Clutch Fan

Williboy

Well-known member
Supporter 2018
Does anyone have or tried a clutch fan on a 200???
I know the clutch fan will give more horsepower, but what about cooling vs a flex fan??? Any clearance issues??
Has anyone built a custom fan shroud for an early Falcon???
 
:( I took a clutch fan off a 78 fairlane 200 I-6. When I tried to put it on, the fan hit the radiator. Looks like I need a water pump with a shorter shaft???? ( checked the 78 pump but that will not work)So I need help to!!!
Thanks Jim
 
:? Sorry all, that was a 78 Farmont fan not a 78 Fairlane!!
Sorry Jim
 
I found that PAW sells 15"-20" fans for $30 and thermal clutchs for $44. These all are "Flex-a-lite"
The only problem I could forsee is what Jones,Jim mentioned about the rad to water pump distance. I have only aprox. 2" of room and I measured the clutch fan setup on my Olds and it's aprox 3" . If you go with a shorter w/p then that will throw( literally!!)all your belts out of alignment.
I might stop by PAW and pick up a set, at least to get a first hand look and see if it's possible.
Anyone on the Falcon fan shroud????
 
I have a '79 Fairmont w/200CID.
It came with a 16" flex fan, which neither cooled well nor reduced drag at hill-climbing engine speeds (I live at high altitude, where every HP counts).

I got a "police interceptor" version of the fan clutch from a Mercury Zephyr from NAPA, then got a 17" non-flex fan from a junkyard (air-conditioned) Zephyr (it also had a fan clutch, but not the P.I. type). The P.I. version has less friction in it than the normal version, but looks pretty similar.

The result is better gas mileage, better hillclimbing power and a cooler-running engine -- WELL worth the effort.

There are 3 different fan clutches available for these 200 engines. One only fits the '60's Mustangs. The other 2 will fit the Fairmont. Of the 2 that fit the Fairmont/Zephyr, get the one that is shorter. The shorter one has a shorter 'nose' where the thermal spring is mounted: shorter by about 1/4 inch. This will let you use the 3-row radiator in the future if you want to, plus it will ensure that you have found the 'police interceptor' version, which has less drag.

If I can find my NAPA receipt, I'll post the NAPA part number here for the P.I. version I'm using.

'Later,
MarkP
 
Hey MarkP, Thanks for the info, I haven't been able to make it to PAW yet.
I especially like the thought of a "police interceptor" :wink:
Could you possibly get a measurement of the fan and clutch???
I have less than 2" between the pump and the radiator.
 
MarkP, did you ever find the fan clutch part number? I went by the NAPA Distribution Center here the other day and the counterman and I couldn't find an application that "seemed" correct?

Anyone else?

Thanks.
 
I wish this would work on the Falcons, but it won't because of the limited space between the radiator and the water pump pulley. (This is illustrated by the fan having to be bolted directly to the pulley on a Falcon versus a Mustang needing a fan spacer.)

I would love to have this setup on my car but don't see it happening without some type of modification to the radiator mounts to move it further away from the pulley.
 
Hi guys;

I posted the data before, but somehow it got lost in the whirlwind or something.... :?:

The NAPA part for the "Police Interceptor" fan clutch is #273370. It also fits 1980 Zephyrs. Mine is swinging a 17" fan that I got from a junkyard Zephyr, too. The whole setup is 2.875" (that's 2-7/8" for you tape-measure types) deep. I have installed a 3-row radiator from a 1980 T-Bird (Fox body), also from NAPA. The clearance in my 'Mont is 1.9" between the face of the fan clutch and the extra-deep radiator: the original radiator was an additional 1/2" thinner, which would have made it 3-3/8" clearance.

Hope this helps.
 
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