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General Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: Sherpa on September 16, 2010, 02:00:59 PM
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As you know, I recently installed an aftermarket 16" fan in my TJ. It's functional and working as designed, yet I cannot help wanting to make it work even better. It's only real drawback centers around the through-the-radiator-core mounting system used with aftermarket fans like these; the result is that air is only pulled through some of the core rather than all of it. Naturally, I'd like to mount this electric fan to a shroud that covers the entire core, thus improving the efficiency of the setup.
My first thought was to hack up the MarkVIII fan I am not using--after all, I already own it. But that is an 18" fan, and the hole in the shroud is too large for this 16" fan. My next idea was to cut off the perimeter (that mounts to the radiator) of my OEM shroud, then attach a large flat sheet of aluminum or whatever to it, cut a hole, and mount the fan to it. This would be all good and well, but I like the idea of hanging on to it in case I ever want/need to go back to a stock mechanical fan setup. Option #3 would be to build a custom shroud from scratch. It doesn't sound too difficult; just get a large sheet of aluminum, bend it in a few places, cut a hole in the middle, and presto--custom shroud.
(http://www.britishv8.org/Triumph/TimothyAmey/TimothyAmey-BG.jpg)
And that's what made me wonder: has anybody here already done this? If so, I'm curious if you actually did the fabrication yourself, or who you farmed it out to. Does anyone have any experiences to share?
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I have a cheap virgo (i think) fan and I was wondering the same thing at the time (use this fan on the mk viii shroud for less amps and noise) - the best idea i came up with was to use the virgo motor and the mk viii propeller (fan blades, whatever yo call it) and of course the shroud but from what i remember the shaft diameters were different and that's where i got stuck. If i remember correctly mounting the actual electric motor was doable but don't recall details.
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Yes, you can fab your own if you own a brake. You might also check and see if you can swap motors. Then you can use the 18" fan on the 16" motor, if it fits.
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You might also check and see if you can swap motors. Then you can use the 18" fan on the 16" motor, if it fits.
I hadn't even thought of this, so I compared them. Turns out it won't work for me--not with the exact aftermarket fan I have. Oh, well.
I've decided to go ahead and butcher my OEM shroud. Doing so means I will have a shroud which easily bolts on just like stock, will seal itself to the radiator relatively well, and it will incorporate the brackets necessary to hang the PS reservoir and coolant overflow bottle. Taking all this into account, it seemed to be a no-brainer; I can always source a replacement stock shroud if I need one in the future.
I'm committed to this strategy: tonight I made measurements and sketches, then began actually carving the shroud.
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Yeah, cutting up the OE shroud is always an option, too.