Question: 6 Volt Radiator Fan

[pflaming]

What is your experience with 6 volt radiator fans? Recommendatons are welcomed.

[HanksB3B]

Paul,

 

Didn't know they made 6-Volt Fans.  Who carries them?

Does your truck have an interior firewall kit installed?

 

Hank

Edited March 29, 2013 by HanksB3B

[pflaming]

They do at a price of $135+/-. They were popular on the old T-rods in the 40's and 50's. I can get all kinds of 12 volt fans for $25 but no used 6 volt fans yet.

[HanksB3B]

Personally I wouldn't jump at the chance of getting a $135.00 6 Volt Fan.  Tell me about how/if and where you insulated your truck, What kind of Carpet and Padding is/is not installed. Do all the little unused holes in the firewall have a plug of some kind?

 

Yes you can reduce the noise with sound deadening insulation, but please don't say our trucks are noisy, try to think of them as Street Legal Urban Tractors maybe that will help.

 

Hank   

Edited March 29, 2013 by HanksB3B

[Don Coatney]

Did you google 6 volt radiator fans? Lots of hits with prices fron 99 bucks and up.

[48Dodger]

"There is great need for a sarcasm font."

 

Yes there is a need for one!

 

.....aaaaaaaaaaaahhh yes...you are ssssssssssssoooooooooo    smart!  

 

lol....

 

48D

[HanksB3B]

(very creative) Tim...

 

Hank 

[Jeff Balazs]

I am not at all convinced that these trucks have to end up sounding like a tractor.

 

And I agree that paying close attention to the installation of insulation, grommets etc....is critical in quieting things down. But I also think that it is possible to gain substantial improvement from some attempt to eliminate or address the true source of the noise in the first place.

Certainly the type of fan that these trucks came equipped with is a contributor to the noise factor. To me there are probably three ways to gain some reduction at the source.....install an electric fan......fit a clutch type fan......or fit a flex type fan. So which of these is most effective?

 

Is there something wrong or flawed in the installation of a electric fan? This wouldn't be my first choice but that is only because I would rather find a mechanical solution. Surely someone can comment here.

 

A clutch type fan if you can find something that fits in the space you have to work with would certainly be quieter than the stock arrangement. This might not be the simplest thing to find but if there is a good fit out there this would probably be my first choice.

 

It seems to me that a simple flex fan could do the trick but I have not tried it yet. Maybe someone here has done so and could comment?

 

Jeff

[48Dodger]

Flex fans are very noisey, most are used for high output on HP motors.

 

Clutch fans were designed to reduce drag on the motor and noise.

 

Quiet would be electric...either a push or pull type. Nice thing about electric is you can

rig it to be activated when the motor is off.

 

Shrouds can be one of the most effective ways of channeling air across the radiator. It helps the fan blades to do the job it was designed to do and pull air....without a shroud, it passively pulls air from all directions resulting in a turbulance instead of a stream of air. The side benifit is that it acts as a sound barrier too. When my shroud got left at home on raceday (72 Charger) .....my temp went up by 40 degrees......240 to 280.....to hot to race effectivley. In the heat of battle, I'm sure it would have climbed above 300.

 

48D   

[Jeff Balazs]

Hi Tim;

Thanks for your comments. I had a clutch type fan go bad on a long trip once.......it set up an awful racket......I stopped at the first auto parts place I came to and fixed it. Night and day difference!

 

If Paul were to install an electric fan I would suppose he would mount it as a pusher.....don't you think? There seems to be plenty of room in front of the radiator and no real need for a shroud if it were placed there. I imagine you could just have it run when the ignition is on?

 

Jeff

[48Dodger]

Coatney has an electric fan for his flattie. I believe he has a link in his signiture to his photobucket images. Should be able to the electric fan pics there.

 

48D 

[Dan Babb]

I found a low profile/low draw pusher fan and mounted it in front. There is room to mount it...just remove the lower filler panel and slide it in from the bottom. I will see if I can dig up the part number when I get home.

But I am running a 12v generator.

[Don Coatney]

I do recommend using a thermostat controller for an electric fan. Finding one that is adjustable to the lower temperatures we run on these flatheads can be difficult as most modern engines with pressureized cooling systems run in the 205-220 heat range. I found the controller pictured below (12 volt only) and have been using it for close to 10 years. I find that once the car is moving over 30 MPH and above even in 100 degree ambient temperatures the controller will drop the fan out at the preset (I have my preset set at about 180 degrees) as the fan is no longer required. Running the fan from a toggle switch is not recommended as you will forget to turn it on at some point and overheat. Running the fan full time is not good as the power requirement to run it will tax your charging system and actually cause the engine to run hotter as it is doing more work. 

 

I forget to mention that there are provisions built into this controller for running the fan full time when the air conditioner is turned on if your vehicle is so equipped. I have the wire for this provision connected to a toggle switch so I can turn the fan on at any time and over ride the controller.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2013 by Don Coatney

[Jeff Balazs]

Don;

That sounds like a very well thought out solution. I am curious as to what you have done to allow the controller to "know" what the engine temperature is? Our trucks have a mechanical temp gauge but I suppose there may be a way to plumb in a temperature sender somewhere else.

Thanks, Jeff

[Mark Haymond]

I have the same fan and temperature controller setup as Don Coatney on my P-15 Coupe, though it is a 12 volt system now. The temperature controller comes with a small temperature sensor that fits through the fins on the radiator and tells when to turn the fan on. I set the temperature screw so the fan come on about 185. When I start the car the fan stays off until the engine warms up. Above 30mph lots of air goes through the radiator so the fan is off. With stop and go city traffic the fan cycles on and off as needed. On one hand the fan and controller are quieter, on the other hand, a metal fan blade is original equipment, has no moving parts, and can run reliably for 100 years. Your choice.

[Don Coatney]

Pictured below is the temperature probe for the fan controller. I also used a heat sink coumpound around the probe for better conductivity. I bought the compound from McMaster Carr.

 

 

[Jeff Balazs]

Thanks Guy's;

You answered my question and probably helped Paul with his installation as well.

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Jeff

[pflaming]

I am NOT going to change anything before the BBQ run. I'm confident I have a well prepared / reliable truck now and to change would be foolish. Yet the input is invaluable.

See you at the "Q".

[TodFitch]

I am NOT going to change anything before the BBQ run. I'm confident I have a well prepared / reliable truck now and to change would be foolish. Yet the input is invaluable.

See you at the "Q".

 

Might want to double check your windshield wiper operation:

 

 

RIDGING WILL BUILD ALONG THE COAST TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THIS

WILL RESULT IN DRY AND MILD WEATHER THOSE DAYS. A COUPLE OF

SHORTWAVES WILL MOVE ACROSS THE DISTRICT WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH

THURSDAY NIGHT BRINGING THE THREAT OF RAIN/SHOWERS BACK TO THE

DISTRICT. HAVE KEPT THE THREAT OF SHOWERS RIGHT THROUGH THE

UPCOMING WEEKEND AS A SERIES OF FAST MOVING IMPULSES MOVES ACROSS

THE DISTRICT IN A ZONAL FLOW.