hey guys i am goin to pitch the flexfan and stock radiator this winter in favor of a aluminum radiator and electric fan setup
my question is how much cfm will i need and or how big of a fan should i get and would 2 smaller ones be better than one big one ?
thank you all
bryan

Hey Bryan, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do the same thing, thanks for asking the question, I'll be watching this post.

http://www.boomspeed.com/mc71454/fans_new.JPG

Radiator $279 bolt in. Fans $179.99 Summit.
Twin 12's, current draw - 18 amps

3 year old picture - All connections to radiator are now Steel Braided with AN Fittings.

Very Happy with this setup... graemlins/beers.gif

thank you tom what is the cfm rating at full load on the fans?

Originally posted by bryan thomas:
thank you tom what is the cfm rating at full load on the fans? Bryan, It is 2500 CFM (Cu. Ft./Min. at 0º Static Pressure) at 19 amps...But I wouldn't worry about the numbers, They are basically meaningless because there is no standard testing in use for manufacturers to compare fans...And rest assurred you will never see the CFM's they claim when installed.

A little while back they used to advertise fans for use on "small V8 with AC" or "up to 250 HP" or Up to 350 HP without AC". According to the that mentality my current fans were only good to 320 hp or something like that if I remember correctly..hogwash.

basically when comparing similar reputable fans...Current draw is what I went by and most importantly past experience from others.

Hope this helps, just my take on it all.

Tom

Here is a link to a complete system (4600cfm) I recently installed on my 69. It includes everything needed and adjusts 60-100% output as needed. http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/27inch-electric.html

Car holds very steady at 190. Good luck with your decision.

Frank

i use the same fan that Tom posted on my 383. also have a large griffen rad. i had to rewire the fans so 1 would run constant and the other on a sender. this was good for about a 8* temp drop. cruzing now with about 175*. not sure how it will work in this 100* texas heat though. they did not offer the larger fans when i purchased mine. Dave

I did the twin 13" flex-a-lite fans (4600cfm). Everything was provided, except the right brackets. Really easy to install.

Theo.

Does it make a difference on if it's an aftermarket aluminum radiator or a stock one?

The larger and variable speed/current draw fans can be absolutely be an advantage especially in the southern and midwest US.

I would have likely purchased the 13" setup myself if it was available at the time. The one I have (flx-220) was $179 last year ($199 this year) and the New 13" is $299 (Flx-298) in Summit (without the control kit). It is advertised to draw 28 amps at full power versus 19 for the dual 12's.

Summit actually still advertises the dual 12's setup as "for 250 HP and less" (200 with AC). I guess that's they way Flexlite tries to covers their @$$ for lawsuits. I have a little bit more than 250 HP and it works perfect and doesn't over tax the electrical system unnecessarily.

BUT - Having the flexibility of increaseing fan output would be nice, so for the $100 more in price I would go for it if you have it to spend.

Dave (Sheetmetal) you will have no problem. Are you using a 160 thermostat

Many who run thermostats, drive to the track, and then try to race at a lower temp can have a hard time cooling down because everything gets so hot and the heat is saturated into everything under the hood and trans and even your windshield washer fluid. If you can run cooler on the way there, even 10 degrees, it will make a big difference in trying to cool down to race temps.

For example, If I leave my house and turn on the fans when the temp hits 120, it will never go over 170 even after 70+ mph highway cruising and it quickly cools down at the track. If I wait until it hits 170 then I turn on the fans, It never goes below 180. Cast iron really retains heat and it doesn't seem to take long for it to get hot, but it sures takes a while to cool down.
It seems the cooling system is always trying to play catch up when the fans start out at 180 or more.

For a street driven car this is usually no big deal and proper operating temps are important. Buit we are talking racing here and staging at 140 to 150 is the way to go. With a thermostat, I just don't see how this is possible.

Hot oil and cool water is what you want.

Aubreyt213 - It shouldn't be any difference given the same capacity or rows.

An Aluminum radiator is the way to go what a difference when cooling down between rounds.

so tom you dont even use a thermostat?
I am using Water Wetter with just water for my system and it works great plus i have a 180 themostat and my car never gets to 200 cruising or racing however at a stop light or after a pass
:eek: it can get to 225 after i shut it down so i really am goin to go with the electric setup i just didnt want to go to small or big
thank you all keep the combos coming

Bryan,

No working thermostat, just a hollowed out one that acts like a restrictor to cause turbulence. This increases heat absorption and dissipation.

Also, remember with Water Wetter only use one container. More is not better with water wetter, hey that ryhmes... smile.gif

What about the Ford Taurus 3.8 2-speed fan? Those things move ALOT of air and can be had for 20 bucks at a junkyard. They suck down a lot of power(stock alt. prolly wont cut it too well) but everyone I know who has one just has it wired on the low-speed and say that it stays cool enough to not even need the high speed ever.

