clutch fan vs. flexfan
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It's a bit of a tossup. Both have minor advantages and disadvantages but none will out-perform a regular fan unless you are stepping up to a larger fan or a fan with more blades.
Personally, I perfer a flex fan... less weight and less parts to fail. Just make damn sure you never stick your fingers in it.
If you are thinking about an inexpensive fan upgrade, why not consider swapping in an electric fan? If you are on a budget, a stock fan from a ford taurus (do a search for info on what years, etc) will probably do a better job than a mechanical fan and you get all of the benifits of an electric fan.
Personally, I perfer a flex fan... less weight and less parts to fail. Just make damn sure you never stick your fingers in it.
If you are thinking about an inexpensive fan upgrade, why not consider swapping in an electric fan? If you are on a budget, a stock fan from a ford taurus (do a search for info on what years, etc) will probably do a better job than a mechanical fan and you get all of the benifits of an electric fan.
the flex fan will have a slight edge in cooling, depending the design, but the clutch fan will have an edge in efficiency. i also prefer the flex fan, and my material of choice is plastic as it is the lightest fan available. i also agree with using an electric fan from a taurus or other factory vehicle that uses one.
You should be able to mount to any radiator 19" or longer. The problem some people have is clearance between the fan motor and engine crank pully.
67Dylan
New Member
That is good advice, but remember some of the taurus fans use the same motor as the Mark VIII fan. I had a Mark VIII fan motor go out on me and went to the JY in search of a new one. Found a couple in Taurus' that had the exact same part # as the Mark VIII. Point being, the motor will pull ~100A at start up. I *believe* the 93-96 v-6 fans use this motor... not 100% sure tho. Either fan will work.
67Dylan
New Member
Too many variables to say. I've read 4300CFM for the M VIII and as little as 1800CFM for ones such as the black tragic fan. The Mark VIII blades and motor make it superior and once turned on you can really feel the air moving. I live in Phoenix AZ and a 2 core alum radiator, stock water pump, and the M VIII fan has yet to let me down in our 110* plus summers.
67Dylan
New Member
That's the DC Controller. It's a big PWM that greatly lowers inrush current. You'll still need a alty upgrade, but the piece is really nice IMO.
Just my experience...
I have a motor that should be fairly demanding of the cooling system, and I drive it like a nut... I used a Fluidyne radiator with a flexifan and a mildon high-flow thermostat (180 degree), and I can hardly get the thing up to temp. I've had to check to see that the thermostat was not stuck open. I've checked the sending unit to make sure it was reading correctly. I think that it has become such a wind-tunnel that it is just that effective. It's in the 70's and 80's and I'm still running around with cardboard to restrict the airflow. I realize you aren't shopping for all this garbage, but I attribute its efficacy to the fan. I hope I haven't just jinxed myself by bragging on it.
I have a motor that should be fairly demanding of the cooling system, and I drive it like a nut... I used a Fluidyne radiator with a flexifan and a mildon high-flow thermostat (180 degree), and I can hardly get the thing up to temp. I've had to check to see that the thermostat was not stuck open. I've checked the sending unit to make sure it was reading correctly. I think that it has become such a wind-tunnel that it is just that effective. It's in the 70's and 80's and I'm still running around with cardboard to restrict the airflow. I realize you aren't shopping for all this garbage, but I attribute its efficacy to the fan. I hope I haven't just jinxed myself by bragging on it.
17" diameter
I got it from Summit Racing. Here is a link to the specific product.
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=FLX%2D1370&N=700+0&autoview=sku
The cowl is a stock reproduction, (plastic) from a '66 V8 obtained at my local Mustang Corral. It required a bit of dremmeling to orient it ideally. There is about 3/4-1" on all sides at a standstill, and I spaced the fan to about 1/2" from the face of the radiator. I've always wondered how much motor mount flex it would take to cause a catastrophe. To date, this has worked beautifully. Almost too well.
I got it from Summit Racing. Here is a link to the specific product.
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=FLX%2D1370&N=700+0&autoview=sku
The cowl is a stock reproduction, (plastic) from a '66 V8 obtained at my local Mustang Corral. It required a bit of dremmeling to orient it ideally. There is about 3/4-1" on all sides at a standstill, and I spaced the fan to about 1/2" from the face of the radiator. I've always wondered how much motor mount flex it would take to cause a catastrophe. To date, this has worked beautifully. Almost too well.
HistoricMustang
Active Member
I use a flex fan for street duty and it does the trick.
