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.

[burner31]

Originally Posted by 160B

Here are two photos. The first photo shows where the crack starts on the original two bladed fan. The second one 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.

Is that an aluminum fan?

[160B]

Originally Posted by burner31

Is that an aluminum fan?

NO it is not aluminum. It is an original two bladed steel fan. The aluminum fans are cast aluminum and thus they are solid.

[duke36]

Concur with all about using the alum. fans. Have had them on 5 Model A's since inception.
Just removed an original steel 4 blade with blade hairline crack near the hub obscured by paint. I'd toss them also. I've never tried the plastic multiblades for a modified car.

[burner31]

Originally Posted by 160B

NO it is not aluminum. It is an original two bladed steel fan. The aluminum fans are cast aluminum and thus they are solid.

Very different then mine, mine is a flat stamped blade

[Ray in La Mesa]

In 1964 coming home from college in the Mojave Desert to Big Bear Lake about midnight in my1930 Fordor I heard a loud thump & emmdiate sever vibration. pulled over to look & found one of my four fan blades had disappeared. Couldn't find it in the dark so drove on home, about 5 miles. Next morning I looked again & found the blade sitting on top of the firewall mounted battery, between the terminals, no sparks! Guess I got lucky. In 1973 while driving my 1928 roadster pickup across the U.S. (9,000 miles & 7 weeks. Trip article in Model A News Vol. 20, iss. 6. Photo of p/u & trailer w/ sleigh at 1973 Dearborn meet Vol. 20, iss. 5.) my water pump started leaking antifreeze & pealing paint off the firewall. Pulled into a rest stop to change pump but couldn't get it off w/o pulling the radiator due to the 4 blade fan. I sat there for a while on the gas tank with my feet in the engine compartment contemplating my delimma. I finally decided to bend one blade back and changed the pump. A fellow in the audience said I couldn't do that, little did he know. Used my foot to push the blade back straight and drove 1500 miles home. I replaced the fan when I got home. A bit older & wiser now, I run the new aluminum fans.

[Conaway2]

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A year or so after I bought my first Model A in 1967, the fan blade separated at about 40 mph, and I’ll never forget how badly the engine vibrated after that. Fortunately the blade that separated left the engine compartment without doing any damage. I always inspected fan blades frequently after that, and, after owning a Model A for 52 years, finally installed an aluminum blade last fall. All my original propellers sit on my parts shelf looking pretty cool.

[Karl]

A few years ago I lost a blade on my four blade fan on my 34 Fordor .Goodness knows where it went but somehow exited the engine bay without punching a hole in anything. I was travelling at about 60 mph. The vibration lasted for about 10 seconds and then the inlet manifold cracked and dropped the generator and what was left of the fan into the radiator . Lots of water lots of steam and a ride home on a tow truck! On the fan I run now I've braised all the joints on it to hopefully stop a repeat.

On the A I've run an aluminium fan for 10 years -Karl

[SSsssteamer]

Originally Posted by 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.

I lost a fan blade in '68 also. I will never forget it. It not only ruined my radiator, but the out of balance fan also tore the water pump off of the block too. Sounded like a shot gun going off as the fan blade also went through my hood. I have had no broken blades since. I now know what to look for.

[2935ford]

Just did that with an aluminum blade.

[oak29]

I had the fan blade shear and rip into the rad on my '28 Phaeton recently; rad recored and up and going again. I've had to use a new 2 blade fan as a replacement but don't want to leave long term. Usual stockists are out of stock of the 2 blade aluminium type.

Any ideas where I can get a reputable new aluminium one from? (I live in UK but can get stuff shipped via my son who lives in NYC).

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by oak29

I had the fan blade shear and rip into the rad on my '28 Phaeton recently; rad recored and up and going again. I've had to use a new 2 blade fan as a replacement but don't want to leave long term. Usual stockists are out of stock of the 2 blade aluminium type.

Any ideas where I can get a reputable new aluminium one from? (I live in UK but can get stuff shipped via my son who lives in NYC).

Berts: www.modelastore.com/

Snyders: www.snydersantiqueauto.com/

[Randy in ca]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Berts: www.modelastore.com/

Snyders: www.snydersantiqueauto.com/

-
Both of those plus everywhere else I've checked they're currently out of stock

[TomInCologne]

...out of stock since the four fan-related threads in this forum were opened?

[mercman from oz]

Apparently, these Fan Blades come adrift more often that you might think.
This one happened on the Model A Run in New Zealand this year.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Randy in ca

-
Both of those plus everywhere else I've checked they're currently out of stock

In a July 12th email that Don Snyder sent, he said that he had received confirmation on the 11th that fans were due in 2 weeks. The math would indicate that they should be there now, -or very soon.

[oak29]

Just to wrap this up, Synders have now got in a new stock of fans (they told me 1,000!). I've just received delivery of mine from them and will fit it when I drain the system down to replace anti-freeze for winter. Thanks for the useful advice.

[[email protected]]

My 2 blade original fan came apart last week, dented the hood and I found the blade on top of the throttle linkage , I replace it with a new cast aluminum blade new water pump, belt, upper radiator hose was cut and leaking and the crank pulley was warped also, The original blade showed no signs of cracking prior so just an FYI change out the old blades out of precaution as someone could have been hurt or killed,
Peter