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Added auxiary cooling fan

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Old May 16, 2018 | 10:13 PM
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Default Added auxiary cooling fan

I know I know, these cars run hot..... My car runs perfectly in line with what seems to be normal for LT1 cars. At cruise it will hold 185-190, then in stop and go traffic it will creep up to around 215-220, occasionally hitting 230-235, then fans will kick in and bring it down around 215-220, which is where it will stay until I get out of traffic and back up to highway speeds. Even though that seems normal, I still feel better with a little added security for when idling in traffic in hot weather, so I decided to put a 12 inch pusher fan in front of the AC condenser. I wanted to be able to turn it on and off at will, but I don’t like the look of aftermarket toggle switches tacked on to the interior, so...after some consideration I decided to wire the fan to a relay and tap into the wiring for my fog lights to trigger the relay. So now when I want the extra fan I just turn on the fog lights. It may seem a little odd, but I’m happy with it! I cruised around a while tonight and it never went over 205-210 in traffic with the auxiliary fan on so it definitely made a difference.


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Old May 16, 2018 | 10:18 PM
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In case you can’t tell from the pics, nothing is actually touching the condenser. I used some aluminum stock to make a couple brackets to mount the fan to. I’ve never felt comfortable using those zip tie type quick connects that mount through the radiator (condenser in this case).
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Old May 17, 2018 | 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by JBPC4
I know I know, these cars run hot..... My car runs perfectly in line with what seems to be normal for LT1 cars. At cruise it will hold 185-190, then in stop and go traffic it will creep up to around 215-220, occasionally hitting 230-235, then fans will kick in and bring it down around 215-220, which is where it will stay until I get out of traffic and back up to highway speeds. Even though that seems normal, I still feel better with a little added security for when idling in traffic in hot weather, so I decided to put a 12 inch pusher fan in front of the AC condenser. I wanted to be able to turn it on and off at will, but I don’t like the look of aftermarket toggle switches tacked on to the interior, so...after some consideration I decided to wire the fan to a relay and tap into the wiring for my fog lights to trigger the relay. So now when I want the extra fan I just turn on the fog lights. It may seem a little odd, but I’m happy with it! I cruised around a while tonight and it never went over 205-210 in traffic with the auxiliary fan on so it definitely made a difference.


You had perfect temps as the car was designed. What are you going to worry about now?
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Old May 17, 2018 | 09:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Cruisinfanatic
You had perfect temps as the car was designed. What are you going to worry about now?
Ha, I’m sure I’ll find something! I dropped my son off at school in the Vette this morning which was the ultimate test, idleing through the long slow drop off lane would always push temps to about 230. Today it never topped 210. Even if there’s no benefit other than in my own mind, If it makes me feel better then I’ll go with it.

My wife always tells me she thinks half the time I just create projects for the sake of it....she’s probably right...

Actually she’s definitely right🙂
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Old May 17, 2018 | 09:44 AM
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I Like it! and nice job on the install
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Old May 17, 2018 | 04:00 PM
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previous owner of mine did a direct switch to the electric fans on my 94.
im almost always at 185-190
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Old May 17, 2018 | 04:18 PM
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I'm with you, I don't care what it was designed for.. 230 is just too damn hot.

I don't like it.

Good job!

Last edited by confab; May 17, 2018 at 04:18 PM.
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Old May 17, 2018 | 04:33 PM
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Originally Posted by confab
I'm with you, I don't care what it was designed for.. 230 is just too damn hot.

I don't like it.

Good job!
for an old Ford
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Old May 17, 2018 | 04:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Cruisinfanatic
for an old Ford
Or the head gasket?

The PCM circuit failed on my car immediately after I bought it. It's so hot already, there's a matter of seconds before it's too hot.

So, no.. I fixed that nonsense.
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Old May 17, 2018 | 04:56 PM
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Originally Posted by confab
Or the head gasket?

The PCM circuit failed on my car immediately after I bought it. It's so hot already, there's a matter of seconds before it's too hot.

So, no.. I fixed that nonsense.
Thats exactly where I was coming from. Yeah, I know that it’s fine at 230, but seeing how quickly it rises that doesn’t leave much wiggle room should something go wrong. I like the extra 10-20 degrees of cushion and also like knowing theres now a back up fan that’s independent of the stock fans should those fail. For me, I think it just makes more sense this way.
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