Standard clutch fan vs. electric fan

[Longroof79]

I'm contemplating going back to a simple standard type thermal clutch fan. What I have in mind is a smallblock Corvette 7-blade fan 18".
I have an F-body LS1 fan that I originally was going to install, but I'm thinking simple old school, low maintenance. No relays, sensors, fancy wiring, etc. It currently has a Hayden 7-blade flex fan which is noisy as hell, but it has kept the engine cool over the years.

The car will be air conditioned again. I know clutch fans are efficient. They have been used for decades.

Any thoughts pro or con? Should I just go with the electric fan setup?

Anyone happen to have a stock 7-blade Corvette fan laying around that they would consider selling?

 

[clean8485]

Hi Jack. I've considered an electric fan conversion a couple of times over the years, mainly for the idea of having less clutter around the front of the engine, but have been leery of the wiring and possible issues in that regard, so I've stuck with my good old engine driven clutch fan. When I did the serpentine belt drive conversion a couple of years ago, I noticed that my temp gauge ran cooler. I don't know if its because of the reverse rotation water pump, or if the reverse rotation clutch fan actually cools more effectively. Like you, I'm kind of old school. I think that the engine driven clutch fan is tried & true technology, and as long as it works, I'm inclined to stick with it. As long as it clean & well detailed, I think it looks just as good.

 

[Longroof79]

Thanks Jeff,
As you said, clutch fans are tried and true and have been used from trucks to high performance cars. Electric fans look nice and do work relatively well, but again, I'm looking at low maintenance with less things that can go wrong. They do tend to clean up the engine compartment clutter.
If I do choose to go forward with the electric fan idea, I would most likely connect a toggle switch override in the event a sensor goes bad.
However, fans also go bad. That's why I've considered the good ole' reliable clutch fan.

I have noticed that there is different rotation fans.

The serpentine belt setup is nice, and it does clean up the engine compartment. I've passed up several of those setups at the junkyard over time. Once again, being old school, I figured I'd stick to the old V-belt design.

Thanks again for your input, Jeff..

 

[vanrah]

Good Evening Guys; I attached a shot of my 7 blade OE fan with after market clutch. Hot Rod mag did a in depth multi page test about 7 years ago, testing many of the clutches available and electric. I put my OE GM clutch in the box that the winner of that test came out of. I did move the fan in 3/4" just this year, other wise the fan sets very close to OE position. When I say close I have after an market pump & pulleys. I've been running 406" SBs in this body since 1985. this 3rd gen (my term) 406" runs 180*F most of the time and when it's real hot 99* ambient temp w/ 93% humidity it runs about 205*F. That's worse case, Power Tour 2009. That and last summer we had a run of 100*F days, so I put the spacer in this spring. Probably wasted my money. Anyway I hope this info helps you. Bob Jr.
PS; My first 406 incher had iron GM heads, note the canted valves on the AF heads.

 

[Longroof79]

Thank you for your input, Bob.
...and also thanks for posting a pic of your setup. Can I ask you what your fan came from initially? From what I've determined, most stock bodied cars only came with a 6-blade clutch fan. with the exception of the Corvette, and perhaps some trucks.
Fortunately I still have my original stock fan shroud.
From what I understand, it's imperative to set the fan at the proper depth into the shroud to achieve proper cooling.

Would you know off hand what (month/year) issue of Hot Rod the write up was in? I have boxes full of older Hot Rod Magazines...nothing vintage anymore. I had purged a lot of my older magazines, regretably.
I would love to read that article.

 

[vanrah]

I'm back? I'm stand'in in the garage right now & just recounted the blades. 7 and it is my original 1979 9C1 fan, one of the few OE parts in the drive line. My shroud is also OE 1979. Here is picture of the drivers side. Try search on hot rods web site for back issue info. I know I still have it also but it's packed in one of many boxes with many of my spare Malibu parts and I'm not unpacking that wall of stuff till the Brown brick is sold. I would never get all that stuff back under my bench again. What I did dig out for you is the box my original GM clutch is in And I assure you this was the winner. Drum roll please Flex-a-lite P# 5555. And just in case your curious the OE GM P# 2705673. I'll bet that has been superseded ten times by now. Bob Jr.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Jack, I too believe in the factory fan with a WORKING clutch. Emphasis on WORKING! If you can't hear the fan engaging and disengaging with the temp changes, then it is not working right. Years ago the clutch part was expensive, but now they are cheap, so no excuse for not getting a new one if yours is not working right. So many guys b*tch about the factory fan, yet never spend the coin to fix the stupid clutch, and have a proper shroud. I once had a Pontiac 400 in my Malibu wagon with a 3 row six cylinder radiator, the "short" kind. But I had a Catalina fan with a NEW clutch and it never got hot. Now I have in my wagon a 301 with AC, an aluminum "long" radiator, and a stock 301 Firebird fan with a NEW clutch, and a 160º stat. Even in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Belt Parkway in August with the AC on it doesn't get hot.

 

[crucial118]

I use a set of factory Dodge Intrepid fans and a Northern 3 core radiator on my 406. No problems yet with staying cool. I believe its a Hayden adjustable dual fan controller(about $40 or so). Set it to come around 180 and off at 170. Easy wiring diagram and I put in an ON toggle switch just in case.

 

[Longroof79]

Hey, thanks again Bob.
I certainly didn't expect you you go through your magazine collection. I know how daunting that can be trying to find an old article from years back. Not only disturbing your stack of boxes, but also by thumbing through issue after issue of magazines.
I know, I've been there before.
So your saying that your fan setup is part of the original 9C1 police package. That's interesting. Would you by any chance happen to know what the fan diameter is? I'm guessing 18".
I will try doing a search on Hot Rod's website and see what comes up.

BTW, your Malibu is the first 2-dr 9C1 car I've ever seen. I always thought that they were all 4-drs. But being the original owner, and having all the documentation, you would know for sure.

Thanks again for the part # of the Hayden clutch and also the OE part # as well.

 

[Longroof79]

Thank you, Mark.
I appreciate your feedback.
It's been a while since we've talked. Hope you had a good summer.

I know many people have abandoned the clutch fans due to the clutches going bad. I would certainly invest in a brand new clutch. I guess the trick is to find the proper fan. Of course I gave away my old clutch fan along with my old 305. It was a 6-blade anyway, which are probably a dime a dozen at the junkyard.
The flex fan was the hot new setup 20+ yrs ago, so that's the way I went. I guess I'll have to hit the boneyard soon and see what I come up with.
Thanks again man.