I have spent much of the last week or so checking out new 5 or 6 blade fans and electric fans. I have talked with a number of people whom I trust. One of them is Lou Paliani of VTCI. Another is simplyconnected. Both tell me that I will get much better cooling, especially during parades, with an electric fan than the fan shroud and 5 or 6 bladed fan.
So off I went investigating electric fans. I was told to stay away from the Chinese ones, so I was looking mostly at OEM types. Especially those from Fords. I was told that bigger was better, so I was looking for something greater than 14" or 16" fans. I was also told that 2 speed is better, and high CFM's is also. I have looked at a lot of fans... It seems that the Ford Taurus has good fans, but I was told they are noisy.
In my searching, I kept seeing comments that the Lincoln Mark VIII fans are the most sought after by those converting to an electric fan system. They are powerful, and are rated at 2500-4000+CFM, 2 speed, 40Amp, puller fans. They are also 18" fans. Those from the Ford Taurus seem to be in demand also. Dave said that 2000 yr+ Mustangs had good fans also that I might be able to put to good use.
So off I went, armed with information from Dave and others, to Pick-N-Pull today. I did not find but one or two Mustangs, but I might not have been in the right area for them. What I saw had no fans left. So I worked my way through the Fords, looking for Taurus's, but only found a few. They were missing their fans also. I might have found more of them had I looked in a different section and maybe Mustangs also. However, they seemed to be mixed in with the other Fords somewhat.
I worked my way to the Lincolns and found only a half dozen or so Mark VIII's. ALL of them had the fans taken out. The word must be out about those fans amongst the locals. I was about to quit for the afternoon, when I found a lone Tbird, the ONLY one I saw, sitting amongst the Lincolns! It was a '95 and the hood was closed on it. I figured there would not be much under there when I got it opened. Getting it to open might have been the reason why it was bypassed. With some feeling around, I found that the '95's have their hood release way over to the far left side of the hood, and released it.
There, to my surprise, was a complete engine, with nothing having been taken off it! I called Dave and told him about this car and engine, it being a 4.6L. He said to grab the shroud and fan and run, or words to that effect. So I did. He also said I should grab the alternator, but I didn't. I thought my 63Amp one would do the trick. He said it will not so I will get it later today. I will have to get another mount for this one to work though. I had not brought any tools with me because I went out there mainly to just see what they had. So I got a parts puller to pull the shroud and fan for me. $37 later, I was out the door with the shroud and the fan! That also included a 90 day warranty on it. It sure beat the $50-$75 I saw them advertised for on feeBay! It looks to be in really good shape. Before I ever had it taken off, I spun the blades to see if they would spin freely and they did.
So off I go to the house to clean it up and to write down Ford parts numbers to check this fan out. It is made by Siemens for Ford and is stamped as such. It is a F4SH-8K621-A it says on the fan. It is a Siemens Model 162. It turns out to be a 2 speed, 40Amp, 2500-4000+CFM "puller" fan. Dave said it is just what I need. It is nearly the same size as my radiator. Now I gots to figure out how to get it mounted. I ordered a speed control system for it that Dave said I would need.
So it looks like I am on my way to converting to an electric fan if this all works out well. There is some concern on my part that it might not fit between the radiator core and the water pump/pulleys without touching them. I will find out when they take my metal fan shroud and fan blade off. I will drop this fan in a shroud in and see if it is going to clear. If not, I will be looking for a different fan.
Just thought I would update you on what I have been doing and give you some information regarding electric fans for these old Birds. Lou tells me that if I get a good electric fan on Rose I will not have to worry about overheating doing 5mph in future parades. Or in this bad Texas heat later on in the summer. Here are a couple of pix. These appear to be the exact fans that are in the Mark VIII's and other Fords.
So off I went investigating electric fans. I was told to stay away from the Chinese ones, so I was looking mostly at OEM types. Especially those from Fords. I was told that bigger was better, so I was looking for something greater than 14" or 16" fans. I was also told that 2 speed is better, and high CFM's is also. I have looked at a lot of fans... It seems that the Ford Taurus has good fans, but I was told they are noisy.
In my searching, I kept seeing comments that the Lincoln Mark VIII fans are the most sought after by those converting to an electric fan system. They are powerful, and are rated at 2500-4000+CFM, 2 speed, 40Amp, puller fans. They are also 18" fans. Those from the Ford Taurus seem to be in demand also. Dave said that 2000 yr+ Mustangs had good fans also that I might be able to put to good use.
So off I went, armed with information from Dave and others, to Pick-N-Pull today. I did not find but one or two Mustangs, but I might not have been in the right area for them. What I saw had no fans left. So I worked my way through the Fords, looking for Taurus's, but only found a few. They were missing their fans also. I might have found more of them had I looked in a different section and maybe Mustangs also. However, they seemed to be mixed in with the other Fords somewhat.
I worked my way to the Lincolns and found only a half dozen or so Mark VIII's. ALL of them had the fans taken out. The word must be out about those fans amongst the locals. I was about to quit for the afternoon, when I found a lone Tbird, the ONLY one I saw, sitting amongst the Lincolns! It was a '95 and the hood was closed on it. I figured there would not be much under there when I got it opened. Getting it to open might have been the reason why it was bypassed. With some feeling around, I found that the '95's have their hood release way over to the far left side of the hood, and released it.
There, to my surprise, was a complete engine, with nothing having been taken off it! I called Dave and told him about this car and engine, it being a 4.6L. He said to grab the shroud and fan and run, or words to that effect. So I did. He also said I should grab the alternator, but I didn't. I thought my 63Amp one would do the trick. He said it will not so I will get it later today. I will have to get another mount for this one to work though. I had not brought any tools with me because I went out there mainly to just see what they had. So I got a parts puller to pull the shroud and fan for me. $37 later, I was out the door with the shroud and the fan! That also included a 90 day warranty on it. It sure beat the $50-$75 I saw them advertised for on feeBay! It looks to be in really good shape. Before I ever had it taken off, I spun the blades to see if they would spin freely and they did.
So off I go to the house to clean it up and to write down Ford parts numbers to check this fan out. It is made by Siemens for Ford and is stamped as such. It is a F4SH-8K621-A it says on the fan. It is a Siemens Model 162. It turns out to be a 2 speed, 40Amp, 2500-4000+CFM "puller" fan. Dave said it is just what I need. It is nearly the same size as my radiator. Now I gots to figure out how to get it mounted. I ordered a speed control system for it that Dave said I would need.
So it looks like I am on my way to converting to an electric fan if this all works out well. There is some concern on my part that it might not fit between the radiator core and the water pump/pulleys without touching them. I will find out when they take my metal fan shroud and fan blade off. I will drop this fan in a shroud in and see if it is going to clear. If not, I will be looking for a different fan.
Just thought I would update you on what I have been doing and give you some information regarding electric fans for these old Birds. Lou tells me that if I get a good electric fan on Rose I will not have to worry about overheating doing 5mph in future parades. Or in this bad Texas heat later on in the summer. Here are a couple of pix. These appear to be the exact fans that are in the Mark VIII's and other Fords.
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