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Electric Fan


Winston Wolf

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I've been thinking of going to an electric fan setup on my 70. I'd like to retain the stock look as much as possible, and keep the tunnel. Has anyone accomplished this while going to electric? Figured I'd ask before I go through all the work and figure it out for myself.

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You may have to go with a single fan on a shroud on the radiator that the factory shroud fits around. But, in my experience, there's no single electric fan with enough airflow for these V-8 engines. Even the more efficient modern LS engines have dual fans.

 

All the fans on the market have CFM ratings that's all over the place. It's better to look at their current draw. A fan that draws 18 to 20 amps is moving a lot of air.

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So you can do the stock tunnel with an electric fan. I have a dual electric fan setup against my aluminum radiator with the sides being cut for the fan. Then I added the stock clutch fan back but with a clutch that works at low speed.

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Andreas runs a single 2 speed Ford MK VIII fan and reported that it works fine. I have one installed but have not yet really tested it on the road. It is behind a 454 LS6 BBC. My research on this matter showed me that the aftermarket fans are all over the place as far as claims about power draw and air moving ability. Said another way marketing has taken precedence over engineering in selling those aftermarket. Also the racket made by the aftermarket fans was too much for me. I listened to a lot of them at shows and even tried a Derale fan on my car. The whine created by that thing was over the top for me and I junked it.

 

If you do put an electric fan on there be advised that a good fan will require an alternator upgrade. You cannot just tap juice off the battery to run one of the big fans. You need alternator that will be able to support the fans power draw at steady state run AND at fan startup while still supplying enough power for other electrical loads like the stereo and power seat or whatever may be running. You can't rely on whacking the battery for the extra power  when the fan(s) turn on. The battery is there to support the starter not to act as a backup for an underproducing alternator. An alternator ( and  supporting wiring ) that can handle about 130 AMPS is IMHO a requirement. I have installed a CS 130 that has been uprated to met the need when max load is applied to the electrical system.

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My 1980's Camry fans draw about 18 amps each-and they move a ton of air. Their "low" speed is in series so they both draw about 12 amps at half speed. Half speed is usually enough to keep cool.

 

I've always had a bigger alternator. My current setup uses a 220 amp AD244 Power Master unit that's controlled by the fuel injection computer.

post-201-0-59119600-1524962883_thumb.jpg

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This is probably the way I would go, the ford fan. Do you have any pictures?

 

Andreas runs a single 2 speed Ford MK VIII fan and reported that it works fine. I have one installed but have not yet really tested it on the road. It is behind a 454 LS6 BBC. My research on this matter showed me that the aftermarket fans are all over the place as far as claims about power draw and air moving ability. Said another way marketing has taken precedence over engineering in selling those aftermarket. Also the racket made by the aftermarket fans was too much for me. I listened to a lot of them at shows and even tried a Derale fan on my car. The whine created by that thing was over the top for me and I junked it.

 

If you do put an electric fan on there be advised that a good fan will require an alternator upgrade. You cannot just tap juice off the battery to run one of the big fans. You need alternator that will be able to support the fans power draw at steady state run AND at fan startup while still supplying enough power for other electrical loads like the stereo and power seat or whatever may be running. You can't rely on whacking the battery for the extra power  when the fan(s) turn on. The battery is there to support the starter not to act as a backup for an underproducing alternator. An alternator ( and  supporting wiring ) that can handle about 130 AMPS is IMHO a requirement. I have installed a CS 130 that has been uprated to met the need when max load is applied to the electrical system.

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