What SPAL Fan are you running?

[Large Arbor]

I am looking to get a little more air movement and have the standard SPAL fan with the straight blades. Am curious to know if any of you folks are running the curved blade version which pushes about an extra 200 cfm.

Phil

[DanEC]

Is that the HD fan that ERA provides optionally? I have the HD fan but don't recall if it has straight or curved blades - I can't see with it mounted. It's a SPAL 86A unit. Works fine but I don't really have anything to compare it to and my engine is probably not as demanding as some are.

[Large Arbor]

I think I have the standard SPAL AP 70 fan which I think is the standard. The heavy duty fan (SPAL AP71) pulls about 200 more cfm. In 90 degrees and in traffic I might get to 200 degrees and would like to have just a little more air flow for insurance. The aluminum cools fast once I get moving and I generally stay right at 180. I am thinking another 200 cfm will be perfect.

Phil

[rodneym]

Large Arbor,
I don't think you'll notice any difference with only 200 more cfm. It took me an extra 1000 to notice a few degrees.
I assume you're talking about the 16" fans. There's different profiles. The more room you have to work with, the more power you can get. It'll take a bit of researching the Spal website to figure it all out. If I remember correctly, the straight blades do more work (in a like motor) than curved blades, but the curved are quieter (no problem there!).
I think the only curved fan than sucks more air than straight might be a curved "paddle" fan, and that one (I think) is a higher profile. That was not an option for my setup but I'm sure you have more room.
Make sure you're comparing like fans to decipher which is "best" and of course what you can fit. I use the H.O. 16" fan which doesn't have a warranty. It's low profile but moves ALOT of air for it's size. The lack of warranty was a bummer but I still trust a non-warranted Spal over any other.

[kanuck]

This is the one you want.

SPAL 30102113 | Buy SPAL Extreme Performance Electric Fans at JEGS

Dean

[CJ428CJ]

I switched from the standard Spal fan to the HD Spal fan from ERA but that was about 10 years ago. They mount a bit differently so if you decide to go that route, be sure to order it through ERA so you can get the different mounting brackets that you'll need.

My car still runs slightly warmer than I would like. At speed it's fine (180) but on very hot 95+ degree day while sitting in traffic, the temps will climb 210-220. I think the biggest improvement would come from a full fan shroud. I wish ERA offered one.

Chris

[Karl Bebout]

Kanuck, I'd stay away from the fan you recommrnded, except in an all out race car that doesn't run more than an hour at a time. The description in the Jegs link warns against using it in wet or dusty conditions and for any more than 60 minutes at a stretch. Several of the cars out here in our toasty desert have gone to the two stage Ford fans that came on Lincolns and some full sized Fords. One caution is that it will require TWO relays since it pulls a bunch of amperage when it kicks into killer mode.

[patrickt]

The ERA heavy duty fan is a SPAL 30102120, and is the one I have. It is mucho goodo. It moves 1918 CFM in puller mode.

[Joe's Garage]

I went with CFR Performance -
16" HIGH PERFORMANCE SILVER ELECTRIC RADIATOR COOLING FAN - CURVED BLADE

Amazon has it for $70, only 4 left at the time of this posting.

[philminotti]

The fan kanuck recommended works well. I retrofitted it on my Kirkham and was rewarded with improved temps. Cobras aren't run in dusty conditions (unless you're dumb), and I've had mine running for several hours at a time. Nice fan.

[40k Later]

The Spal Extreme performance 16" fan that Kanuck speaks of is the way to go. Comes with the disclaimer for extended use and not sealed but I have put 2100 miles on mine in the past 3 months. Remember unless you are in stop and go traffic for a few hours straight, which is unheard of the fan isn't running the entire time anyhow, also can't say I drive my car in the rain or dust. This fan is the only one to cool my car here in AZ. Ebay has a great deal on it. Pretty quiet too.

]Spal Fan and Shroud - Club Cobra Photo Gallery[/url]

[kanuck]

]Spal Fan and Shroud - Club Cobra Photo Gallery[/url]

Who made the shroud, nice work.

Dean

PS: I would not be surprised if that thing pulled the car forward when in neutral.LOL

[philminotti]

It's ironic this topic just came up. I have almost 3K miles on my Spal extreme duty fan and I just lost the relay yesterday. I use a 30A fuse and a 40A Beuler relay. The fuse didn't blow, but the relay sh*t the bed. Interesting. Replaced it and all is good.

[DanEC]

Changed the oil in my ERA and got a look at the HD Fan from underneath. It's straight blade.

[rodneym]

Don't let the lack of a warranty scare you. Even this model will outlast Spal's warranty period by far. Never even heard of a failure besides, this is one of the only "I have no options left" fans.

[eschaider]

You should look into a Lincoln MK VIII fan from a late 90's car. On low speed they move ~3,500 CFM. On high they move 5,000+ CFM.

Only draw back is you have to keep kids and small dogs away from the front of the car. Salvage yards part with them very inexpensively. Mine was $25.


Ed

[40k Later]

The shroud and triple pass radiator pictured are both from Northern. Only combination to work with my 460, I've had dual 11 Spal fans, Zirgo (Advertised) 3000 CFM which was a joke, Griffin racing radiator, Hayden 16" fan. All of it was a waste of time, the Spal Extreme is a game changer.