Installed a flex fan

[Archangel]

Didn't a lot of older cars come with no fan shroud?

Yeah, but a lot of old cars also had overheating problems, especially with the A/C on (if so equipped) and standing in still traffic.

[Blaze86Vic]

Cars well into the 30s had fan shrouds.

[Tiggie]

Fan shrouds didn't really start becoming standard equipment until the '70's on the typical American car. Notice that this is also the time cars started coming standard with A/C, P/S, and Emissions crap (with 195+ degree thermostats), all making it harder to cool the engine during idling in traffic. To save weight and money, the one-row radiator became standard, further complicating the problem.

In the '60's, you sometimes got one if you ordered air conditioning. Otherwise, usually not. You just got a steel 4-blade solidly mounted (no clutch). This setup works well for the stock engine, without smog and without power assessories and air condition. As Blaze mentioned, it blows air all around the engine bay. Since it's solidly mounted, it blows all the time and since the atomosphere is open in the engine compartment, air moves around freely and things stay cool.

With a 160 degree thermostat, our '64 F-250 with a 390 never goes over 170 even sitting in traffic. And before you say that's because it has a heavy duty radiator, think again. It came with a 292 and has a pretty small radiator.

So Dave if ya wanna take off all your A/c, power steering and such, upgrade to a 4-core radiator, put in a cold thermostat, and solidly mount your steel fan, you can leave your fan shroud off. Otherwise, reinstall the clutch fan and shroud. Either way, ditch the flexer!

[turbo2256b]

Fan shrouds help most at low speeds and idle. On the hiway they actually get in the way so to speak. With a good cooling system they are not that necessary. Border line systems like OEM it woud not be good to remove them.

[Dave84]

yea mine seems to be doing fine without it actualy,, but ill probley put it back on

[OVERKILL]

Flex fans are awful. You don't really gain any power from them (they are spinning all the time, locked to the water pump) and they, as mentioned above, have a much higher risk of failure. They used to be popular in SOME racing circles, but have been replaced by FAR more efficient electric units.

If you are trying to pick up power, an Electric fan conversion is the best route to go. You then have NOTHING on the end of your water pump spinning......... And the fan only runs when it has to.

[davewaugh]

When I changed my water pump, I cut a section out of the bottom of my shroud so it could slip out (with some flexing) around the fan. I just made sure to leave both tabs to hold it in at the bottom.