Fan Blade Question

[Tumbleweed]

Has anyone ever changed their stock 4 blade fan to a 5 or 6 blade? Wondering what the positive or negative results would be. I was just thinkling about pulling more air thru the radiator. I currently have a shroud but again just wondering.

[Quebec Jeep]

Well, I don't know if this will help you but I saw this pics of someone in a really hot area putting two 4 blade fan on top each other.

[Tumbleweed]

Holy Cow! A 8 bladed configuration...its a turbo fan......that thing should fly

[aboyandhisdog]

Hey George,
I have a 5 blade fan.  The only marks on it are the Ford oval.  I also put a 1 inch fan spacer under it to push it more into the shroud enclosure and to clear the alternator pulley.  Good combo all the way around.  The blades have more pitch to them than the Willys blades and it is a lot lighter in weight - the blades are thin aluminum.  Very happy.

[Tumbleweed]

Tom,

That looks good - and this is just about what I had envisioned. Do you remember where you got the blade and spacer from?

Also, did you have any vapor lock issues at FCT? I am curius as to why some people had problems and others did not. Would the 5 blade fan help keep the engine compartment any cooler I wonder.

Stay warm!

[aboyandhisdog]

Damn...I just wrote a long response and when I accidentally hit "back" in the Preview mode, it all disappeared! 

Okay, take two...
The blade came with the jeep.  I think if you take your blade to a yard or auto parts store, they could hook you up with a Ford blade that fits.  The spacer I found at AutoZone and they were about the only ones who even had spacers.  But, the info they have on their website is not descriptive enough for you to know if they will fit.  I think if you order several in the depth you need, you'll find a fit.  Return the rest.

I had overheat problems early on and by trial and mostly error, have dealt successfully with them.  My jeep didn't have a fan shroud so I had to find one.  That helped a lot.  Make sure your fins are in good shape and not clogged at all.  Also, a grill screen can add about 10 degrees, so try without if you use one. 

Last year (2014) at the FCT I did have some fuel boil in the pump after the hard run up Cottonwood Pass.  I installed an electric pump which I now use on hot starts and have not had an issue since.  They are about $40 as I recall and pretty simple install. 

I've not had any vapor lock issues at all, but I run a Solex which is a different animal than the WO.  I also use a rubber fuel line from the pump to the carb and I have it insulated with pipe insulation just in case.  I can't remember if anybody was dealing with vapor lock or not, but I know there are always a lot of the issues with pumps.

[Tumbleweed]

Thanks Tom, I apreciate the information. I have a back up electric fuel pump but I have not installed it yet. One of the engineers at work did mention that if it does vapor lock the electric pump would be the primer. I may look into this before next FCT.
I have a friend that installed a 5 blade fan in his model A and it really did much better. He even had A/C in his model A!

[aboyandhisdog]

AC in a model A...now that is luxury!  I do believe because the elec. pump get the fuel moving no matter what, it takes care of a lot of the fuel issues before they become problems.  I have the M38 tank so just mounted it next to the tank on the underside of the floor "hump" and ran a rubber line up to the tank and the regular steel line to the mechanical pump on the block.  Nice little pull switch mounts below my light switch.  I only use it on hot start up but it's kind of nice to know that if my mech. pump fails, I still have a pump to keep going if I need it.

Good luck finding a blade.  I have to believe they are pretty common on  a bunch of the older Fords.  Nice and light weight!

[64CJ5]

Hi George,  Check a race shop or Amazon for Flex-a-lite fans.  A 1314 Blue star is a five bladed 14" fan and a 1315 is a 151/4" fan.  Flex-a-lite has lots of models and also spacers.  Good luck   Tom