Re: Electric Fans

Cliff (and anyone else this may help)

I have found out the HARD way that the best way to cool a 401 is using the stock AMC 7-blade flex fan WITH a matching fan shroud. I have tried twin electrics, big single electrics with various baffles and shrouding and clutch fans with modified partial shrouds (out of a Jeep). The electrics are just not enough. On a nice warm sunny day, idling in traffic, the car just plain gets hotter and hotter. I tried Watter Wetter, cooler thermostats and different thermo clutches for clutch-type fans. The clutch-type came pretty close, but on a hot day with the A/C on, the temp gage just kept climbing. I have a 3-core new radiator also (Matador X Coupe). The 7-blade flex keeps it cool even when idling in a drive-through. No problems. Make sure it's in good shape if you plan on spinning the motor a lot.

Aftermarket flex fans are not near as good - they crack and fail at the rivets and don't pull the air the 7-blade stock AMC fan does. I broke one of those too - stuck an aluminum flex fan blade right into the frame rail and it stayed there (about 6000 RPM when it broke).

My 401 Jav seems to run a little cooler, and does pretty good with a clutch-type with no A/C, but the Spirit engine compartment is a bit tighter and getting the air moving is important.

Just my two-cents . . .

Bill Dettman

'74 Matador X 401, '70 Javelin BBG 401

----Original Message Follows----

From: <mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

Reply-To: mail-From-javelinman-hotmail.com@xxxxxxxxxxxx

To: mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Subject: Re: Electric Fans

Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 12:02:31 -0500

I bought a 16" 2400 CFM USA made fan at Carlisle last year for my truck $70. It works well, but I doubt it would cool a 401. I used a Derale fan controller, It seems to be a nice well built unit and has outputs for dual fans and inputs for A/C. It comes in both screw in sensor and probe sensor fashion. I'm guesstimating about a 1 mpg gain in town. I haven't had it out on any trips to see if it helped highway mileage. Definitely nice not to hear the fan roaring on cold mornings when it isn't even needed. Quicker warmup too!

I plan on doing a future switc to turn the A/C compressor on and off at will, bypassing the factory A/C on with defrost. I hate that! It's not always needed and now it cycles the cooling fan when you go to defrost.

Mark Price

mpriceATwestco.net

Morgantown, WV

69 AMC rambler, 4.0L, EFI, 5 speed

65 Ambassador Conv, 327 AUTO, Basketcase

01 S-10 CREWCRAP 4X4

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------

From: cliff danley <am401@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Reply-To: mail-From-mprice-westco.net@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 10:08:29 -0500 (GMT-05:00)

>Would like to hear from electric fan users - what brands are you using, any problems, noted improvements in cooling, etc. I want to replace the flex fan on my 401 Spirit, and there are alot of brands out there - all different sizes and CFM ratings. I run a stock 71 Javelin radiator 3-core and hi-flow mechanical water pump. Thanks for the replies.

>Cliff Danley

>Jacksonville, Florida