Kacyc3

Bit the bullet and ordered a Dewitts radiator w/o fans, Im a big fan of over kill and tired of being paranoid about this temp. So dont want this to become a Dewitts vs. XX brand radiators but lets see your e fan installs on these radiators.

mike11

I bought the same radiator and didn't want to go the expensive fan route. Found a way to wire in a cooling fan setup from a 05 Ford Focus I got off Rockauto and very easily mounted with some aluminum stock I cut up for brackets.

mike11

bluegtp

I went the focus fan route too. I used some small aluminum angle and a few cuts, bolted everything together. With the dewitts and focus fans I've never had any over heating issues. If anything it ran a little too cold and I had to switch out tstats.

Excuse my mess, I'm in the middle of an ls3 swap.


And here a pic from a few years ago mocked up with old radiator.

Buccaneer

Would be interested in the details to that mod. I have a DeWitts in mine, but was thinking about installing twin fan setup as well. Thanks

mike11

The fans you can pickup on Rockauto for around $100, its a dual fan setup with one high and one low speed fan. I chose not to use a relay or temp sensor setup as I wanted full control for when each fan came on. With both on, I have been able to run nice and cool even in the heat of the summer in Florida traffic.

For the mounting, I ran a piece of flat aluminum stock along the bottom of the radiator to mate the plastic housing assembly of the fan to the radiator, secured with small screws/ bolts, and was able to utilize existing drilled holes the radiator frame already had. For the top I have a couple of 1/2" wide by 10" (or so) braces ran at angles to secure the plastic fan housing assembly to the top left/right corners of the radiator.

For the wiring, I cut out the Ford pigtail plugs and spliced eye ends for the grounding wires and grounded on a bolt to the frame near the radiator. Then I ran the positive wires up through the firewall, tapped into a hot source on the fuse block, and wired in line 25amp fuses. I drilled/ installed two manual flip switches under the steering column on that little removable panel under the steering column which I found is an accessible location but not in the way or looks obnoxiously out of place. Just don't forget to turn them off when you park!

Street Rat

I've got the DeWitt's radiator with the dual Spal fans in my '81.

I'm using a PWM controller from the Autocool Guy

Kacyc3

I had focus fans on my car and took them off to try the volvo fan hoping to cool it better with the old radiator.




does that thread right into the alum. bar on top and bottom of the radiator?

Street Rat

Yes. The brackets came with Spal fan package.

Buccaneer

Nice setup, looks clean. Doesn't DeWitts have a controller? I haven't looked yet. Is that a dual speed controller? I'm also assuming that you bought the spall fans with the rad? Thanks

Street Rat

Thanks!

I don't believe DeWitt's sell controllers. The Spal setup uses relays.

I actually purchased my radiator a year or so before buying the Spal dual fans from DeWitt's. I was running a fan clutch and seven blade fan, supplemented by the factory electric fan. My factory gauge would drift to over 200 degrees at times. I don't believe the gauge to be correct. I purchased a laser temperature gun to help sort things out. I'm just getting the controller set up to my liking. It will run two fans either independent of the other or together.

Buccaneer

What are the temps now with the fans or haven't had time to sort that out yet? Thanks

Street Rat

I'm in the middle of a steering column rebuild.

I can't drive the car to set the system up correctly and measure temperatures just yet.

cv67

id like to find a real reliable controller the spal switch only gives you two choices
200 on 185 off or on 185 165 off

Have run the cooler switch but fan runs all the freaking time unless Im on the fwy, dont like the way the car behaves at 200 either
I am not impressed with the 16 in fan> I have an Abody that gets lots of air, a dewitts, vented shroud and a cheap plastic flex fan did better even in 100 deg temps....at idle you really noticed it

Nothing in between

Think many factory fans are better...they have to be. To endure 100k mi, ac on all types of driving youd think

Heck our single fan off our 00 e320 moves a lot more air, the dual fan off our 01 e430 blows away the spal they are nuts!! Think the spal is good quality overall and capable of better (whaddya want for 200) but if 4 cyl fans are doing a better job thats saying something.


Spal you listening?
make it easy to wire in our old buckets with an integrated controller that ramps up Id be first in line

Street Rat

Look at some of these on this website cuisinartvette...


http://www.autocoolguy.com/