Remember oil and/or water under 230 degrees is OK. Over that for extended periods is not OK.
HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com
Yes, some taurus and Mark VIII fans use the same motor.
From what I've been told, inrush current is approx 70A. And continous current draw for the high speed is between 30A and 35A depending on who you ask. I don't know what the low speed draw is.
I'm not sure what you are getting at here. All electric fans draw alot of power, and usually the more air they move the more power they use. Sure the Taurus fans take alot of power...but they also move alot of air. That's why they are such a common swap. Not only are they cheap, they also work really well.
67Dylan
New Member
Not to split hairs, but the 3 Mark VIII fans I measured had ~100A when powered on. The continuous current draw was ~30A, which is not bad. Not all electric fans draw that much current at start up or under continous duty. The black tragic fan I measured drew less than 30A on start up and ~15A under load. Not the same league as the Mark VIII IMO. Point is not ALL DC motors are created equal and not all draw the amount of current as the M VIII fan does. The motor is only one part of the CFM equation; the fan blade is a very important part. If you look at the M VIII blades you will notice they are larger and have better pitch than the Ram or Black Tragic fans. Ford spent a lot of time w/those fans and even redisgned them after a couple of years of use do to the noise they were producing (read customer complaints about fan noise). The early M VIII fans produced more CFM than the ones produced in the later years, fact.
My point is that if you go w/a Taurus fan that uses the M VIII motor, change the alty. It isn't required to swap alty's if you go w/a lesser quality fan, such as the black tragic. I have installed many fans, swapped motors, and can attest to their reliability and how they help cool. I recmnd any of the swappable fans: SN95, Taurus, Mark VIII, or the T-bird.
302 coupe
Founding Member
I got a generic elec fan from auto zone 7 years ago for maybe $50, works fine-in Georgia summers, with a very hot natured engine.... The Northern radiator helps alot too. My point--I'd take a bigger radiator over a better fan any day. Radiators have no elec. draw, no parasitic loss. When adequately sized, fan requirements are minimized. For what an aftermarket fan costs, you can purchase a BIG radiator. That should mean somehting to you guys tacking super size fans onto the tiny stock radiators in attempt to run cool.
Personally, I'm not a fan of belt driven fans on performance engines. I've seen too many fly apart at upper rpm's. I know they can work, but just not worth the risk for me.
If you go to the junkyard to grab a M8 fan, grab a 3G alt while there too. Good parts, and worth every dime.
Personally, I'm not a fan of belt driven fans on performance engines. I've seen too many fly apart at upper rpm's. I know they can work, but just not worth the risk for me.
If you go to the junkyard to grab a M8 fan, grab a 3G alt while there too. Good parts, and worth every dime.
67Dylan
New Member
If you have a radiator that is big and an 'opening' that is not able to take advantage of the larger radiator then you are wasting its capacity. Same as if the fan is too small for the radiator; waste.
If you're sitting in traffic and are running a fan that is too small for the radiator how does the larger radiator keep the motor cool? It won't. If you are driving on the highway the larger radiator doesn't help AT ALL if air is not passing thru it. There are ways around this; building a shroud, so to speak, to help the air flow thru the radiator will take advantage of the larger radiator, but you still need a properly sized fan.
If you look at the newer cars they have small radiators w/properly sized fans. If the radiator is too thick then most of the air is drawn around the radiator instead of thru it. I think that says something for oversized radiators.
If you're sitting in traffic and are running a fan that is too small for the radiator how does the larger radiator keep the motor cool? It won't. If you are driving on the highway the larger radiator doesn't help AT ALL if air is not passing thru it. There are ways around this; building a shroud, so to speak, to help the air flow thru the radiator will take advantage of the larger radiator, but you still need a properly sized fan.
If you look at the newer cars they have small radiators w/properly sized fans. If the radiator is too thick then most of the air is drawn around the radiator instead of thru it. I think that says something for oversized radiators.
302 coupe
Founding Member
more surface area, more coolant capacity, etc etc. Having the opening match the size of the radiator is pretty much a given. Even on 65-66 cars the core can easily be widened 3-4" without it even being noticed. I wasn't saying that a tiny fan should be used a big radiator....but IMO and experience, a big radiator may only need a 2000 cfm fan, as compared to small radiator that might need a 5000 cfm fan.
Are you comparing a 40 yr old mustang to a new car? I agree about thickness, you want surface area not depth. When I say big radiator, I mean big area, not 5 rows or whatever, thats pointless. More area gives off more heat, and allows more airflow.
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