dual electric fans to mech. fan swap

[jteck10]

i bought my '66 Coronet with dual electric fans. I was told that swapping back to a 7 blade fan would help the car run cooler since my big block 440 runs hot. The electric fans are loud when they come on and my temp gauge doesnt work yet.

im curious on a parts list. originally my car came with a 318, but the previous owner swapped a 440 into it. i believe some members here helped me decode the engine to determine its a 1973/1974 big block 440.

id imagine parts i need are :
- 7 blade fan
- 26" fan shroud
- fan clutch

anything else i might need? would i need a new radiator that the fan shroud mounts to?

here are pictures of my current set up. any help is appreciated. thanks!

 

[beanhead]

If the electric fans were properly sized for your build, it will absolutely NOT run cooler with the old mechanical/clutch setup.

Now that said....I see the fans are "pushers" (mounted in front of the radiator) and that's not the ideal setup. The preferred way is to have "pullers" mounted south of the radiator so fresh air can always hit the radiator directly.
We also know though, that there isn't a lot of space between it and the engine.

Anyway...if do you want to switch back to a more stock-type setup then yes, you need a fan (7-blade factory are good but if you can find the older Mopar Performance 18" 5-blade, it worked very well too) proper shroud, and likely the Hayden 2947 "shorty" fan clutch. I say this because I see a "Champion" radiator there so I'll assume it's thicker than the factory unit.
I would also be looking at the water pump style and pulley as those can vary and do make a difference.

"If it was me" though I'd make darn sure the hot running wasn't caused by something else like late timing, a less-than-ideal tune, belt slippage or other engine condition. It really sucks to change a bunch of stuff and not fix the problem!

 

[dadsbee]

and my temp gauge doesnt work yet.

So how do you know it's running hot?

 

[jteck10]

If the electric fans were properly sized for your build, it will absolutely NOT run cooler with the old mechanical/clutch setup.

Now that said....I see the fans are "pushers" (mounted in front of the radiator) and that's not the ideal setup. The preferred way is to have "pullers" mounted south of the radiator so fresh air can always hit the radiator directly.
We also know though, that there isn't a lot of space between it and the engine.

Anyway...if do you want to switch back to a more stock-type setup then yes, you need a fan (7-blade factory are good but if you can find the older Mopar Performance 18" 5-blade, it worked very well too) proper shroud, and likely the Hayden 2947 "shorty" fan clutch. I say this because I see a "Champion" radiator there so I'll assume it's thicker than the factory unit.
I would also be looking at the water pump style and pulley as those can vary and do make a difference.

"If it was me" though I'd make darn sure the hot running wasn't caused by something else like late timing, a less-than-ideal tune, belt slippage or other engine condition. It really sucks to change a bunch of stuff and not fix the problem!

very true. i also considered tuning/adjusting the carb first. would it be worth trying to place the fans on the other side of the radiator for more cooling? or leave as is?

 

[jteck10]

So how do you know it's running hot?

i can feel the heat of the engine through the hood of the car. it just feels alot hotter than it should be. then again i could be wrong

 

[beanhead]

would it be worth trying to place the fans on the other side of the radiator for more cooling?

No, it doesn't work that way you'd be pushing air forward through the radiator (unless you can reverse them)....as far as that goes, are you sure they're installed properly now?
Just looking at the pics that is a poor fan installation unfortunately. Someone just plopped a couple of small fans on there, a lot of radiator area is not getting forced air.
DO get a temp gun though! Many times the dash gauges aren't accurate.

 

[dadsbee]

i can feel the heat of the engine through the hood of the car. it just feels alot hotter than it should be. then again i could be wrong

Seriously? Fix the temperature gauge, buy a $10 thermo gun and verify before you start chasing a ghost and blowing money.

 

[jteck10]

No, it doesn't work that way you'd be pushing air forward through the radiator (unless you can reverse them)....as far as that goes, are you sure they're installed properly now?
Just looking at the pics that is a poor fan installation unfortunately. Someone just plopped a couple of small fans on there, a lot of radiator area is not getting forced air.
DO get a temp gun though! Many times the dash gauges aren't accurate.

ah, good call. ordering one now. i'll end up hooking up the gauge soon

 

[jteck10]

Seriously? Fix the temperature gauge, buy a $10 thermo gun and verify before you start chasing a ghost and blowing money.

i know i know, my mistake. thats next on the list. i'll get the gun for now and hopefully get the temp gauge working in the next couple of weeks

 

[jteck10]

more update here.
i forgot to mention, my OEM temp gauge isnt working, but i have an aftermarket one hooked up that works

i was able to purchase a cheap C-body 26" radiator and i'm going to have a shop take a look at it to maybe have it recored and flushed.
decided not to go with the fan clutch since i dont mind the fan being always on to keep the car constantly cool.

part number on the radiator is [2949040 - 18398]. did some digging and i think the radiator is from a 1969 Polara or monaco (C-body) with a 383 2bbl and A/C.
i think that gets me the fan shroud part number of 2785435

questions are :
- what fan should i use since i wont be using a fan clutch? Part #2863216, part #3863215, or other?
- since i have a 440 in a car that was born with a 318, will the fan blade sit right in the middle of the fan shroud? even with the correct shroud and fan #'s? i know i'll have to drill holes in the radiator support to correctly mount the fan so it might depend on where i drill

 

[Pool Fixer]

properly sized puller electrics with a shroud should work for you. biggest mistake i see on electric fans is no shroud. people think that plastic surround that's present on most electric fans is enough.