[72cat]

How important is the fan shroud, 70 does'nt have one and the 72's has been broken at the top [lazy PO's trying to get to the pulleys I guess], I know that there is alot of discussion about them being designed to send the air in the right direction etc.
From the safety point of view I know that having one is way better than a couple of sliced or lost fingers, but from the cooling point of view? And if I should have to get one, what other Fords have similar ones, or what alternative ones can I get, bearing in mind that I live on another continent. Do all 351C's have the same size radiator?

 

[TheRktmn]

The shroud makes the fan more effecient by forcing it to draw air through the radiator instead of from around the fan (least resistance). It is not as important when going down the road - same as the fan isn't that important.
Too bad you didn't mention it earlier - I just gave away (shipping only) my old shroud....

 

[72cat]

Damn, thats the story of my life. So what you are saying is that I should not go mad trying to find one?

 

[cougarguy]

I suggest you try and have one made there not that hard to do even for the moderate mechanic to fabricate but most shops that fabricate metal will be able to make one for you without much cost and do it out of metal which means......Yes it can be chromed! and it will hold up way more than any plastic one. as to your question yes they are important especially with a/c in desert or hot climates it can lower 5 to 10 degrees in some cases (but plan on the 5 ) but that isnt as important as the dissipitaion of radiant heat as it cools down the radiator much faster than without it.

 

[conv cat]

J. C. Whitney makes a "universal" fan shroud that's chromed. It attaches through the radiator, and bends into shape easily.

My '70 was missing the shroud when I bought it, so used the J. C. Whitney one temporarily...it worked fine, and looked pretty good, too!

 

[droptopcat70]

if you go w/ a shroud, make sure you use a 7 blade clutch fan setup. At 1st i didnt believe that they were efficiant enough but i was wrong they work great n gain a few HP as well. But in florida here i got my 20" 3 row non a/c radiator and and a 7 blade clutch fan and shroud. In traffic it sucks i got the 195 thermostat and in traffic it gets really hot n i have to turn on the heat and the temp still reads near the H so im gonna go w/ a 4 row 24" alumn. radiator w/ 2 electric fans. But i think the time to tear the vert down is upon me again. This time i am going to strip it to nothing n restore it from the ground up
thanks
pat

 

[TallCowboy0614]

I am a FIRM believer in the shroud...I used to have a 2-row without a shroud (but with a 7-blade clutch fan) and heated up regularly - then after a boilover while cruisin' Reno in HAN (I can abide any pain from a machine EXCEPT a boilover!!!) I got a 20" 4-row, put on the shroud, and (after finding a SHORT clutch at NAPA) it started suckin' air and COOLING!!!

I have never even hit "H" again since - and that is in the desert, idling in Vegas AND/OR Reno, and as a driver in L.A.

Now, if I hadn't bent my damn 7-blade, I'd STILL be runnin' with that setup (anyone know where I can get a good, non-bent or NOS 7-blade?) - now I have the shroud and a flex fan (but still tappin' and shreddin' the shroud - @#$%$*&#!! - but that's another rant - no, really, it is - go look! *L*).

I say be safe, shroud it. (hey, that could be a condom advert!)

 

[72cat]

Thanks guys, I think I will go and see if someone can make one up in metal and get it chromed, will go really well with my RED engine

BTW I have a 4 blade fan, have'nt noticed her overheating but there again the temp guage may not work properly......
When you say 4 row or 2 row radiator, how do you tell, vertical rows or horizontal??

 

[swamper]

thickness of radiator core, some are only 2 rows thick- a 3 row should be adequate. The shroud also has to match the width of the radiator in your car. The 70 could have a 20" or 24". The wider the radiator the more cooling surface available. Adding more rows is an other way to add surface area for cooling.

 

[cougarshaman]

chillin'

the radiator shroud is a good idea. But don't get stuck on a chrome piece. If you work with fiberglass at all, or have ever even heard of fiberglass you can make a dandy shroud from junkyard parts.
Junkyards tend to give shrouds away, and a lot of old GM and Ford products have big awesome shrouds that create wind tunnels.
You can cut an 8 inch tunnel to envelope the fan and mate it to a base that fits your radiator size. It's not very difficult, and then you add a little bondo to smooth it out and wham-o a one off shroud.
I recommend a clutch fan too. Vicious drive fans are a thing of the past. Gimme better technology any day.
luck

 

[MeanMerc68]

Shrouds do work but I think electric fan setups work better. Your normal fan setups makes you lose horsepower. Its not that much, but you are losing horsepower and I was not brought onto this Earth to lose horsepower, hahah. I will be using electric fan setups on my car and truck soon. They are relatively cheap to get and you can buy kits from all the automotive companies like JC whitney or Auto parts stores. But thats just my opinion on electric fans. All the new cars have them so might as well go with the flow. Good luck on whatever you decide on. Later!!