Electric fan or????

[Midwestmonsta262]

I just recently swapped motors in my 1987 monte
Carlo SS. The clutch fan isn't cooling everything
As it should. Any recommendations on what brand, style
Of electric fan to install? Running over 400 hp.
Also, will a electric fan work enough to eliminate
The original all together ? Thanks!

 

[-83MONTESS-]

I just recently swapped motors in my 1987 monte
Carlo SS. The clutch fan isn't cooling everything
As it should. Any recommendations on what brand, style
Of electric fan to install? Running over 400 hp.
Also, will a electric fan work enough to eliminate
The original all together ? Thanks!

I cant tell you what brand to use but I have 2 14" Derale 3500(?) cfm fans that are going in after the big block swap. I would use 2 12" electric fans with around 3500-4000 cfms. You wont need the clutch fan with electric fans. Another thing you can try is what im gonna have to do, the push/pull setup. One fan infront of the radiator and the other behind it. I didnt do my homework when I bought the 14" fans so both wont fit :x

 

[cashmoneyspeed]

I swapped in a Chevy 305 and am using the factory size radiator with a single 16" electric fan pulling air. I have it hooked up to a sensor so it turns on and off at preset temps. I also wired in a switch so i can manually turn it on along with a temp gauge. Worth mentioning is I have an added 1000 lbs of weight in the car and have been fine even through this hot Midwest summer we've had.

 

[L92 OLDS]

I'm going to try the dual fan Stratus set up. They fit 90% of the radiator area, pull some serious air and look good. Unless you pay big money, stay away from aftermarket fans. They are weak. An LT1 set up will also work good (Buick Roadmaster/Caprice, or F body)

 

[Mike P]

The first question I have is what is the condition of the radiator and are you running a fan shroud. A clogged or undersized radiator will have difficulty cooling regardless of the fan setup. Another problem can also be the fan clutch you have is just worn out.

For what it’s worth, here’s my 2 cents. Nothing is going to move more air than a good 7 blade fan with a heavy duty fan clutch and shroud. That being said, nothing is going to suck up more HP when it locks up……..but when it locks up (at 210 degrees) you are a lot more concerned about keeping the engine cool than how much HP you’re making.

I usually build my cars for long distance highway driving and the typical setup is the biggest radiator I can fit, shroud, 7 Blade fixed fan and HD Hayden fan clutch (the thick one for a mid 70s 454 pickup truck).

Over the last week I put 4000 miles on my 507CI Cadillac powered El Camino driving from Arizona to Illinois and back…..75-80 MPH the whole way with the AC on, it never got above 210 degrees on the highway or in town.

Like I said, just my 2 cents.

 

[dogsht]

Mike glad to see you are using your Elky. What kind of mileage did you get & what gear do you have again? I know you have a great build thread but you should consider putting some pics in your album so that people can just click the little camera button and see some pics of your cars, the motor, your build whatever. You are dead on with what you said about the cooling system.

That said a good OEM factory dual puller with shroud can move some serious air and handle a heck of a cooling load. My dual 13.5" electrics handled my 10-1 509 for 9,000 miles without any issues in some relatively extreme conditions. It was made to cool a full size pickup. It wasn't cheap though and to do over I would find a select OEM fans from the salvage yard. Mini van fans that came with the HD cooling for rear AC are known to generally fit our gbodys can pull some serious air and are cheap and easy to find. You will need a good alternator & normally a 30 amp fuse. Here is what I used and had to do a little shroud trimming to make it fit. http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/27 ... ctric.html

Some of their fans pull up to 5500 cfm but I think this would require a 40 amp fuse and a newer style altenator. I ran mine on a rebuilt upgraded to 85amp original alternator with low rpm pulley. The low rpm pulley was for maximum amperage at low 1,000ish rpm as I wanted to make sure I wasn't draining the battery with the electric pullers, fuel pump, headlights & stereo. It also wasn't going to be overspun with the Cadillac operating range and 5,200 maximum rpm. I am not positive but I think the HD 7 blade clutch fan you are refering to was rated at like 5,000 cfm so very comparable.