DeTomaso Mailing List: August 2000, Message #41

Last week I ordered and received my new (front mount) A/C condenser and a
pair of puller fans from of the custom A/C outfits. In the catalog, the fan
looked good and had a good CFM rating 1390 cfm for a 12" fan. This is the
largest size you can fit two of, and 1390 is about the highest cfm rating
I'd seen. To get that kind of flow you need a 10 to 12 amp motor. I asked
what the amp rating was and they said they didn't know. Well, OK just send
them. I got them and they are stamped 80 Watts = 6.2 amps at 13 volts, and
they measured about 5 amps at 12.2 V. These aren't going to do, especially
with the A/C up front.

Time for some research. Previously I'd heard good things about Spal,
flex-a-lite (I'd put a single 16" Black Magic that flowed 2900 cfm on just
before I started my restoration and it worked great), Hayden, and I had a
Mr. Gasket 9" that seemed well made. I was open to other ideas too, but was
leaning toward a name brand after getting burned (I can return them though)
on the no-name fans I'd just got. I also wanted to stay away from full
radiator fan shrouds as they restrict high speed flow in an attempt to
improve low/no speed cooling. With my 4.6L Cobra engine and Wilkinson's
Fluidyne Aluminum radiator and good fans, I don't think low speed will be a
problem. And I'd heard rumors that some had had high speed overheating with
the full shrouded radiators.

Lots of mousing around.... Let me tell you folks, there are lots of fans
out there, but not too many high performance 12", not much real (credible)
data, and some are hard to get (at a reasonable price). Initially, the Spal
looked good, but I thought it was way too expensive ($150 + for a single
12"). But I kept reading good things about them. An they had the most
complete technical data I'd seen, complete with drawings and flow vs back
pressure plots. They are made in Italy (but don't hold that against them :)).

See: http://www.spal-usa.com/html/ampfans.htm (click on the "download"
links on the right to see the detailed specs and drawings). The 12" High
performance curved blades (# 30100439) looked pretty good. BTW, curved
blades are less efficient but quieter than straight blades, all else being
equal. With this fan, Spal makes up for it by giving it about 3 more amps
than the straight blade version.

Then I saw this post on a rod forum:

http://cybercruzin.com/cruzin/Rodders/RoundTable/Read/62069.shtml. A good
discussion of fan construction and durability. The only recommended brand
was Spal.

So, now to find some Spals at a reasonable price. Best price I found was
$111.71 at
http://www.racesearch.com
http://www.racesearch.com/CGI/Search?part_number=30100439&action2=Search&go.x=12&go.y=13

This is for the 12" curved blade # 30100439. It's rated at 1360 cfm at 13.6
amps. They are in CA (tax for me) but are offering free shipping in July.
They also have the 30101504 straight 12" (med-perf at 1230 cfm) for $89.35.
 Spal also makes a 12" straight high perf #30100176 rated at 1630 cfm, but
the outer shroud is 13" and looked like it would have to be trimmed to fit
and it is also deeper. Probably would sound like a tornado too unless you
used it with the Veriflow http://www.psm1.com/ that I mentioned last week.
Also, the good price is not available on it (the above prices appear to be
directly from Spal-usa) and it is $193 from C&R Racing (through racesearch).

Well, that's about it. If you order today or tomorrow, you get free shipping.

Richard Barkley