Electric fan recommendation Buick Century 350

I own a 73 Buick Century with a 350 factory 4bbl J code engine with dual exhaust, re-curved distributor and may install a TA 212 cam in the future. Currently using 180 degree stat. No further mods planned. The car currently has the stock fan and shroud, and hasn't overheated, even when stuck for an hour in a traffic jam in high 80's degree weather. And that was before replacing the original stat and 44 year old hoses!

I'd like to install an electric pusher fan, and remove the stock fan for a horsepower boost as referred to on another part of the forum. I realize a pusher is not as efficient as a puller, but the fan shroud in a 73 has integrated washer and coolant bottles, and I am trying to retain the stock appearance in this 26K mile survivior. I live on Vancouver Island, so heat events like the one mentioned above are pretty rare. Any suggestions on make and size/cfm of fan for general street use would be appreciated. I would like the fan to operate similar to OEM, where it comes on automatically when needed, rather than switching on and off.

 

You would be better off with pullers. Keeping cool will be difficult. You will need a lot of air flow. Ford Taurus fan might be your best choice. You would want to run off relays for highest voltage direct from alternator/ battery. And set up so it comes on with air conditioning.
But if your system stays cool as is I would hold off jumping to electric fans. Getting enough cfm will be your biggest challenge. . And the electric fan being inside the fan shroud will funnel air thru radiator better. You can get a temp sender from summit racing to ground fan relays to turn on and off fans. Just check temperature rating for on and off.
As far as cam I personally like the crower over the 212. Both do work well but in different power bands. A 2200 converter would go well with either cam also.

 

The dual fan setup from the TPI/LT1/LS1 F-bodies is pretty narrow. It might work. I have been thinking about the same thing with my 1973 Regal. To activate the fans, I would use a Painless electric fan relay kit with the thermostat switch that would go right in your manifold. I used one on my IROC and it worked great.

 

If your not having any issues with the current factory set up, leave it be.

 

I agree. I would not create my own tar baby.

 

Really...why go through the trouble of finding a more efficient cooling solution that could potentially restore 30 hp to your car when you could just leave it be and instead go out and buy a hotter cam (a roller one at that--those are even better), more compression, headers, intake, head porting (each one of these items could be worth up to 30 hp too, some of them even less) and all the work, headache and money that's involved with all that...or you could just leave that be as well if there's no issues with your current factory setup?

 

That's a good point Gary. That standard replacement cam that you like or one of the crower cams with tuning and carb work could easily gain that 30 hp. And still look stock. Or roller cam. Head porting and shaving heads to bump compression would still look stock also. With a combo of all that could net over 100 hp increase and still look stock.

 

Appreciate all the input. I will be meeting up with Sean in a couple of months when he is here visiting family. Will have a good opportunity to discuss options with him regarding pros and cons. Of course, once one begins to mod, mmmm, recurved distributor, check, recalibrated carb, check, dual exhaust, check, shift kit, check, , so let's see now..., swap out 2:73 gears for 3:42 posi, mild stall convertor, mill and port heads, cam with new lifters etc. etc. Guess I could use the $$$'s from my recently sold Miata!

 

Looking forward to it!! I will have a good look at my 75 Regal to see how much room there is for different options.

 

My point was that the electric fan option would be the easiest path to take when looking at a potential 30 hp gain, vs all the other stuff which is much more involved.

Doing it all would of course give the most benefit.

 

Remove the fan shroud, stick a turbo in there and do the electric fan and it should be good!

 

I just put a flex a lite dual on since im going turbo and i need the space..i like it.

 

There is no way on Earth replacing a fan/fan clutch system with an electric fan is going to gain 30 HP.

There's no reason at all to replace the OEM fan if it's working properly. It'd be money wasted.

 

The proof of how much HP the mechanical fan costs is in the dyno testing at the start of the thread. The only thing we don't have proof of is how much HP the drain on the alternator Draws using an electric fan.

 

I bet it will make a difference when you add that SP3 intake with the aluminum heads and start to 6500+ rpm on a regular basis, bet that belt won't like that a whole lot.

Now how much HP it takes to run the alternator when the fan is on high, I bet not as much as the fan will at 6 grand.

It is just another addition to gain HP. But if you are not going to pursue more power beyond that then I would not do it since the Fan Clutch system is the best there is.

I do know it takes a certain amount of CFM going thru the radiator so make sure the fan you use can carry the amount needed, there is a formula for it.

 

Which post has the link? I can't find it. Maybe I'm blind.

Agreed.

The original poster has no such plans according to Post 1.

Maybe not. But the alternator drags for a longer period of time, because running the fan may be pulling current out of the battery short-term, and the alternator is still re-charging the battery after the fans shut off. Part of the equation will be peak load (fan and clutch) vs. extended load (alternator and electric fan).

OTOH, the fan is not going "6 grand". The fan clutch is slipping, reducing the power needed, and if it weren't, the fan would be stalling, reducing the power needed.

Wild Guess: That belt can't transmit 30 horsepower to the fan, plus the load from the other accessories. 30 horsepower would snap the belt or burn it off the pulleys. So to say you can "save" 30 horsepower by removing load from that belt is...unlikely.

Consider a garden tractor--about 18 or 20 horsepower, some of that used to drive the thing around your yard, and some fraction of that horsepower spinning the blades on the mower deck. The belt driving the lawn-cutter blades is much bigger than what you find on a crank/water pump system, and it doesn't last anywhere near as long as the belts in automotive use. I will grant that some of that has to do with the different application--rpm, dirt and grass clippings in the beltway, the engagement of the PTO to spin or to not spin the mower deck. Even so, we're still not talking about 30+ hp, we're talking about some part of 18 hp.

...and sell parts. And to look like you're making an effort to "get more power".

THAT I can wholeheartedly second!

 

Make more engine hp. Not sure where your getting your numbers from for gains but you will find that don't work for estimating hp gains.
You want more power then you have to do something to engine to make more power.
Headers/ or free flowing exhaust
Raise compression with piston change or shave heads for smaller combustion chamber.
Bigger valves / and or ported heads.
Cam change . Choose something to raise your dynamic compression up over 7 below 8 to 1.
Intake manifold may help.
Carb tune/settings/jets/rods/ hangers.
Distributer recurve to bring timing in quick
3 series Rear gear ratio, bring engine rpm up quickly.
Higher stall torque converter. Again bring rpm up quicker off stop.

 

However you all want to look at it, take the fan out of the equation and the engine is going to pick up HP. When you drive down the road the elec fans will not be running until the temp hits 195* Most likely at idle.

No matter what is said on this site everyone wants to argue about it. Take it to the track or to the dyno and prove it right or wrong. lol.

That will never happen here typing produces more HP. lol

 

I know it's hard to believe. I didn't think the fans removed that much either until I found that video and posted it in another thread, which is where the 'potential for 30 hp' comment I made came from.

Switching to electric fans would be one of, if not the easiest ways to reduce parasitic loss for a gain up to 30 hp. Maybe only 15 or 20? Still worth it to me, and not money wasted.

Just think about how much money, time, and work is invested into other areas of an engine for the purposes of gaining performance, which could very well result in less than 30 hp gains.

If someone wants to ignore the reality of parasitic loss, that's fine. Use a solid fan, the biggest transmission and rear end you can find, and go have fun with it. Just don't forget to turn the A/C on when you race, that way you can maximize the parasitic effect. Just be sure to gear it down so far that the mechanical torque multiplication overcomes it all...or just go big block, turbo charge it or shoot it with juice to overcome it.