This afternoon, I was standing on the gas when I heard a loud noise under the hood. I stopped right away and found that I had put the fan into the radiator. The fan tore into the radiator, bent the water pump shaft and broke the fiberglass fan shroud. Now I need a bunch of new parts. I've noticed that some of the suppliers differentiate between AC cars and non AC cars for the water pumps. Is there a difference in the outside dimensions or the number of blades? Can someone recommend a good water pump for an AC car? I also need a good 4 core radiator. Any suggestions? Are there any fan clutches that are better than others? I've been using a 7 blade fan for maximum cooling. Should I stick with it? I think I may have had the fan too close to the radiator so when I tached it up, it flexed into the radiator. Since I don't think I'll be able to find an original fan shroud, I'll probably have to get another fiberglass shroud. Thanks for any help you can give. George
George, Pumps were the same except that the A/C pump was shorter. It's good to match yours up when going to the parts store The distance from the gasket surface to fan mounting flange is different. The 18" X 7 blade fan is the A/C heavy duty setup and is an excellent fan. As far as clutches go, the NAPA 271301 is hard to beat, much stronger than the Stock unit.
Larry, did you mean to say a/c has a LONGER shaft??? Also, count the number of blades on the pump. You want the six blade over the five blade. Not only an extra blade, but the blades themselves are LARGER, big difference.:3gears:
A 1973 Riviera's fan shroud bolted right into my '70 Skylark with the tiniest amount of trimming needed at the top two corners. It's yellowish fibreglass, and it has coolant and washer tanks molded into it (which I cut off) but it's probably easier to find (and cheaper) than a '70 GS shroud. I also used the riv's fan to make sure they were matched together but I've never had a problem. Just an option to consider.
I don't want to scare you, but... George, this happened to me on my '68 Polara. Checked out the motor mounts, water pump, fan etc and found nothing wrong. When I jacked the car up to look underneath, I found a cracked frame between the bumper mount and the sway bar. Caused enough flex that the fan hit the radiator and tore it up.. It was a nice four core gibson aluminum too. Those weren't cheap in the 80's. You might want to double check the frame, although I am sure that is not your problem, I hope. Good luck. I would also double check the motor mounts s previously mentioned.:TU:
Man have I been there! George, Sounds like your car is now a basket case. I'll drive down from Roseville and take it off your hands for a very reasonable fee and a dinner. I bet you don't need the 440 6-Pack car either (fortunately for you I've had more than my share of experience with that particular engine). I'll bring my brother. Your predicament does bring back (fond?) memories of a long afternoon spent on I-5 north of Santa Nella sitting next to my GSX with a fan stuck in the radiator back in September 1989. There is never a cop when you need one. I was towed back to Sacramento for only $300. That tow truck driver was a saint! Depending on the battle damage your radiator can be repaired and only lose a modicum of efficiency. That specific fan can be had from a same year junk yard 455 big donor car. Don't buy a $17 water pump. Spend the $80 or so for a lifetime warantee pump from Napa. You need the SHORT A/C water pump. The long pump is almost 1 inch deeper in the shaft. Your only easy source for a good shroud is probably reproduction. I no longer run a mechanical fan - went to electric with an aluminum radiator. At speed the fan isn't necessary and the coolant temp only gets to 1 or 2 notches on the richter scale. After 19 years of four speed cars lots of water pumps and two trashed radiators I've decided to take the pressure off that pulley.
Re: Larry, did you mean to say a/c has a LONGER shaft??? Dan, Forgot about the impeller blades, good point. But the A/C pump shaft is actually shorter, and so is the pump housing. Try to use a non A/C pump on an A/C car, and the pulleys don't line up.
The 67-70 a/c and non a/c pumps are the same length. The only difference is that the a/c pump has one less impeller blade than the non a/c one. The a/c pump pulley was a smaller diameter than the non a/c one and increased pump speed. Therefore, the one less impeller did not reduce flow all that much. Starting in 1971, the a/c pumps had a different length shaft and went further into the clutch fan hub. The non a/c pump from 71 on up is the same as the 67-70. If you are running 67-70 a/c pulleys they should work fine with the non a/c pump, though you may flow coolant too fast through the radiator which may reduce cooling. I agree with running a NEW pump as the quality of the rebuilt ones is suspect and can affect cooling. The TRW a/c pump # was FP1400 and non a/c was FP1384 if memory serves me correctly. It would be a good idea to match your old pump up to what you get at the parts store as I have seen poor cross references and the possiblilty of getting the wrong pump. Good Luck, Mark
