30-31 fans

[28ACoupe]

Greetings all,

I am looking for some clarification: Are the 30-31 cars supposed to have the same two bladed fan as the 28-29?

Thanks

[Joe K]

Generally yes, although some two bladed fans late in production were of "improved" construction involving only partial double skin.

These are considered a bit "safer" than the original two skinned fans since they don't have the same degree of pocketing to contain water and accelerate corrosion.

Still warrant checking for cracks at the root of the blade (and where the blade material is doubled.)

Joe K

[Gary WA]

Yes

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by 28ACoupe

Greetings all,

I am looking for some clarification: Are the 30-31 cars supposed to have the same two bladed fan as the 28-29?

Thanks

They could, but there were two types of fans as mentioned.

[Bob Bidonde]

Original fans are unsafe at any speed and in any condition, even original NOS ones. The design is poor, and the fatigue life expended is not measurable.

[Kevin in NJ]

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The first type of fan was two pieces electrically welded around the edges.

The second type is a single piece of metal in a complex bend. It is doubled up at the base area. It came out late in production.

The first kind is prone to rust between the metal. Both have been subject to considerable abuse over the years.

Contrary to popular believe they are not inherently unsafe. They are very safe, but you must know what is good and bad. They must also be monitored as they do not just fly apart, they all have warning signs which can be easily missed.

My favorite example was from a professionally restored car. The car was restored by a very well known shop in the south many years ago. The fan looked great but when it failed it became clear it was bondoed up rust pitted mess.

The fans fail because of rust and because they were abused over the years. If you choose to run with an original fan you must choose carefully. There can not be any swelling, it should be rust free. It must have the correct shape, a distorted fan means it has been stressed. You must sandblast the fan and inspect the hub for any cracking. Check for balance. Then you must only put a minimal amount of paint on the fan so that any crack starts are easily found. You must then inspect it regularly.

If you just buy a nice looking fan already painted up at a flea market then you should expect it to come apart.

That being said, there is clearly a lot of reason why one should choose a new high quality aluminum fan. You should also treat the new fan like it could come apart. Keep the paint thin and inspect frequently.

You must bear in mind that so far every type of fan has come apart. With exception, I believe, to that plastic thing and I believe the new aluminum fan.
It is best to not trust them and keep a close eye on them.

[28ACoupe]

I thought so. I just wanted to fact-check it.

Thanks guys.

[J Franklin]

Bob, I think a NOS fan that had been stored properly should last about 80 years.

[Purdy Swoft]

I disagree. I had fans to fail in the sixties and early seventies when they were less than forty years old. Any fan becomes DANE-JUS with age. Even the rivited four blade model 46 fans that were made in 1933 and later sold as a replacement for the model A fan.

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

I disagree. I had fans to fail in the sixties and early seventies when they were less than forty years old. Any fan becomes DANE-JUS with age. Even the rivited four blade model 46 fans that were made in 1933 and later sold as a replacement for the model A fan.

Hey Purdy,
I think that this original (pictures) type A fan is two pieces 'sandwich'. Looks to have lasted well as no visable cracks when blasted/cleaned then painted.
As for lasting , wouldn't that depend on lots of factors, service length/severity of service/abuse, etc.
Anyway, I wouldn't run one NOW, however I have run lots of them when couldn't afford anything different. They do nicely for show time, I guess, but I run an aluminum one now...and looks nearly like original.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

I disagree. I had fans to fail in the sixties and early seventies when they were less than forty years old. Any fan becomes DANE-JUS with age. Even the rivited four blade model 46 fans that were made in 1933 and later sold as a replacement for the model A fan.

This fan is sometimes referred to as a "truck fan". What Purdy says was made perfectly clear to me last summer when the rivets came loose and I lost a radiator. Two of my friends have had this same experience with the rivets coming loose on their 4-blade "truck fans".

[Bob Bidonde]

I had a NOS late 1931 fan on my Coupe. When I bought the fan, it still had the Ford part number tag on it, and I bought from a vintage shop that stocked Ford parts since the Model T. Within 20,000 miles that NOS fan cracked.

There is no way to determine the remaining life in any original fan. To say that the original fan gives telltale signs it will fail is playing Russian Roulette. Many original fans have failed on the road even though the owners regularly checked for cracks.

I agree that there have been poorly made steel repro fans that also have short term failures. The early aluminum fans did not fit properly and are failure prone. However, the current aluminum fan is reasonably well made and is a smarter option than running any original fan.

Plastic fans are superior to all, and the Dave Wilton fan is superb, albeit noisy.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

...the Dave Wilton fan is superb, albeit noisy.

What is a "Dave Wilton" fan?

[160B]

this is an example of a two bladed fan failure

[28ACoupe]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

Plastic fans are superior to all, and the Dave Wilton fan is superb, albeit noisy.

Plastic fans are like breast implants. They always look fake and never look right. Much better to just run the real thing if you can.

[FL&WVMIKE]

If you throw a fan blade, be sure to break the other one off, before you drive your car. Your fan is already ruined. You can drive your car like that, but you might overheat if you get in traffic.
If you don't break it off, your waterpump will vibrate so much, it will fly apart, too. Your whole car will vibrate.
MIKE (mikeburch)

[CarlG]

Last summer while on tour, one of our guys ('30 coupe) threw a fan blade. He did as Mike suggested and broke off the other one and continued driving the balance of the tour (500+ miles) with no fan at all.

My Dad bought a new '56 Fairlane and almost immediately just took the fan off completely. This was in Arizona / New Mexico. Never had a problem overheating in the 10 years (over 100K miles) that he owned the car.

[Purdy Swoft]

Originally Posted by hardtimes

Hey Purdy,
I think that this original (pictures) type A fan is two pieces 'sandwich'. Looks to have lasted well as no visable cracks when blasted/cleaned then painted.
As for lasting , wouldn't that depend on lots of factors, service length/severity of service/abuse, etc.
Anyway, I wouldn't run one NOW, however I have run lots of them when couldn't afford anything different. They do nicely for show time, I guess, but I run an aluminum one now...and looks nearly like original.

Hey Rick,
I've kept a few old fans and most of the originals were sandwiched. I've had both original two blade and the later four blade truck fans sling blades. I only use the aluminum repro two blade fans now. Like you , I ran whatever fan I could get before the good aluminum repro fans were offered and I could afford better.

[rons49]

Bob & Purdy are right. Exactly 2 years ago I was driving home from an outing and stopped at a traffic signal. The light turned green, and I started up ... BAM!. I pulled over immediately. opened the hood and there was half a' fan laying on the left pan ready to slide off. The belt came of the track. So I removed the belt and drove home at a steady 35 for 2 miles. Now since I have an indented fire wall, I shut off the gas valve after every trip (in attached garage). Also, I check the engine bay and turn off the battery. I always check the fan for defects and did so that morning. There were no apparent cracks. Bob knows what metal fatigue in aircraft is. I advise you guys to watch Jimmy Stewart in "No Island in The Sky", Loosely based on the hellish activity of the DeHavilland Comet. The fans just do fail. Fortune was with me not a scratch was left from the flying fan blade.
Hi Bob, how are things on Long Island? I was a member from 1988 to 92. Ron Sotardi, Tucson .

[bikejunk]

I wonder how my new alloy fan will hold up 84 years from now