CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

The Shop Truck

1971 Chevy C20 with a custom flat bed.
There is no way one of his fans would hold up to a 4400 car. The first big hit and that flimsy support would flex and destroy either the blade or the radiator.
 
I didn't read the complete email exchange, but he obviously didn't care or believe you that this was a new problem, as in after the fan swap, with his statement of "obviously you have been having issues for a long time".

He needs to figure out his problems or get out of business, IMO.

Thanks for letting us know where to avoid, if we are ever looking into different electric fans.
 
Wow. How did I get 15 pages behind?

The fan emails would be frustrating. I would have had to type a reply to him, then sit on it a day to cool off. Edit and send it.

We did testing with hand held wind speed meters. It was crazy with how different the same CFM rated fans were. There was a 70% variance from the best to last. None were what was rated. Some did better if we held the meter to the side at a 45* angle to the fan. That showed they were spinning air, not moving it. Holding the meter in front of the fan was about 50% drop in air flow on average. All mounted to the same shroud, 1" from the radiator core.
 
I'm going to be the contrarian here, just to add a different perspective. I'm trying to be as charitable as possible to his position (Even if I disagree).

First, I don't think either of you were being assholes in the email, although 25% restocking fee seems a bit high. He did seem willing to help troubleshoot the problem with you, at least initially, but I think basically his position came down to "I can't guarantee it will work with anything other than MY complete setup", so suggested going that route.

Your position is, that's stupid, why would I spend the money, when what I have works. Obviously this is a perfectly reasonable position to have.

There is no bridging that gap, so returning the fans is the only option, and other than the restocking fee, he's willing to do that.

What it comes down to imo is you want him to admit that CFM ratings are BS and he's just not going to do that.

As @ktmoutfront pointed out, NO fan matched the rating. It's all voodoo, which sucks, but isn't surprising. Unfortunately, that leaves all of us out here with trial and error. :(
 
I went with the Camaro PWM fan. I figured if it kept this same or better engine cool in the confined space of a camaro, it should be good in ReTonkulous. The crazy thing is, engine temp goes from 208* to 221* in an 1/8 mile. Back to 208 before the time slip booth.
 
I didn’t get the chance to read all of it, but this is the only tech/data I saw that may be different. IMG_4129.jpeg
I don’t even know if that’s real info but still shouldn’t matter. Either way you’re not being a dick at all. It’s a lot of money. He said it himself, if their shit works and ours dont. Use theirs! So be it.
 
I replied to that one, I'm not sure which orifice he pulled that number out of, but it's about 2.5" from the belts, which don't really block the air because they're sideways to the air flow. It's my belief that their fans are designed to maximize the flow numbers with the place that tests fans and approves the flow rating. I'm sure their fans flow more air than any other fan if it's connected to a tube and blowing air down that tube. You can see by the design of the shroud that there are minimal obstructions to the air flow, which makes it very easy for something to get in there and break the fan, and it also makes it weak so a big bump could flex it enough to break the fan or something.

I am going to be getting the Spal fans and sending these back for a partial refund. He is very practiced at this argument and I bet in at least 10-20% of the cases he manages to get a radiator sale out of this method. I'm sure his radiators are good, but I'm also wondering if they'd be even better with a Spal.
 
Also, I appreciate the criticism as much as the praise. I've never built anything quite like this, so I have a lot more to learn.
Either have I, and I hate to say it but i’m glad it’s not me because I am very impatient. I’ve said it before, you are a saint.
 
The truck is all set up to go to the tuners on Tuesday. The small pulley is on, new #8 iridium plugs are in, access panels are removed, and I sent the current tune to the tuner.

We're taking the motorhome up north for a long weekend this afternoon. Hopefully we got the blowby issue fixed with the new turbo. Part of this is testing for Michigan Miles. We've never taken the motorhome that far (2000 miles 1 way) and we're trying to make sure everything is as good as we can get it before we leave.
 

Latest Posts

Top Bottom