Fan blade hitting distriblutor bale wire

[Displayman]

We have a 1947 Mercury Convertible with a stock 59ab flat head engine.
Out fan blades are "tinging" against the wire bale which holds the distributor cap to the base. Is there an easy way to move the fan blade
forward 1/8". I have plenty of room between blades and radiator.
There is a single bolt which appears to be thru the shaft. Could this be loosened and the fan assembly moved foward?
I am looking for suggestions from somebody who might have also had this problem.

Thanks in advance.
Bob-Hampshire, Ill.

[Displayman]

Thanks for your input.

Bob

[Bluebell]

Firstly, I have no hands on experience on this problem.
That said, something must be wrong. Is everything standard,
To me, bending the fan blades fron a flat plane is not a good idea.
In use under revs they will try to flatten out. This means every time the revs climb and drop, the blades are bending. This must at some stage lead to fatigue, and eventual failure.
Comments anyone?

[elwood]

yea, somethings wrong, ford didnt build it that way..

[BILL WZOREK]

Question>>>> Have you run this car before & this is some thing that just started /or is it some thing that you put together & this has been there sense the get go ??

[Ian NZ]

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On our 1947 V8 coupe there is about 5/16" to 3/8 clearance between the wire clip and the fan blades, there must be something wrong with your set up.
Do not bend the fan blades.

[koates]

What dist. do you have fitted ? Maybe incorrect dist. or fan fitted for your model. Post some photos. Regards, Kevin.

[rotorwrench]

If it is all stock, you might have a worn journal bearing in the fan. This stuff is reproduced in decent quality and can be replaced. I track and balance rotors of all types on the helicopters and can tell you with certainty that any displacement of the fan blades can put the fan out of track and cause a vibration. Vibrations lead to premature wear and sometimes failure. Take a good look at the fan to see if it isn't already bent or deformed to any extent.

[Displayman]

This car has always had a slight tinging since we bought it
8 years ago. The blades used to barely hit the dual horns until I tightened
up their mounted bolts. I can adjust the wire bale and it will stop for a time.
According to the greenbook I have the correct distributor and cap for a 47 Merc.
I loosened both shaft mounting bolts, hopeing to be able to move the fan towards the radiator, couldn't budge it. I didn't want to pry too hard in fear of damaging the
center hub and pulley area.

[Mart]

Would it be possible to carefully bend the blades away? just 1/8" should do it as the fan will pull forward at higher revs. It might be that just one blade is hitting after being bent back accidentally before. Do all the blades show signs of touching?

Would conversion to an earlier style crab cap do the trick? (I'm not sure if the crab cap is flatter than the rabbits ears type).

Mart.

[rotorwrench]

The crab is closer to the block than that big thing with the ears but it isn't quite as water resistant as the rabbit ear type. A guy might pull the fan belt and rotate the fan with a straight edge or other fixture mounted close to the blades to see if one blade is closer than the others. You can also see if there is excessive end play or radial play in the journals.

[Lawson Cox]

I am more familiar with the earlier cars/trucks where there are different hub links. You could check and see if there is a model with a longer hub, or, can you build a spacer to put between the fan and the pulley?

[19Fordy]

I can still see the welded in "slits" in my hood after a 1950 Ford pickup truck steel fan blade fatiqued and went thru the hood. Pretty scary as I was standing right beside the pass side fender when it broke. That was in 1970.

[38 Ford Guy]

If this is the fan independent of the Generator I have removed both bolts that hold the shaft in place and pull the shaft out of the holder. Then grind the "groove" in the direction you need to move it and put a weld on the other end...dress it up and reinstall. Not sure how much your belt lines up now but this will affect this as well.

[ken ct]

I would convert to a crab cap and gain some room. OMO. ken ct.

[Mike B]

Is this fan mounted on the generator?
I wonder if someone used a smaller than normal belt?

[Displayman]

Thanks for all the replies.
Gives me plenty of food for thought.

Bob-Hampshire, Ill.

[Displayman]

Update: I just put a new fan belt on the Merc., and it is still pinging.

Thanks,
Bob Hampshire,Illinois

[51 MERC-CT]

New fan belt won't make any difference.
Put a straight edge across the front of one of the pulleys (fan or crank)
Line up with opposing pulley. Should line up and will be an indication of any anomalies.

[Mart]

Is there a lot of play or wobble on the fan hub? If there is, that may be the problem. The tension of the belt pulls the fan down.

If there is little or no play, if it were me I would have carefully bent the blades out of the way by now.

Mart,