which electric fan? 1960 with 350

[Samz]

I have a 1960 Chevy with a 350 in it (only had 402 miles on the engine and trans when I got her). It already has an electric fan, but I think I may need one that cools better. I recently got this truck and it has a newly rebuilt 350 and a newly rebuilt 400 trans. The truck is pretty solid and drives really nice. I'm going to hook up the AC soon, but I want to make sure I have a good fan in there before I do (these Arizona summers get pretty dang hot). The fan that's in there now is new, but the guy didn't know what CFM it pulls. He told me that I should probably get a better fan. The guy was very honest with me and he is an old gear head that knows what he's doing. He did a great job on this truck.

So, if any of you can suggest what electric fan I should consider, please let me know. The fan in there now is about 16X16X2 1/2. I have just under 3 inches to spare in thickness for the fan. Also, the fan in there now does not have a shroud. Thank you in advance.

[YOLO]

If the radiator and fan are good quality, I would wonder if the radiator is big enough? If you want to replace the electric fan maybe go to dual smaller fans. Make sure you have a good alternator that can handle the amperage on start up and when those fans kick on.

Check the other stuff and make sure you have the right thermostat in there too. Good luck.

[blown240]

If the radiator is stock size, try the Ford Taurus/Lincoln mk8 fan. I have that in my 61, and it's great!

[Samz]

I actually have an aluminum radiator. Its about 20"x20". Not sure how many cores it has. I've been looking for a fan thats about 16x16 and under three inches deep that pulls a lot of cfm. Im not sure how many cfm's i need or what brand to look for. I'm not sure how many cfm i get now. The guy that built the engine (all new stuff) told
Me the fan isnt a high rated one. But said it doesn't go over 180. He only had 402 miles on the build. I drove it after changing the oil and filter and them temp eventually went up to 200, then went back down to about 190 and back to 200 and so on. I'm new to electric fans. My temp now starts out at 180, then will go to 195-200. The weather here has only gotten to the 90's and i want to make sure my fan will work when the temps are above 110 out here. I'll also be hooking up my AC soon. I just want to make sure my cooling system is squared away.
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[storm9c1]

Catalogs (Jegs, Summit) usually lists CFM with their fans. I'd go with a dual electric setup. Pick a fan set with integral shroud that has the best CFM. Upwards of 3000 CFM would be excellent. But these get pricey.

Keep in mind your wiring may not be up to the task. Fans draw significant power when starting up, and also when cruising on the highway if they turn on then (which is bad). It may be best to get a fan controller that can control both fans independently and they usually have an A/C input as well.

I only prefer electric fans on computer controlled vehicles since they are designed to monitor road speed and shut fans off at cruising speed, and run each fan independently depending on conditions, etc. I've melted wiring harnesses on cars that had dual electric fans that ran too often, installed by previous owners. And converted them back to stock mechanical clutch fans for better reliability.

In fact, I prefer to use a 7-blade mechanical fan, shroud, and HD or Servere Duty clutch on non-computer controlled engines. But you have a bling engine, so I doubt you want to go this route.

[Samz]

Thanks for the info Storm. I'm good with switching to a mechanical fan/shroud. The engine came the way you see it. It looks nice, but I'm more concerned with it running properly. I'll see what all I have to get to switch back to a mechanical fan set up. I'm sure it's cheaper than getting a high output electrical fan with less worries! Thanks.

FYI, I just took her out for a drive at higher speeds, and the temp went up to about 205 and pretty much stayed there. I don't want to cook my new engine! ha, that would suck!

[storm9c1]

At higher speeds, if your electric fan is running, it will actually impede airflow. It needs to shut off at speeds above 45MPH and let the natural airflow do its thing. You could try pulling over and unplugging the fan (or popping out the fuse) temporarily then jump back on the highway and see if temps go down. Don't forget to pull over and plug it back in when done with this test!

Mechanical fans with clutches are designed very differently so they do not impede airflow while cruising (ever wonder why the fan blades are unevenly spaced, that's one of the reasons).

There may be other factors at play here. Your carb may be running too lean at cruise. Or you aren't pulling in enough timing advance at cruise. Both of those will make your engine run hotter. Edelbrock carbs (specifically ones with electric choke) are notorious for being lean at cruise out of the box. One step up in metering rods will fix this.

[Samz]

There may be other factors at play here. Your carb may be running too lean at cruise. Or you aren't pulling in enough timing advance at cruise. Both of those will make your engine run hotter. Edelbrock carbs (specifically ones with electric choke) are notorious for being lean at cruise out of the box. One step up in metering rods will fix this.
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I do have an Edelbrock carb. The guy that built it/sold it to me is an old gear head and builds hot rods. He told me that I may have to mess with the timing and carb a bit because he set it up "by ear". I'll have to look into that with a timing light and see if the carb needs adjusting as well. I'm going to hit the local auto parts store to see if I can find what I need to switch it back to a mechanical fan with a shroud. I'll also check out the timing and carb.

On a side note, I'm getting ready to paint her. There isn't much bodywork to do and I'm replacing the front left fender with a new one. My oak bed slats just showed up via UPS, but I'm still waiting on the SS bed strips and bolt kit to show up. I have plenty to keep me busy, but my priority is to get her running just right....then off to the AC shop to get it hooked up.

[Samz]

Well, I found that I only have 3 1/2 inches between the water pump pulley and the radiator, so a clutch fan will likely not fit unless I move my radiator forward. I might be able to move my radiator about one inch. I sure don't want to do that if I don't have to. Does anyone know if there is a short/low profile fan clutch available? I need something under 3 inches (with the fan installed) to be safe. I also read that there are some flex-a-lite fans that don't require a clutch. Has anyone heard of these or used them? The other option is to locate a low profile electric fan, but the down side is I would possibly have to up my alternator and wiring (maybe). Those low pro electric fans are crazy money too. I'd like to put a mechanical fan on, but I need to find a clutch that will fit in that tight spot. I was at the Oreilly's for over an hour looking for both an electric fan that would work and/or a clutch fan that would work.....we found nothing they carry. Does anyone know what clutch will work? I was looking into a "Hayden", but I couldn't find the dimensions.

[Captainfab]

In looking at your pics. whoever installed that engine and trans, moved them way way forward from where they are supposed to be. I can't tell for sure but it looks like the engine may have a long water pump instead of the short pump it should have. I have no idea why someone did this. If the engine and trans were in the stock location like they should be, you would have plenty of room for a mechanical fan and a shroud.

In my opinion, with where your engine and trans are positioned now, you will be stuck with some sort of electric fan configuration.

[Samz]

Well after looking into other options, I went ahead and ordered the flex-a-lite 412 dual fan set up. It should be installed by tomorrow. I'll give an update with the out come.

[storm9c1]

The flex-a-lite 412 dual fan is a decent unit. I've used it before and it moves a lot of air and fits in a tight space. When you wire it up, run a light/LED into the cab, either permanently or temporarily and make sure it's not running at highways speeds. This is one of the units that I've used before that blocks too much airflow due to the shrouded design if running at highways speeds. You don't want that.

Definitely put it on your TODO list to check timing. And perhaps bump up the carb metering rods one step rich if you keep running hot.

[Samz]

Thanks for the info Storm. I got her all buttoned up yesterday and she runs nice and cool. I took her out for a long ride and the temp stayed at 185. At idle in traffic, it went up to about 190-195, but went back down to 180/185 soon there after. I still have to check the timing and carb (I got side tracked yesterday). I'll get that taken care of today. I'm pretty happy with this set up. I read a lot of great reviews on this fan with SBC engines. I'll be hooking up my AC after I get back from vacation in about a week or two.