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searching the forums i found post from 2005 but nothing recent. i am in the middle of a 383 swap with a serpentine belt system. there are a bunch of new[er] fan systems out. what are you using? are you happy?
1979 with a Dewitt's aluminum radiator.
auto with working a/c (wife said so)
Hi, i'm very close to your setup. 1980 C3 with 383. Still using V-belts with A/C. I have a DeWitts radiator with dual SPAL fans and Painless wiring controller. I've tried several controllers but found this to be the best, most accurate and so far, trouble free.
I'm using an Autocool III PWM controller from the Autocool guy on the internet. Haven't got a chance to see how it works yet as I am replacing parts in my steering column as well.
Good quality PWM controllers. Here's a link to their products...
Just put a Dewitt's direct fit with the 2 Spal fans. 160 stat.
It was a close direct fit, had to shim the sway bar which hit the neck - the stock radiator failed after 2 years on the recore. Stock factory fit with no issues, both before and after recore.
The engine is built , 400hp, and with the new radiator it's running cooler. I separated the fans wiring - 185 from the head for the right fan and 195 for the left fan from the water neck.
On the highway in 93 degree heat neither fan comes on, so far in traffic only the right fan is coming on.
If I park for 10 minutes both fans come on when I restart and the left one turns off in 5 minutes.
I did something similar to Blue1972 last year.
74 coupe, auto, 355, 400hp, serpentine system from 92 caprice, 2 temp switches, ac, 185/195, 18p stat. I dont run trans through radiator, theres a separate cooler for that. look up my thread, use the keywords "dual fan wiring schematic c3".
i pieced together a direct fit 3 row aluminum radiator, two 11 inch fans, a shroud for the fans, and built the wiring using relays. I slotted my upper control are cross shafts by 1/4 inch so they could be moved towards rear of car, which conveniently allowed room for radiator and fan. (Thjs isnt required, but it worked out.) My wiring setup is crude. It was fun. It works. But i'd i'd prolly do a complete kit next time. The fans come on and off when they are supposed to.
I am using a Flex-a-lite black magic fan to cool a mildly cammed 427 SBC, with working AC. I am using the fan with a Champion 4-row radiator. No cooling issues in Ohio summers (90-95 in July-August). From my experience, this radiator and fan combination provide plenty of cooling for a big stroker motor. I have been running this for the 3rd year now - hope that helps.
....same here. Running the Flex-a-lite black magic with 427 sbc, 600+ HP, also in Ohio. Using a Be Cool aluminum radiator. Best cooling system I've ever had, never gets above 180° no matter what. Well over 10 years now.
....same here. Running the Flex-a-lite black magic with 427 sbc, 600+ HP, also in Ohio. Using a Be Cool aluminum radiator. Best cooling system I've ever had, never gets above 180° no matter what. Well over 10 years now.
Truth be told - I bought that fan after reading your posts about it....
I have another 'take' on this and that is because I service/repair/upgrade/modify Corvettes for people.
Now many people who seek me out are not mechanically inclined and I am sure barely check their oil and tire pressure at times...so...
I prefer redundancy and that is why I prefer two fans instead of one...just like a I prefer a dual reservoir master cylinder instead of a singe reservoir master cylinder. And that is IF I am lucky enough to have customer call up who looks at their gauges and sees a problem. At least I can hope that one of the fans is still operating if they are calling about an higher than normal coolant temperature.
Now if they only want one fan installed....I will do it due to it is their choice and their car.
Kevin, my bad. My set up is from a C5 98-04 Chevrolet C5 Corvette OEM Engine Cooling Fan & Motor LS1 Z06 ECU w/ Shroud. Hard to keep track of all this stuff. Here is a pic of the simple brackets that just slip into the core supporthttps://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/images/attach/jpg.gif.
Again, the beauty is if you loose a fan there are plenty available. The shroud is a perfect fit and all I have to do is add my seals around everything. This is going to be controlled by the ecu for the TPI engine I am installing. Sorry for the mis-information
Wow tim, great work, im jealous, and the pix, priceless...thanks for sharing.
it was very easy, took a few hours... I did not like putting the fan directly on Rad and I believe you loose a lot of cooling potential by not covering the complete radiator with the shroud.
