Good time to check your fan blades

[burner31]

If you have the original stamped two blade fan, this may be a good time to check them, just found to massive cracks in two of the bolt holes on the same side, this thing was ready to fly apart.
disaster averted

[GerryAllen]

when you pull it, how about a picture of where exactly the cracks appeared.

Gerry, Birch Bay Wa

[GerryAllen]

When you pull it, how about a picture of where exactly the cracks appeared.

Gerry, Birch Bay Wa

[burner31]

Still having problems with this new computer getting the pictures small enough to attach.
I''l get my Son over here and see if he can figure it out.

[burner31]

I may have figured it out

[burner31]

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[my4dv8]

While ours is a 4 blade v8 fan it looked exactly like burner31 fan. Its been good for the last 11000 miles . I thought the bearing was a little dodgy , which it was then spied the cracks in two blades Tig Welded the cracks and installed new rivets. Peace of mind .

[TerryH]

The warnings have been out for years now.....no one should be using an original fan and just inspecting it once in awhile to see if it is still ok. Why take the risk?

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by TerryH

The warnings have been out for years now.....no one should be using an original fan and just inspecting it once in awhile to see if it is still ok. Why take the risk?

I agree with that completely. When I got my Phaeton, I knew almost nothing of Model As including this issue. The water pump started leaking badly enough that new packing didn't do the job so I put a new one together. When I took the fan off the old one, I could see where it had cracked, been brazed up and cracked again but I couldn't see the worst cracks when the fan belt was on.. I shuddered and when my hand was again steady enough to do it, I put a new aluminium one on. Now, decades and many tens of thousands of miles later, I still think of this as my lucky escape and the best investment I have made.

[Sunnybrook Farm]

I have my original propeller sitting on the work bench, it is a beautiful fan but I am running 3 four blades and a new aluminum propeller. I see that I need to check the four blades. I drove an original across 3 states when I was a kid for a guy, someone had sawed the ends off of a steel propeller fan for some unknown reason but it held together, I don't know what I was thinking other than the guy had a babe daughter.

[GerryAllen]

Thanks a picture is worth a thousand words

[Tacoma Bob]

I have mentioned this for a long time. My first Model "A" fan flew apart back in 1968. That's 52 years ago. Go ahead and live dangerously.

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Originally Posted by Sunnybrook Farm

I have my original propeller sitting on the work bench, it is a beautiful fan but I am running 3 four blades and a new aluminum propeller. I see that I need to check the four blades. I drove an original across 3 states when I was a kid for a guy, someone had sawed the ends off of a steel propeller fan for some unknown reason but it held together, I don't know what I was thinking other than the guy had a babe daughter.

A engineer,Russell Babke(spl), in the Seattle club, who wrote several articles in the 70’sor 80’s, for mafca and I think skinned knuckles, did a data study on fan blades. He cut them down to change the harmonics ect. I’m sure you could find his article somewhere. Possible this was done because of the articles, maybe just because one cracked and the P.O. of your car was just balancing it? Who knows

[160B]

Here are two photos. The first photo shows where the crack starts on the original two bladed fan. The second photo shows the damage done to the cast iron water pump casting. I do not have photos of the damage done to the radiator and the hood.

[old31]

Burner, good find. You possibly avoided a lot of damage to the car and wallet.

[Neil Mylar LakewoodCA]

About 30-40 years ago, I drove by a house in Long Beach, California, on a Saturday morning. A guy was working on his unrestored 1929 standard coupe, in his driveway. There was a big bulge in one side of his hood. It looked like an axe blade had come up into the hood. He told me that the fan had come apart several years before, when he was driving. He felt very fortunate that it hadn't happened when he had the hood open. He left the bulge in the hood as a reminder of how lucky he was. I wish I would of had a camera with me. This was way before cell phones with cameras became popular.

[Sunnybrook Farm]

Originally Posted by Neil Mylar LakewoodCA

About 30-40 years ago, I drove by a house in Long Beach, California, on a Saturday morning. A guy was working on his unrestored 1929 standard coupe, in his driveway. There was a big bulge in one side of his hood. It looked like an axe blade had come up into the hood. He told me that the fan had come apart several years before, when he was driving. He felt very fortunate that it hadn't happened when he had the hood open. He left the bulge in the hood as a reminder of how lucky he was. I wish I would of had a camera with me. This was way before cell phones with cameras became popular.

Back in the 70s my uncle lost a blade off of a four blade at highway speed. Shook the whole car and we checked we couldn't find even a scratch on the paint. Somehow that blade got out of the engine compartment without hitting anything, he didn't have splash pans but still they are back a ways from the blades. I never could imagine that one in my mind.

[rocket1]

Still running original 2 blade fan for 45 years,I inspect it often and it is painted with high gloss black.I never stand near it while running with the hood open.

[History]

My original looked great until I had it off, multiple cracks. I'm runnng an aluminum fan now by advice from this bunch.

[Bob Bidonde]

Why would anyone risk running an original fan with a proven crack history? It's a time bomb! Ford knew it was a bad design back when the Model A was new. There is no way anyone can assess the fatigue life already expended on an original fan.