Clutch fan question

I have an aluminum aftermarket radiator and an aluminum aftermarket shroud. My fan is 20 inch, which to big for the shroud. Can I cut an inch off each blade without any issues? Or would it be better to buy a 17 or 18 inch fan? This is for 73 cuda

I would worry about keeping the fan balanced. How would you plan on cutting off the ends?

Hack sAw or jig saw, what ever works best.

I would be worried about balance and also strength as material you cut off might be needed to hold it together.

Bouchillon has a nice 6 blade which should fit correctly.

Edit: Or the JY from a late 70's RWD MOPAR.

I've done it. Just take a 1" thick tape carefully placed on the outer black.

Cut very carefully with a hand powered jig saw.

I cruise a 3200 rpm. With blasts up to 5000 rpm. And take it out to the road course track to close to 6000 rpm.

No problems in 8000 miles since built a few years ago.

Really reduces the effectiveness of the fan though. But less drag. I have a custom built shroud, run the Jag fan clutch, use straight water with additives, block meticulously cleaned of debris, and 4 core Champion radiator. No cooling issues.

Stupid question, but is there a clockwise and counter clockwise fan blade that mopar used?

I believe all the "V belt" driven fans had the same rotation (same as crankshaft). Later serpentine setups were maybe/probably opposite.

Balance is a consideration. But, any material you take off the end of a fan blade lessens the stresses the blade sees when rotating. No way does the extra material make it stronger.

If you could find an old stationary bubble tire balancer you could put the fan on it to see if it is statically balanced. That is what I'd be looking for.

R.