I'm in Colorado this week working hope to be home for the weekend so I can work on my project....
it was very easy, took a few hours... I did not like putting the fan directly on Rad and I believe you loose a lot of cooling potential by not covering the complete radiator with the shroud.
I'm in Colorado this week working hope to be home for the weekend so I can work on my project....
Thanks Bats!
Tim
Well its sweet,
Im in that same mindset of any uncover core is wasted core,
And i dont like anything touching the fins
Well its sweet,
Im in that same mindset of any uncover core is wasted core,
And i dont like anything touching the fins
On the top of the radiator i welded small aluminum angle i foumd at home Depot and screwed the fan shroud to for the upper support the lower just slides into the frame of the radiator
Well its sweet,
Im in that same mindset of any uncover core is wasted core,
And i dont like anything touching the fins
YOU HAVE FINS, I HAVE GILLS (COULDN'T RESIST)
Originally, on the stock radiator- I had the fans mounted on the radiator with the plastic ties and spring clips.
This setup has lasted 15 + years on my 1980 truck - over 100k miles and is still fine today. The RECORED original in my 71 failed on the cross tube after 1500 miles and about 1.5 years.
The difference in the tube thickness on the recore and the original & 1980 truck radiator is unreal. The truck rad is probably 3 times thicker metal.
I have mounted 16/17" fans in the stock shroud and they work fine, both cars are non A/C. - over 2 years ago...
Using HOME DEPOT aluminum I have made a few fan shrouds for friends. I do agree I like the redundancy of the 2 fan 2 relay + 2 temperature sensor setup. I used the stock shroud mounting points and top bracket for home made setups.
I add a third relay for one fan if there is A/C to turn one fan on as soon as the A/C is switched on. Just be sure to tap into the A/C wiring before the compressor cycling switch if the compressor is set up to cycle.
Last edited by BLUE1972; Jul 25, 2017 at 05:49 PM.
The RECORED original in my 71 failed on the cross tube after 1500 miles and about 1.5 years.
The difference in the tube thickness on the recore and the original & 1980 truck radiator is unreal. The truck rad is probably 3 times thicker metal.
I have seen the thickness of the metal on the original radiators be much thicker than what is made today. I actually had a heater core out of one that had thick copper tubes for the heater hoses to attach to instead of brass.
Originally Posted by BLUE1972
I do agree I like the redundancy of the 2 fan 2 relay + 2 temperature sensor setup.
I do use 2 relays due to having two fans but I only use one sensor to trigger the fans myself.
Originally Posted by BLUE1972
I add a third relay for one fan if there is A/C to turn one fan on as soon as the A/C is switched on. Just be sure to tap into the A/C wiring before the compressor cycling switch if the compressor is set up to cycle.
I use a separate relay for the A/C request signal so the fans come on when the A/C it turned on. When I was at the A/C shop and watching the high pressure side of the gauges...when we tried to only use one fan....the high side pressure was higher than my A/C guy liked...and when we got the other fan running...the pressure dropped and was where he really liked it to be.
I have not gotten around to making it so when the car is being driven that I can control the electric fans because the A/C is working so well for that customer...they do not feel the need to slow down or shut off the fans when it is at interstate speeds.
so much awesome information. so many choices. i spent a ton of time online researching fans and pictures and finally decided to go with what Dewitt's puts on there complete kit. duel spuls. just fabing the brackets out of aluminum, i have a welder at
work to finish the setup.
I would give a PWM controller a second look. The wiring is a little simpler and it has the ability to keep the temperatures more stable. Only one sensor is required too.
....same here. Running the Flex-a-lite black magic with 427 sbc, 600+ HP, also in Ohio. Using a Be Cool aluminum radiator. Best cooling system I've ever had, never gets above 180° no matter what. Well over 10 years now.
(COULDN'T RESIST)
