JAMES LOWE

Do fan shrouds help keep the engine temps down. My 84 is running a 383 aluminum water pump & radiator w/ dual electric fans. they are not no flex a lite or anything high dollar but they are bout 12''. It runs 180 on a good feeling day 190-200 in traffic. You think i can fabricate a shroud for the fans or get some new. My main issue is i think engine temps under the hood, the shroud would block all that heat from the radiator right. At what temp should i start worrying. I heard normal operating temp for sbc is 195 deg.

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

What a fan shroud does is, it increases the fan covered area but ONLY if the fan is a tight fit in the shroud and there are no leaks past the shroud. With a fan up near the core it will only pull from the area right in front of the blade swept area with some loss at the tips of the blades due to vorteces and other aerodynamic effects.

Why would you want to run cooler than that?
Also running temp should not be dependent on the fans, only in slow or stop & go traffic.

For normal conditions the min. temp is regulated by the thermostat. How much hotter it runs above the stat opening temp depends on the efficiency of your cooling system. How much heat it can dissipate depends on the pump flow, the radiator core size and the amount of cool air that flows through the rad, of course outside temp and such also have an influence but I figured I'd just point out the stuff you can actually control. If your system is in a good condition and adequately sized it should not run very much above t-stat temp.. Contrary to popular belief a colder stat does not lower engine temps if there is an issue with system capacity. It only slows down how fast things get hot. Now if you have a system that has enough capacity to cool it down then yes, running a 160 stat instead of a 190 or so will make it run @ 160.

JAMES LOWE

so the temps im running now are sufficient? its not that i wanted to run lower than that, i just wanted to know. Its currently a 160 t-stat in there now. And i believe that the cooling system is good enough. Thanks for the insight

JAMES LOWE

So whats the ideal thermostat to run. Is a aftermarket one good?

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

The temps you are running sound good, does it go higher when the outside is say 90's with high humidity? I run a 160 t-stat that is a high flow unit I got from Summit and then I run a universal Griffin aluminum radiator with a 4th gen dual fan setup from a Z-28. It has its own fan shroud with built in flaps to allow for more air flow at high speeds and covers the whole radiator core. I use a Flexalite fan controller that allows me set the temps I want the fans to turn on and off at, a reaaly nice feature is that when it starts the fans, it doesn't hit the electrical system at full power when they come on. It starts them at 60% and goes to full power afterwards. My car with the 406 will run 190-195 all day in traffice with temps in the 80's-90's and 165-180 on the highway. If you are not having issues, I wouldn't fix something that is not broken.

JAMES LOWE

In traffic on 90 degree hot days between 190-200. U think maybe getting some fans like yours off a 4th gen that covers the entire radiator would help or leave it alone

JAMES LOWE

Tried to get to 210 last week it was bout 93 degrees

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

I really like the 4th gen fan setup, if provides the cooling I need but I have to say it will be interesting to see how well they work should I put my a/c back in next year. As I said above, my car will sit at 190-195 in traffic on 90* plus days and these fans keep up. Everything else I tried did not. Do you run a/c in your car now? If so, is the temps you are getting with or without the a/c on? Do what I did, start collecting the parts to do the job since for the most part your car is staying at a pretty good temp and when you have the parts make the switch.

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

The fan controller I use is the Flexalite variable speed unit part #FLX-31165 and it is 97.95 through Summit catalog. It is pretty straight forward in their directions and hook it up just as they say and set your temp for on and off. It is more expensive than the others I looked at but I really like the fact that it does not spike the electrical system with a full power on, it starts out at I believe 60% and ramps up the speed with rising temp till it hits 100% power. Look aroud the bone yards and other forum sites, ebay,etc to find a set from a trans am or camaro z-28 or ss model for the fans unit and get a complete one with the flaps. You can buy new pigtail assemblies from Rock Auto.com for the wire hookups. It will take some fabrication to mount it up but it is no real big deal like welding or anything like that. I used some vacumm tubing that I glued around the shroud to give me rubber seal to mount against the core and used some brackets that I bent up and drilled a couple of holes in for mounting where my old fan shroug bolted to. Mine set in tight against the radiator support and I trimmed a little from the side where the power steering is on the drivers side. Works great and no vibrations.

JAMES LOWE

Do the fans need to be from a v6 or v8

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

I would get the fans from a v-8 since they are designed to keep them cool and move more cfm of air. Do some checking around, you can find them pretty reasonably priced, I have a total of about 150-175.00 for everything I am using.

JAMES LOWE

wow, thats good. thats for the control box and fans

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

Yes, Like I said look around the internet and your local pickapart to get the best price. I've included a few pis for you.

JAMES LOWE

man you have a nice thing going, looks real good all under hood. so it doesnt matter wheter they come from LT1 car or Ls1 as long as its a 4th gen.

JAMES LOWE

Any specific place for the box, the directions say mount on fan

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

As for the fans, LT1 or LS2 doesn't matter, mine are from an LT1, the LS1 fans have s-curved blades, mine are more straight. The LS1 units are quieter due to the blade shape and still move alot of air. My controller is mounted on my drivers side near my cannister and by the cavity where the my horn is.

JAMES LOWE

thanks for the help i appreciate it.I should be able to get everything & wire it up. Can i contact you if i have problems?

one92rs

iTrader: (5)

i also have the 4th gen fans. 1993 to 2002 will have what you need. i had to modify the shroud on the left since it was hitting my steering gear box and so have others. i have heard a few dont. i am still runnnig a factory style radiator as well. i to use the flexalite controller. the older ones didnt work well but the new ones do. be darn sure that all your connections are very good. i crimped, soldered, and heatshrinked mine.

JAMES LOWE

So 4th gen fans & the controller is the way to go

the solitaire

It will most likely be the cheapest shrouded dual fan set you´ll find

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

Yes, you can contact me and like what was said by solitaire, you need really good connections and follow the instructions included with the controller.