Fan Shroud

[BadBird]

I finished making my fan shroud and thought I would post how I did it and what it looks like. Since I don't know how to post pictures with words attached I will post a few attachments to this.

First picture shows the framework that I wrapped the fleece around. As you can see, I added about an inch to the lower panel. I screwed up the first shroud because I made it too small and the fan would touch. The fan I have is a 17" so I made the circular board 18" diameter. The shroud is 2 1/2" deep.

Second picture is the aluminum foil applied to the frame. Fiberglas resin won't stick to that. Forget the foil and it will never come off.

Third pic is me stapling the fleece to the frame.

Fourth shows the fleece stapled. You have to pull the fleece down tight to form to the frame mold.

Last pic is the resin and hardener. Bought them at Lowes. About half the price of an auto shop store.

[BadBird]

Having trouble posting more pics and descriptions. Getting a message saying the site is having problems. I will add more later today. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Ooh! Can't wait to see this. Gonna wanna do the same thing when I put my V8 in! Hope you can post the pictures.

[BadBird]

Trying again for the next set.

Picture one is just showing that I mixed up 8 ounces of resin at a time. Any more and it will start to get too tacky. For 8 ozs. you are supposed to put in 80 drops of hardener, but I use a little more to make sure it sets up in our cool/damp weather,:rain: which explains why it gets tacky quicker.

2nd pic. I am putting a liberal coating of resin on the fleece. Put enough to soak it.

3rd pic. after the resin is dry on the fleece.

4th pic. I am sanding with 36 grit so the next resin and matting process will stick. The resin can seperate at layers if you don't sand it.

5th pic. shows that I have applied 2 layers of fiberglas matting. You can buy all this at Lowes. I use matting when I am dealing with curves. The cloth works well on flat surfaces but is harder to get it to lay in the curves.

More to come.

[BadBird]

More.........

First Picture I have cut off the excess and sanded the outside to get a closer shape to what I want.

2nd Pic. I removed the screws holding the wood parts together and popped out the round part. Then removed the flat section of frame. It comes apart easily.

3rd Pic. Now I applied 2 layers of fiberglas cloth to the inside of the shroud. Used cloth on the straight areas and matting in the corners. Be sure to check your part after it dries to make sure it hasn't warped too much. During the curing process it gets hot and can move around. If it does warp too much you can apply a hot mix of resin (using more hardener) and hold it into a better position as it dries.

4th Pic. I put a coating of body filler on the shroud and before it set up completely I rough cut it with my cheese grater tool to get off most of the excess.

5th Pic. I continued to sand the shroud, added more body filler as needed and sanded and sanded. Then painted it with primer.

You need to plan as you go along to decide how you are going to attach the shroud to the radiator. I added 7" long brackets to each side of the radiator and then put two bolts through the sides of the shroud through those brackets. But each project may need different attachment solutions.

First shroud that I made, I attached 4 small clips the the sides of the shroud with pop rivets then covered the clips on the shroud with fiberglas cloth to give it more strength. But, as I mentioned it was too small and hit the fan. So the clip idea wouldn't work the 2nd time around.

[BadBird]

Last shroud update.

This picture shows the shroud painted with semi-gloss engine paint and installed in the car. Test run was good.

I solved three things with this shroud.

1. I have been troubled by the thought that someone could stick their hands in the fan with the engine running. The fan is invisible when turning.

2. It is supposed to keep the engine cooler. We'll see.

3. I like the looks.

Hope this helps and if you need any questions answered let me know. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

How did you attach it? Can't tell. Looks good though.

[doghows]

My question is can you make me one. Nice work.

[redfalken]

Awesome job Larry! It certainly looks like it should help. Now we just need a nice hot day to test it! :rain:

[BadBird]

To answer the question about how I installed it, I bolted to 7" long "L" angles to the edges of the radiator then put 2 bolts through the sides of the shroud through those angles. Here are a couple of pictures that might help.

The 1st pic is looking at the inside of the shroud. Hopefully the angle shows up and the 2 bolts through the sides.

The 2nd pic is from the passenger side of the shroud. It might help showing the 2 bolts and it also shows the flat plate that I installed where I cut the shroud in half so that I could get it into the car.

[Jeff W]

I would love to make a make a visor for the wagon someday... like the Aussies have. Looks like fiberglass may be the way to go. I'll ask for help when it moves up on my list.

[ew1usnr]

It is supposed to keep the engine cooler. We'll see.

Hello, Larry.

Did you see any difference in the engine temperature, either at idle or while driving?

You must have had to take the fan off to install the shroud.

Was it more difficult to reach the bolts to put the fan back on with the shroud in place?

Does anyone have any experience with and/or opinions about the shrouds they sell at Mac's auto parts?

Mac’s carries three shrouds:
1. “This new ABS plastic is an improved version of the original. By increasing the depth from 2" to 3-1/2" we have been able to greatly increase airflow and therefore, cooling efficiency. Part #: 41-35706-1, Alt Part #: C3DZ-8146-DX for $79.95.”
3739

2. Fan Shroud - Steel - 260 & 289 V8 Part #: 41-35705-1, Alt Part #: C3DZ-8146-D, OEM Part #: C3DZ-8146-D, $35.95, and
3740

3. Fan Shroud - Steel - 260 & 289 V8 With A/C Part #: 41-35705-2, Alt Part #: C3DZ-8146-D, OEM Part #: C3DZ-8146-D, $35.95
3741

The steel shrouds with and without AC look to be the same. They are the same price and have the same OEM numbers. I do not have AC, but I may add a unit in the future. My fan is one inch away from the radiator, so I will need to remove it to install any of these.

