Hi,

Looking for some advice please.

The car is a 69 Satellite with a 440. The radiator, if I have checked the numbers correctly, is out of a big block 72-74 Roadrunner and is 22 inch wide. It has a proper fan shroud on it.

At present, the car has a fixed (non viscous) six blade fan. The fan is approximately 16 1/2 to 17 inch in diameter. The fan blades sit about 1/2 inch outside the rear face of the shroud.

I didn't thikk this was too efficient a setup, but, here in the UK, the car runs fine at 190 degrees and stays there quite stably, even when idling in what little traffic it has ever needed to idle in.

I got from a Moparts member (thanks John) a seven blade 18 1/2 inch fan with a viscous coupling. I bolted this in this evening and the front of the viscous coupling comes pretty close to the radiator, maybe just over 1/4 inch. The blades sit very nicely within the shroud now though.

Is 1/4 inch too close ?

The car has new engine mounts and the driver's side one is one of Schumaker's Poly Locs (so the car builder told me) plus, I have fitted one of Schumaker's torque straps.

With these on the engine, is the 1/4 inch gap okay ?

I seem to have gone from too small and too far away to big enough but maybe too close.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks.

Sandy

Sounds fine to me. My coronet has the visciou fan with the same clearance to the radiator and has never hit. Its been running fine since '02

edit actually i mesured it tonight at about a 1/2 inch so 1/4 might be too close

my 69

I think you might have cooling problems with the fan being that far inside the shroud. The blades are supposed to sit out from the face of the shroud a bit to pull air properly.

yes 1/4 " is too close. I think they problem slover is to use one from a Jaguar

This one is from a Jag, no cooling problems. And the reason it is closer to the radiator is because the radiator is a 4 core.

Mine on my roadrunner is just less than 1/4" from the radiator. I have never had any problems. Been running this way since about 1991.

I'm in a similar boat. I was good until I put on March Serpentine type pulleys. A new Jag clutch will be here tommorrow.

The one I have now puts me about 1/4 from the radiator. Cools great, no shroud. Not sure about heavy traffic times though.

The problem I have is when you floor it or even go very heavy throttle it hits the blades on the bottom of the radiator. It is an old aluminum OEM fan, not sureif it flexes or what???

I have the Schemaker torque strap as well.

I agree that you're ok being that close to the radiator without a shroud, but someone would likely have problems being that close with a shroud if the fan blades are not partially sticking out. The fan blades would buffet the hot air all around inside the shroud instead of pulling it through and out.

I'm not sure about the OP's car but the Jag clutch made mine look pretty good. Haven't had it out to check cooling out but it should be fine.