Guys,
I'm way beyond budget now and new parts are getting real hard to come buy!

Was at the junk yard today getting some parts for my truck and having a look around. I was looking for a Taurus fan set up but out of the 50 or so Taurus's there, not a single fan dual-fan setup left! Lots of single fans set ups still there, so I started thinking... what if I used two of the 3.0 liter fans rather than the dual fans setup?? Since both fans in the dual set up seem to wired separately anyway, what would it hurt? One could be on while the car is on and the other hooked to a temp switch to help out if it gets hot.

I'm also considering using a radiator out of a 74 or something Chevy pickup that is pretty big. Looks like a 3-core job that is about 18" high and overall about 34" wide! This is for my 71 Nova, so it will be a tight fit, but I know it will fit. That radiator would easily fit two 12" or so fans in sort of a diagonal set up.

So what do you guys think? Motor will be a SBC 383 built strong, but not radical. I want a good set up but am not needing to cool a 500+ HP monster! Just need to replace the tiny little stock 2-core radiator with something and can't really afford new stuff!

Also, I picked up several Bosch-type relays out of some of the Fords that were there... how can I tell what the amp ratings are on them? They have Ford emblems and looks like Ford part numbers...

Thanks,
Bill C.

Actually, it's the single fan that moves a lot of air. Look in a 89-95 Taurus or Sable.

I have been through some of this and am still going through some more...

I picked up a dual Taurus fan setup for my BB El Camino. The fans worked out to about a 12" and a 13". These fans needed to be mounted off of the radiator so I made up a plenum box about 1" off of the radiator. I found that I had to have the fans running all the time, even cruising down the road. I also found that this setup was not capable of cooling with ambient temperatures above 85*. By the numbers these fans gave me only 1.35 square feet of fan area, versus 2.9 square feet of radiator or 1.63 square feet with an 18" single OEM fan.

Based on these issues I am working on installation of a single large fan instead using an open mounting framework. My current working plan is to use a 2001 Mustang GT fan. This is an 18" monster that is designed to mount right on the radiator core. It also may not fit due to depth issues with my long water pump. The jury is still out on that one...

The issue you may run into if you try and use two fans designed for single fan use is current draw. The Taurus fans I have were wired in parallel and pull 70A at startup. Fire these things up at night and things go momentarily dark. Once up to speed these fans stabilize out at 15A. Ford had a two speed wiring setup that I suspect may have been more of a soft-start setup. They used a large ceramic encased resistor to reduce startup current to only 35A.

I think you want to look towards a single large fan and an open mounting framework.

I'm confused as to what Taurus fan you are referring to. The Taurus doesn't have a dual fan, it's a single fan with a two-speed motor. The motor windings are common, so you can only activate one speed at a time.

It depends on year... when they went roundy in 1996-1999 they went to dual fans. I believe they were dual after that as well.

Well, i guess I'm a little confused then... I thought the 'hot ticket' fan was a dual-fan setup from a taurus like Steve has described... one fan was a little bigger than the other. I believe those were used on the 3.8 liter motors as every one of those was gone from the junk yard. Most of the single fans on the 3.0 liter cars were still there.

70GS455,
Is that from any Taurus or Sable or only from certain motors? It seems the 3.8 liters had a different setup...

I did find and pick up a fan out of a 94 Lincoln Continential... any one happen to know the specs on that fan? It is a 16" fan with 9 of the curved blades that looks like it will move a lot of air. It was $10, so what the heck! Anyone have a suggestion as to how to test the fan? it has three wires on it, so does that mean it is a 2 speed fan? If so, how do the different speeds go as far as wiring it up? The car had a couple of relays in a little harness that I picked up as well, but I'm not sure they were for the fan. Again, anyone know how to tell the amp rating and such from the Ford part number?

Also, it looks like I'm going to try and go back and pick up the radiator out of the pickup truck... the bigger radiator should help out as well, right?

Guess that's it for now... more questions later!

Bill C.

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2003/02/electricfan/outside.jpg

This is an installation of the two-speed fan from the 3.8l Taurus:
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2003/02/electricfan/index.php
http://www.jeephorizons.com/tech/fan/

Thanks onovakind67, that looks like it!

I did a quick search on Ebay and found the same thing listed as a 4,000 or 4,500 CFM fan... do there really flow that much??

Guess that should cool down the little 383 ok right? There were several other Lincolns at the yard that I think have the same fan... would anyone else be interested in one?

Thanks again,
Bill C.

Thanks onovakind67, that looks like it!

I did a quick search on Ebay and found the same thing listed as a 4,000 or 4,500 CFM fan... do there really flow that much??

Guess that should cool down the little 383 ok right? There were several other Lincolns at the yard that I think have the same fan... would anyone else be interested in one?

Thanks again,
Bill C.

I don't know the CFM rating but a Taurus fan moves a lot of air. I use one on our road racer and it never gets to high speed even on the hottest days.

Thought it was the windstar fans that were the dual setup. Pete

The 88-95 Taurus, Sable and Continental fan came in the 3.8 only. This is the Motorcraft RF125, Ford F4DZ8C607CA, Dorman 620-101 ($123 at rockauto), and Spectra-Premium 0335317 ($74 at rockauto, not clear if that's just the motor).

If the 94 Continental fan you got was out of a Mk VIII (with 4.6) it will move almost as much as the 97-98 MK VIII fan (which is top dog of the Ford OEM fans). The 7 blades will look like "feet". If it was from a 3.8, it will move just slightly less than either two MK VIII fans. The 9 blades will be curved like an "S".

The 94-97 T-bird and Cougar with 3.8 or 4.6 is the same style as the 2 Mk VIII fans (7 blades)

i'm running the single taurus fan with the 2 speeds, $25 @ the pick and pull. Can't remember the year, but itr was off of a 3.8. I rarely have to use the high speed.