Thanks, Dennis.

[BadBird]

Dennis, I can't categorically state that it has made the car run cooler. Just a little while earlier I installed a 4 core aluminum radiator because the car was overheating.
Whether the radiator alone made all the difference, or if the shroud helped???
I do know that it was recommended by almost everyone to add the shroud to help with cooling.
It was important to also cover the fan to keep the hands of old dudes like myself from getting whacked off.
If you have a shroud that you can buy, that fits, it would be a good investment. I know mine probably cost $5.00 since I already have a supply of fleece from my mother-in-law.
Just like the rest of the car, I wanted to do it myself. I really enjoy these projects and have learned a lot doing them. Being retired makes it a lot easier to tackle, but if I was still working it would take a lot longer. If you count labor hours, which I don't, it is cheaper to buy it. Larry

[ew1usnr]

It was important to also cover the fan to keep the hands of old dudes like myself from getting whacked off.

Hello, Larry.

Thanks for the reply. From a safety perspective, I wonder why Ford painted the fan blade black when it was going into a black engine bay. It makes the whirling fan blade invisible.

[BadBird]

My blade is chrome and is still invisible. I really worried about forgetting the car was running and sticking my hand in the way. It could still happen but the results now would be cuts and scratches instead of bad stuff.

[SmithKid]

Funny that this topic has come up. In my younger years I never worried about the fan getting in the way of my fingers/hands, but now I am flat out afraid of the darn thing. I've seen chrome and mine is black, and it seems to me they're both nearly invisible. Has any one got any solution? I know a shroud would help, but maybe some paint scheme that could be readily seen? Maybe a spiral design on the blades to appear as though it's moving?

[doghows]

I have some hot pink powder coat!?! :D

[SmithKid]

Can you do it in a nice spiral design? Maybe the contrasting color could be florescent orange?

[doghows]

Anything you want Gene. I have a glow in the dark one for those night trips too!

[Luva65wagon]

I've been battling heat in the Ranchero with the 289 and though it hasn't boiled over, I don't like how high the temp readings get. So I ordered a new 17" deeper flex fan and a shroud like the one shown above (the 2 that look the same). The only came today, so I'm not sure whether it's the right shroud yet. Will know tomorrow. Also moving the new fan closer to the Rad using a spacer Gene supplied. Was about 2" away with a very shallow blade, but will be about an inch closer now.

Other things I'v noted is the mixture. Was probably richer than 50/50 mix and many places say that can cause overheating because antifreeze has a lower heat transfer compared to water. So many places suggest a water wetter and a 15/85 antifreeze to water ratio. Gonna try that too.

[ew1usnr]

I know a shroud would help, but maybe some paint scheme that could be readily seen? Maybe a spiral design on the blades to appear as though it's moving?

I went with an aircraft theme and painted the fan tips red.

3745

The red tips show up nice. I think that the fan turns too fast for a spiral pattern to be seen.

3746

After I put in a rebuilt radiator I found that the tips of the 17.5" fan blade that came with the car were extremely close to the lower hose and transmission lines. I switched it for a 16.25" fan that came out of a 1966 six cylinder Mustang to get better clearance and used a one inch spacer to mount it one inch from the radiator. The two blades are similar in size (7% width difference), but the tips on the larger one are more rounded. Maybe the rounded tips makes it more quiet?

3747

I use a 180 degree thermostat and the stock 260 seems to be a cool running engine. I used this radiator temperature cap to verify the accuracy of the instrument panel gauge. After driving for 35 minutes the radiator temperature was 160 degrees. I drove for 35 minutes in moderate traffic yesterday with a 91 degree air temperature while coming home from work. The dash temperature gauge stayed at a little under mid-range.
3748

[EdsFunny]

Funny that this topic has come up. In my younger years I never worried about the fan getting in the way of my fingers/hands, but now I am flat out afraid of the darn thing. I've seen chrome and mine is black, and it seems to me they're both nearly invisible.

I've got an aftermarket chrome fan, and I can't see it either. Too bad we don't have a turbine spinner on them, we could paint that. I used an import car's shroud, and buried it so I have to work hard to get my finger cut off. The added advantage is that it seems to cool better.

[Luva65wagon]

I put in my new 17" flex fan today, though not without a considerable degree of consternation. Lucky for me Gene gave me a spacer or it would have never fit. Even so I have only a half an inch between it and the radiator. And I had to manually straighten the blades a little to get them to clear the crank and alt pulleys. Let me tell you, it was hard to squeeze that radiator between the core support and the fan.

Drove it almost a half hour around town with no hint of temp issues, but after taking it on the freeway and getting home I heard a tick,tick,tick,tick with engine RPM. Discovered the clearance to the top and bottom rad tank was narrowed by the fan being forced forward with the force of the air it pushes. So I got out the dremel and ground off the tips of the fan where they could hit the radiator. I may get a 16" fan. We'll see. The shroud they sent made no sense. Could not have fit it on even so. No space in these cars.

Made a U-turn on the last test drive and now the car wants to pull to the left. Oh boy, now what. :doh: :confused:

[falcon cobra]

You could just keep the hood shut when the motor is running and your pinkies won't get chopped off..just a thought....jh[yay]

[doghows]

That or invest in some Kevlar gloves??:WHATTHE: