DeTomaso Mailing List: August 2000, Message #49

Just out of curiosity, Richard, why didn't you just get the Spal fans from
Wilkinson?  Doesn't he sell the whole setup?
----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Barkley <Richard.Barkley@trw.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <detomaso@realbig.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2000 3:53 PM
Subject: Cooling fan (re)search results


> 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
>
>
>