Flex Fan Install

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Tynan918

Royal Smart Person
Aug 2, 2021
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Wanting to replace my stock coil fan with an aluminum flex fan...

'84 Monte Carlo 305 SBC

I have a stock fan shroud and a long water pump...

What fan size and spacer size would I need ?
 

L92 OLDS

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Mar 30, 2012
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Tynan, what is it about a flex fan that makes you want another one so much? Years ago I put one on a Cutlass with a 350 in it. Back then, flex fans were a fairly new concept and every speed shop in my area sold them. It accomplished three things. Created a lot of wind noise, reduced my fuel mileage and robbed horsepower. Most new cars have electric fans (not flex fans) for a reason…. The technology is superior. Have you considered getting some fans from the junkyard and wiring them in? There are several write ups on how to do this and we can help walk you through the process.
 
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motorheadmike

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Nov 18, 2009
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And... ignored.
 
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I just want to thank you all for your contributions to this thread, I have not laughed this hard in a long time.
 
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08Malibu

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Feb 9, 2014
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I know you’re dead set on the flex fan, but here’s some information for you. You can’t beat a good clutch fan, unless you step up to electric.
 
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64nailhead

Goat Herder
Dec 1, 2014
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7 pages in a day.


Why is everyone trying to talk Tynan out of a flex fan? Because they are a gimmick. At their inception it was deemed they were less of a drag on HP, they are lighter, and they offer more cooling (air flow) at low rpms than they do at high rpms because less air flow is needed from the fan for 10 second blasts at WOT/high rpm's. That is all pretty much marketing BS. The proven facts is that they will identify any type of cooling system issue. Meaning if your cooling system is marginally keeping your engine cool, then the addition of a flex fan will put it over the edge and you'll have overheating issues. And most importantly, they are dangerous. Personally, I couldn't live with myself if one of these blades came off and hurt someone - forget about damage to the car because that can always be fixed.


Other than that, measure your shaft from the water pump pulley surface to your current fan blade mounting surface. I'll go out on a limb and say that any spacer from 1.5-3" will work.



p.s. I asked him to measure his shaft. And I think if he put all of these threads together, then this could give the flat cam BBC thread a run for it's money on the 100+ page length in to general discussion area.
 
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melloelky

Comic Book Super Hero
Oct 22, 2017
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7 pages in a day.


Why is everyone trying to talk Tynan out of a flex fans? Because they are a gimmick. At their inception it was deemed they were less of a drag on HP, they are lighter, and they offer more cooling (air flow) at low rpms than they do at high rpms because less air flow is needed from the fan for 10 second blasts at WOT/high rpm's. That is all pretty much marketing BS. The proven facts is that they will identify any type of cooling system issue. Meaning if your cooling system is marginally keeping your engine cool, then the addition of a flex fan will put it over the edge and you'll have overheating issues. And most importantly, they are dangerous. Personally, I couldn't live with myself if one of these blades came off and hurt someone - forget about damage to the car because that can always be fixed.


Other than that, measure your shaft from the water pump pulley surface to your current fan blade mounting surface. I'll go out on a limb and say that any spacer from 1.5-3" will work.



p.s. I asked him to measure his shaft. And I think if he put all of these threads together, then this could give the flat cam BBC thread a run for it's money on the 100+ page length in to general discussion area.
I don't know,that thread provided a lot of popcorn for this kid.
 
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Oct 14, 2008
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Of course he went in with the most confrontive attitude possible. The factory GM 4 blade fixed fan cools very well if he was dead set on no clutch or electric fan.
ex_q100_w500_h500_images_ePIM_original_100-15373_Top.jpg
 
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SSMonteMan

Greasemonkey
Jun 12, 2015
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Well, I learned something here, at least... the flex fan on my Monte will be replaced here soon. I wasn't aware they're prone to exploding, and I don't know how old it is, but I do know it's got at least 60k miles on it. I'll be putting a clutch and fixed blade fan on it, I think.
 
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