clutch fan vs regular

I know this has been discussed, but has anyone made a comparison; same engine same car? I have a '64 Galaxie, mild 460, 11 to 1,
'427' Howe radiator, fan is 3/4" from radiator, 160* thermo, 4" ram air tubes. Car runs 170*-175* on road, but heats up fast in town. Trans cooler is in front on radiator, about 1" away.
Thanks  

Air flow at low speed is your problem @ low engine rpm Terry. I'm kinda partial to the big clutch fans on driven street cars because of engine efficiency and they cool well. Just make sure the clutch is in good working order. What fan are you using?

Rick,
The fan came off of the 429 that came in the Galaxie when I got it. The engine was supposed to have came out of a '69 TBird. It's 6 blade and the blades each measure 4" wide and 5 1/2" long. That is all I know about it. I cleaned and polished the fan before I installed it. 17" is the biggest fan I can use without hitting the top on the fan schroud. I also made an aluminum funnel type of schroud that goes from the front outside of the radiator to the grill. That didn't seen to help...But it looks cool  .

What you need is a shroud around the fan it's self. Try looking for one out of a late 60's early 70's big car with a big block. Or if you're handy make one yourself. Those old Galaxies have a lot of open area under the hood you want to try to force all the air through the radiator. It's a good start with what you have but I think if you put the shroud on you'll be fine.

Terry,you might want to give Tore a call also. His big Galaxie has a BB w/some decent Comp. I will post you his #.

jeffgfg wrote:What you need is a shroud around the fan it's self. Try looking for one out of a late 60's early 70's big car with a big block. Or if you're handy make one yourself. Those old Galaxies have a lot of open area under the hood you want to try to force all the air through the radiator. It's a good start with what you have but I think if you put the shroud on you'll be fine.

I do have a shroud, it matches the radiator got them as a 'set' from Crites. My fan is completely inside the shroud, 3/4" from the radiator.
Thanks

bbf-falcon wrote:Terry,you might want to give Tore a call also. His big Galaxie has a BB w/some decent Comp. I will post you his #.

Got it, thanks Rick  

Terry,The smallest clutch fan I have right now is a 5 blade 18". from a 85 Merc . I also have a 20",but I know that's too big for you. If you need either,I will be going too Bob Cochrans Mon or tues. I can meet you somewhere . 

Do some looking online as a good fan setup doesn't need to be completely inside the shroud. Usually the fan needs to be spaced back at the opening of the shroud and the shroud still needs to be within an inch or so of the fan the whole way around.

If its a complete circle shroud the fan needs to be at the back of it not close to the radiator. When a fan is to deep in the shroud it doesn't work well. Must build turbulence. Fan needs to be a pretty good fit to the opening of the shroud for best results. Not guaranteed to fix yours, but it has worked for me. Hope this helps.

bbf-falcon wrote:Terry,The smallest clutch fan I have right now is a 5 blade 18". from a 85 Merc . I also have a 20",but I know that's too big for you. If you need either,I will be going too Bob Cochrans Mon or tues. I can meet you somewhere . 

Rick,
I have a tad less than 1/2" clearance at the top of my shroud, so a 17" is the biggest fan I can use. The shroud is fit to the radiator. I am using Crites motor mounts which set the engine forward 1" and up 1" from it's position when I got the car. I talked to Tore and he suggested I start with my thermostat. Thanks for your help, brother  .

Edit... Dano said he might have one, if not maybe I can cut a little off of each blade of the 18" 

jb & Wes,
I have different size spacers so I can move the fan out of the shroud toward the engine.
Thanks guys  

See if there is a heavy duty version of your fan clutch .My 428 cj cyclone heated up in traffic also it had a std. hayden fan clutch .I found a heavy suty version #2747 hayden and in traffic my car doesnt do over 200 degrees .Before it would go to 230 in traffic .Hayden has a tech line but its hard to get someone on the phone sometimes .I spent the better part of a week finding a heavy duty version of my fan clutch .Lots of opening boxes and comparing them to the one I had .I believe the one I am using now #2747 is actually for a mid 80s chevy blazer .With fan clutchs it is the dimentions that matter .Bolt pattern for the fan itself, bolt pattern for the water pump and height of the fan clutch itself .The heavy duty version will have more fins on the front of it .Good luck and be patient !Doug

Thanks for the info Doug
428CJ Cyclone, pretty rare!

Thanks Rick   

You are welcome. Good to see you again.