Electric fan swap

[Cornfield creations]

Does anyone know what electric fan fits the best? I heard the 96 windstars are close to a direct bolt up.

Would it be better to pick it from a junk yard or buy one new? What kind of sensor and switch would I need? I my 79 has A/C.

Just looking to see what all I need before I tackle it, Thanks guys!

 

[dyeager535]

I'd certainly go with used, if you can hunt for your own in wrecking yards, I'd look for the newest, lowest mileage Windstar to grab fans from. Not sure what all years are useable. Newest of the vintage we can use anyways. Obviously low mileage could mean lots of sitting in traffic, which would be "harder" on the fans, but with used, you take a bit of risk anyways. I'd expect new, they'd be quite pricey, as are decent aftermarket fans.

Switches, plenty of stock ones out there, as well as the aftermarket variable switches, which IMO are pointless, since you know what temp your thermostat is, you want the fan over that temp by at least a few degrees no matter what. I used Napa's Echlin catalog (went to the store and had them let me browse it myself) to find various sensors, since it listed threads, how it was wired, temp the switch works at, etc.

Since you have AC, you could also tie the fan into the compressor like a new car, although you wouldn't have the vehicle speed/fan cutoff like a modern vehicle.