And did I mention it can be had for 20 bucks at junkyardS?!

yes Tom, im using a 160* stat. or maybe a 165* cant remember. also im using a large maxi cool tranny cooler in front of the rad with the 8" ATI converter (4.11 gears). the tranny temp gauge takes forever to come up and then only to 150*. i turned the 1 fan on in front of the tranny cooler full time. my thinking was the tranny cooler was passing the heat to the rad. ive only made 1 long 16 mile trip and the temp kept climing to 200. short trips it did run 180* and 200* at idle. i may hook up with cjlandry this week and see how the rewiring deal works on the same 16 mile jog. Dave

how would a Pontiac Fiero's fan work? Anyone know anything about them? there big and I can get one dirt cheap here.

One thing to add..I am using a stock Cast Iron GM crate motor "take-off" water pump someone gave away to put on a $170 Victor Jr. AL pump.

Funny..the reason I put on the GM pump was to replace the Vic Jr. Pump that went bad after only 2 years of use and 3000 miles...


Dave,
Are you using a thermostat to turn on the fans at a certain temp?

yeah tom i figured that only one bottle of wetter is necessary after all it DID work like it said!! ;)
I have been kind of leaning towards a single fan to keep the wiring mess down, so a 16" that moves about 2200+ cfm should do the trick ?
bryan

yes it probably will Bryan, but the duals in this system wire up like it was one fan...

This was my thinking, if one of the fans motors goes, I still have another already mounted to get me home. I have to think about those things with all the street driving I do...just thinking out loud.

oh i didnt know that do you have the kit with the thermo switch or just the fans and then the kit is wired on a toggle thru the proper relays?
thanks again

Yes Tom. im using a sender out of a Dodge of some sort. it was the coolest on/off sender i could find. its like on at 195 off at 180. Right now just the one fans is wired to it. the other is direct off the key. im using one bottle of purple ice, 2 qts of preston anti freeze, 4 oz of preston anti corrosion goop, and about 3 gals. of distilled water. the block is a simised dart block, and i also use the 4 corner cooling set up, edle. water pump. i think in the near future i will be going to a large (55 GPM) meziere electric pump. Dave

Check out www.zirgo.com. (http://www.zirgo.com.) I bought the 16" 3300cfm unit. Tested the fan yesterday and it pulls way better than the same size spal. Maybe just a bigger motor - don't really know why it does so much better. All I know is that Zirgo is after electric fan market share in a big way. Like all of the fan companies do, the cfm rating for the zirgo was probably measured using a tight shroud and under the best conditions that can be created in a lab. Take 10-15% off the advertised cfm number for typical street operation. Still, anything approaching 3000 is good for me. Originally I had a Monster Fan from Vintage Air. A single fan that pulled 3700 cfm. Only problem was clearance - 5.25". The Zirgo gives me plenty of room at 3.25" thick. Gotta recommend this one.

Best,

Bryan,

My setup is wired to a switch with relays. I turn it off on the highway and back on when I start decelerating on the exit ramp. I wired mine to a toggle for simplicity and less things to go wrong.

Dave,

you might be playing catchup if you don't start the cooling fan until 195 so 200 to 210 is not really that far off. Can you try it with a manual turn on and have the second fan on at say 170...see what happens, probably worth the test.

There are many fans out there that will do an adequate job like those others mentioned in this post.

I got a $20 boneyard fan out of a caravan or some kind of soccer mom transport.Never gets over 200 even in traffic.I think if you have the money though a dual with the thermostat would be the way to go.

Tom, thats where im trying to get to. the one fan comes on soon as i start the engine. the other is on a temp sender. both are on one toggle switch wired through the key. the problem is i cant find a cooler temp sender (screw in type) for the other fan. Dave

Dave,

check painless wiring or I thought I remembered seeing one for 170 somewhere, but it may not be a screw-in type..let me poke around and I will try and find out.

Good deal Fatrat !! now watch those soccer mom jokes..I take my son to practice in the monte.. :D

Hey guys, I'll try to add to this by giving a list of the items currently sitting on my living room floor. My application is a 327 with too much cam, a Holley 650DP, stock water pump, crummy aftermarket shroud, stock fan & radiator. Trans is TH350 with stock stall. (I know, different project graemlins/sad.gif )
I picked up the following items on eBay:
Aluminum radiator by AFCO (has no drain provision)- $169
16" (2700 CFM) electric fan by Zirgo - $59
Adjustable temp controller by Perma-Cool - $25
Auxillary aluminum trans cooler (with 8-AN fittings attached, a mile of hose, and 4 additional flex fittings) by Long - $45
48" Stainless flexible radiator hose with reducers, clamps, & chrome end covers - $45

That puts me at right around $350 for the entire setup. I'll still need to make up the correct mounting brackets for the rad, cooler & fan & I'm trying to decide what to do about a shroud.
I might mount the fan in front of the radiator and eliminate the shroud between the radiator and pullies.

The only "drop-in" aluminum radiator that I could find for the 66 was a "Be Cool", and the cost of it was almost $500 alone.

What is the best way to purge, flush or otherwise clean out the existing setup before I begin the transition? I am not itnerested in running any gunk that might be in there through my new radiator if possible.

What combination of ingredients (wetter, distilled H2O, & ???) are recommended? I'll replace the thermostat as well, but what temp range is appropriate for Los Angeles? I'll never take this car to the track, but I don't mind having heat when I want it.

Sorry this got so long. :D
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