1950 F1 Truck Fan - 4 or 6 Blade???

[Bored&Stroked]

I'm helping a friend convert his 50' F1 pickup back to a stock fan (had a goofy electric one on it). Anyway, have seen both a 4 blade as well as a 6 blade fan. Having never ran a 6 blade fan - does anybody have any thoughts or experience on running one versus the other? One would think that more airflow is a good thing . . . so I'm leaning toward the 6 blade version. It looks like both have the wide-belt pulley setup (appears in the pictures to be the same).

Thoughts, perspectives?

[1948F-1Pickup]

Interesting subject. The factory 4 blade is prone to failure from fatigue after this many years. After that exploded I did some research. I ended up with a
5 blade heavy duty design off of eBay NOS in the box. Never saw a catalog listing for it but it is drilled for flathead and Y-block apps. (B4Q8600A part number)
The official HD fan offering I believe was 6 blade.
There apparently are some 4 blade HD ones also out there with the dual bolt pattern.....

[CA Victoria]

My 2 cents-
I started out with a stock 6 blade on my F-1 w/8ba. No doubt it moved allot of air and I never had a problem keeping it cool in 100 deg + days.
BUT it was very noisy.......
I swapped out for a stock 4 blade and it was much quieter and I didn’t notice any difference in normal operating temp in town or on the highway.

I didn’t get to it before I sold the truck.......always wanted to adapt a fan clutch to the 8ba.

[skidmarks]

I had a 6 blade that had aluminum blades rivited to the steel hub. Most i see are all steel.
Whats that from?

[40 Deluxe]

So which moves more air- a 6 blade or a 4 blade fan? The reason I ask is, in 1940 my Granddad bought a new 1 1/2 ton Ford truck which has remained in the family. It has a 4 blade fan. Also in 1940 my Dad bought a 1940 2 door sedan, also still in the family. It has a 6 blade fan. One would think that the truck would need the 6 blade, right? The only thing I can figure is, the four blade looks like it has more pitch so apparently the number of blades is not all that matters!

[FortyNiner]

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The shrouds would seem to be at least as important as the fan configuration - especially with the 226 I-6.

[estout81]

I have a four blade on my '48 F-1 with a 276 c.i. engine and never had a bit of trouble. It doesn't have a shroud.

[3twinridges]

I have a 6 blade on our v8 and can’t notice the noise (could be that that the muffler I am using is basically a straight pipe - Imposter from Waldron)+ it looks really cool!

JB

[Tim Ayers]

I do believe the 6 blade is quite a bit heavier than a 4 blade if that matters to you.

[Bored&Stroked]

Thanks guys - found a 6 blade fan with aluminum blades on the Bay. We shall get it cleaned up, lubricated and on the truck and we shall see how it does. Thanks for all the input - it is much appreciated.