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DD931 · 01-12-2019, 10:44 AM

Back in 1959 I was driving my '30 Tudor back from Virginia up to Massachusetts. Ran most of the way at about 50 mph. On the Wilbur Cross Highway in Connecticut I felt a big bang and the car shook violently. Pulled over and shut her down. Yes, the fan (original) had shed a blade. It left a divot in the hood, took a swipe out of the radiator (but fortunately didn't actually cut any tubes), and cut the upper radiator hose. So, being an enterprising young man traveling with a full tool box, I cut off the other blade, taped up the radiator hose and finished the trip. And immediately replaced the fan with a stamped one - that's what was available at the time. I didn't know of any cast aluminum replacements back then. Bottom line - these things do indeed break. I was lucky, actually, that it happened under non-life-threatening conditions.

01-12-2019, 10:44 AM	#10
DD931 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: PA Poconos Posts: 723	Re: Check your fan blades Back in 1959 I was driving my '30 Tudor back from Virginia up to Massachusetts. Ran most of the way at about 50 mph. On the Wilbur Cross Highway in Connecticut I felt a big bang and the car shook violently. Pulled over and shut her down. Yes, the fan (original) had shed a blade. It left a divot in the hood, took a swipe out of the radiator (but fortunately didn't actually cut any tubes), and cut the upper radiator hose. So, being an enterprising young man traveling with a full tool box, I cut off the other blade, taped up the radiator hose and finished the trip. And immediately replaced the fan with a stamped one - that's what was available at the time. I didn't know of any cast aluminum replacements back then. Bottom line - these things do indeed break. I was lucky, actually, that it happened under non-life-threatening conditions.