or any other car parts store. buy them for the max rating for the wire. So if you use 10 guage wire use 30 amp short stops. the sort stops will reset as apposed to fuses.

I use these relay's
http://www.ebay.com/itm/qty-2-SPST-4...49db7f&vxp=mtr
Initially I used a kit from e-bay to wire up my fans and that was helpful as far as wire and sockets and the diagram that came with them but the relay's were crap. something like this;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Brand-Ne...790529&vxp=mtr
I mounted the temp controller in the thermostat housing. Mine had an extra hole used for a temp sensor for the air intake valve (which I had removed). I currently use a 205 on 195 off temp sensor and it seems to work well in that range.
Many options available I just had to make a decision and went with one. I'm pleased with the results.

 

I'll take a look when I get home, and get back to you.


Keep the shiny side up!
Scott

 

I'm pretty sure it was the same one. I didn't have it bolted down, it could move, and I figure that the bouncing around may have had something to do with it failing.


Keep the shiny side up!
Scott

 

How well does that fan shroud fit the radiator? And how thick is the fan and shroud itself?


Keep the shiny side up!
Scott

 

some basic info on dual spal fan setup, same dimensions i believe.
http://www.a1electric.com/spal/specs/30102052.pdf

this is what their ebay listing says dimensions are:
This auction is for a brand new 11" dual high performance electric fan. This fan measures 24" x 16" x 4.5" and includes 8 rubber flaps in shroud to allow for greater air flow. This heavy duty fan is a straight blade fan that is non-reversible. It features a total of 4000-4500 CFM. While running it has between 14-15 amps for a total of 30 amps while running at full speed. It can spark up to 40 amps on start up so we suggest a 30/40 relay be used. This fan is the most powerful fan on the market today.

 

Scottyp99
I mostly use Taurus/Sable or Volvo fans and get away with 50 amp relays. The MK VIII uses more current and with your need for a kit, check out this site.http://www.hollisterroad.com/ They have single speed or two speed.
For those who would build the circuit themselves here is a good resource.
http://www.davebarton.com/pdf/coolingfandiagrams.pdf

 

thats a great wiring diagram link. 74Mod, thanks. you ship xylenes or something!

http://www.davebarton.com/pdf/coolingfandiagrams.pdf