05-04-2012, 11:49 AM | #101 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
I'd be glad to buy one. Up to $150-200.
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05-04-2012, 02:50 PM | #102 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
TIDBIT: Shortly after buying my 351 Cleveland powered '72 Mercury Montego, got a recall notice saying something like, YO! your car may have a man eating, dangerous fan! Don't even get near it, bring it in for a new "IMPROVED" FAN BLADE!
FUN THING: I meet new people by pulling off the road & raising the hood & wrinkling my brow. One samaritan asked, "Trouble?"----"No, I was just admiring my new 6 blade plastic fan whirring." He was impressed when I put my elbow to the fan and it just went "brrrrp!" Then he went on wih a loooong story about when he blew a fan!!!!-----(Most of our guys run 6 blade plastic fans & I've never heard of one breaking) Bill W.
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05-04-2012, 03:00 PM | #103 | |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
Quote:
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05-04-2012, 03:01 PM | #104 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
Somehow, this whole thread got by me without me inserting my motivational photos.
Steve Also, FWIW, the repro four-blade jobs are not without their issues. Last edited by steve s; 05-04-2012 at 03:09 PM. |
05-04-2012, 03:16 PM | #105 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
That repop 4 blade fan with the cast hub held together by 4 bolts is another one that flies apart!!! Looks good one minute & flys apart the next .!!!! Lost my rad waterpump and dented the stainless shell on my pickup.
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05-04-2012, 03:25 PM | #106 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
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05-04-2012, 04:06 PM | #107 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
I too would be interested on a repro fan at about $200 that would pass judging w/o deduction.
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05-04-2012, 04:17 PM | #108 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
Very interesting picture of the torn up fan at the hub...NOTICE none of the big build up of rust that most say is the big problen..
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05-04-2012, 04:28 PM | #109 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
I'm happy with my aluminum two blade fans. My cars are all drivers and the aluminum fans look close enough to correct for me.
Just to add to the discussion, the old four blade fans that were used on the 33-34 four cylinder Ford trucks are just as dangerious as the original model A fans. I had one fail on my sept 29 , back in 62. I was driving with the hood off and I was lucky not to be hit by the flying fan blade. It also broke the water pump but that was the only damage. I had another truck four blade fan explode on uncle Albert (AA truck that I had) in 1991, That one damaged the hood and radiator. I had an original two blade fan lose a blade on the coupe in the early seventies. I was running with the hood off and nothing else was damaged. I've been lucky twice not to be hit by a flying fan blade. They say that three is a charm. No more steel fans for my model A's , 2 or 4 blade. Last edited by Purdy Swoft; 05-04-2012 at 04:33 PM. |
05-04-2012, 07:14 PM | #110 | |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
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Interestingly, the fellow who this happened to replaced it with another original! Steve |
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05-04-2012, 07:41 PM | #111 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
Yep, they could have done much better. After all they could have made them to last 160 years instead! Additionally like all the notes permanently affixed to the visor in your modern car, Ford could have imprinted the fan with "DO NOT use the fan to turn over the engine by hand!" That in itself would have improved the life span dramatically!!!
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05-04-2012, 07:47 PM | #112 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
Touche!
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05-04-2012, 07:51 PM | #113 | |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
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Steve |
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05-04-2012, 09:37 PM | #114 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
Looking at the fan & WP shaft,it appears the fan was loose on the shaft & the nut was wearing into the end of the fan hub.Also,having to have a tight belt with the alt doesnt help things either.I like a generator where the belt has to be only tight enough that you cant turn the gen pulley with your fingers.
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05-04-2012, 10:25 PM | #115 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
Point well-taken, Marco. These fans, now 80 years later, technically met their "design life", whatever that was in the designer's mind at the time, given the relatively few miles the cars were driven back then compared to modern cars. But if the cars had been driven anywhere near the number of miles we rack up today, the epidemic of fan failures would have begun in the 1930's instead of 70 or 80 years later. Their fatigue life depends on the number of hours of operatin (cycles) not the number of years gone by. Henry lucked out with the decent service the fans provided over the "average" in-service life of a Model A at the time. He likely did not imagine that A's would still be in use 80+ years into the future - and couldn't have designed for it even if he did know. It would have to have been a trial-and-error testing process, if this fan design was even tested pre-production at all.
These fans had an undefined, "limited life" with safety implications at failure. But this concept wasn't something that auto designers concerned themselves with back then. As an example of a different design philosophy....In aircraft design, flight safety is everything. When a part cannot be designed with "infinite fatigue life", a very conservative analytical prediction must be made of its operational life span. Then, when that time is up, no matter how good the part looks, it must be replaced with a new one. The aviation industry at that time didn't even fully understand designing for fatigue and many people paid with their lives. To install a safety-critical, limited-life part (like this fan) on your car today with no idea of how many hours (cycles) of operation it has on it, is very unwise. Even if you knew the exact number of operational cycles the fan had on it, it would be impossible to predict how much life it has left in it. Oh well...Fun discussion but too deep in the weeds. Bottom line - don't use an original fan on your Model A because you're on borrowed time on a dangerous, life-limited part. |
05-04-2012, 11:27 PM | #116 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
This has been a very informative thread. I sympathize with the high points car owners on this issue.
I have a stock rebuilt early '29 water pump from my car that has maybe 50 miles on it. It has a beautifully painted 2 blade original fan on it. I would sell it for a fair price or do some trading for a flywheel & housing & starter so I can run my spare engine that I'm buying. Pick up at my place only, too much hassle to ship. P.M.me. Bill Williamson
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05-04-2012, 11:52 PM | #117 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
One simple answer would be to allow the fan to be displayed much like the tools are.
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05-05-2012, 12:27 AM | #118 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
Thats a really good solution. If someone hasnt brought this up to the national clubs already, some of the master judges should mention this as an alternative.
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05-05-2012, 12:52 AM | #119 | |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
Quote:
Do not down play or underestimate how much these cars were really used.
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05-05-2012, 12:54 AM | #120 |
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Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll
It's hanging on my pegboard just below my MACHETTE Bill W.
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