Clutch fan question.

[rvrtrash]

I've been seeing people advertise 68 Mustang clutch fans and started wondering. My car has air cond. but had a standard fan blade and spacer in the box of parts I got with the car. I thought the clutch fans were normally used on air cond. cars but am not sure. Anyone know for sure what application the clutch fan was used for?
Steve

 

[Russ]

Steve,
I don't know what engine you have in your Mustang, but if it is a 289 or a 302 , there is no clutch on the fan. The fan is a flex fan with a long spacer that puts the fan blades about one inch from the radiator. The radiator is a 24 inch type with a shroud. Hope this helps.

Russ

 

[hookedtrout]

Should the 289's have the fan shroud? I don't remember mine having a shroud? Guess I better go look and make sure maybe it does and I just don't remember it.

Hook

 

[68gt390]

[quote author=Russ link=board=1;threadid=1561;start=0#msg9402 date=1113161743]
Steve,
I don't know what engine you have in your Mustang, but if it is a 289 or a 302 , there is no clutch on the fan. The fan is a flex fan with a long spacer that puts the fan blades about one inch from the radiator. The radiator is a 24 inch type with a shroud. Hope this helps.

Russ
[/quote]

Hook;
Russ is right online. The Fan clutch was used on the big block cars. Your small block should have a fan shroud. This just helps the fan pull air a little better and helps channel it where it needs to go.

Don

 

[68MustangHCS]

[quote author=68gt390 link=board=1;threadid=1561;start=0#msg9407 date=1113173552]
[quote author=Russ link=board=1;threadid=1561;start=0#msg9402 date=1113161743]
Steve,
I don't know what engine you have in your Mustang, but if it is a 289 or a 302 , there is no clutch on the fan. The fan is a flex fan with a long spacer that puts the fan blades about one inch from the radiator. The radiator is a 24 inch type with a shroud. Hope this helps.

Russ
[/quote]

Hook;
Russ is right online. The Fan clutch was used on the big block cars. Your small block should have a fan shroud. This just helps the fan pull air a little better and helps channel it where it needs to go.

Don
[/quote]

Russ and Steve,

I have a dealer installed aftermarket A/C system in my mustang similar to the one in the gallery.

My fan is a 5 blade flex fan.

My radiator is 20" with a York compressor.

Do you know if the radiator should be the 24" radiator?

Should I have a bracket on top of my A/C compressor?

I have a 289 in my mustang.

You can view my car at the following link, click on the picture of the engine compartment. You can see my radiator and York compressor.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/806332

 

[hookedtrout]

Looking at Stephens 289 it doesn't have a shroud either. Is the shroud a factory thing or a good idea to add on? I've never had any problems with mine overheating?

Hook

 

[68MustangHCS]

[quote author=hookedtrout link=board=1;threadid=1561;start=0#msg9410 date=1113178527]
Looking at Stephens 289 it doesn't have a shroud either. Is the shroud a factory thing or a good idea to add on? I've never had any problems with mine overheating?

Hook
[/quote]

Mine doesn't overheat with the 20 inch fan. I am going to put a shroud on mine, but I wanted to know if I should have the 24" radiator. It may have been tossed at one time by the previous owner. I don't have the heater tube either that runs off the aircleaner duct and goes over the manifold. That seems to be missing.

 

[68gt390]

[quote author=hookedtrout link=board=1;threadid=1561;start=0#msg9410 date=1113178527]
Looking at Stephens 289 it doesn't have a shroud either. Is the shroud a factory thing or a good idea to add on? I've never had any problems with mine overheating?

Hook
[/quote]

Hook;
The fan shroud was factory installed. Some cars will work fine without them. It basically helps the fan create a vacume type effect to pull more air directly through the center of the radiator. I ran my big block that way until I started pumping up the HP. After that it started to overheat. I replaced the fam shroud and solved the problem.

Don

 

[rvrtrash]

First, thanks for all the great info. I love this site! My car, a 302, does have a flex fan, long spacer and fan shroud, so I guess I'm ok, as far as the car goes anyway. Second, I do have a bracket that goes to the top of the air cond. compressor, but it also mounts to the inboard side of the comp. and the top of the water pump, and the idler pulley mounts to it. I'm attaching a picture to show what it looks like (No belt yet because I haven't put new oil in the comp. and charged it yet).

 

[Russ]

Interestingly, there were two types of A/C compressor brackets in '68 on small block V-8's. The earlier style was a cast steel arrangement that bolted to the side of the compressor. This style required a tubular stabilizer/brace that ran from the top of the compressor to a mount on the intake manifold behind the carburetor.

The second type of compressor mount was a heavy pressed steel bracket that bolted to the top of the compressor. This mount was cheaper and more rigid than the earlier style and did not require the tubular brace.

Also, there are two styles of shroud for the 24 inch radiator. The 24 inch radiator was standard on factory A/C small block cars.

Ford didn't make restoring our '68 Mustangs very easy, as they seemed to change many things right in the middle of the year. It just makes things interesting...........

Russ

 

[390cs68rcode]

The second type of compressor mount was a heavy pressed steel bracket that bolted to the top of the compressor. This mount was cheaper and more rigid than the earlier style and did not require the tubular brace.

I am pretty sure I have both top mount brace and tubular brace.

 

[68sunlitgold]

68MustangHCS,
Since your car has "dealer" installed A/C, all the dealer did was add in the A/C and use the radiator already on your car, which is the 20" without a shroud. So it is correct for dealer added A/C.
As has been discussed, if you are having overheating problems, I would go to the 24" radiator and add the shroud. If not, leave it as it came from the dealer.

Doug

 

[68MustangHCS]

[quote author=68sunlitgold link=board=1;threadid=1561;start=0#msg9440 date=1113259607]
68MustangHCS,
Since your car has "dealer" installed A/C, all the dealer did was add in the A/C and use the radiator already on your car, which is the 20" without a shroud. So it is correct for dealer added A/C.

Doug
[/quote]

Why would they discard the shroud though? My car is a "Stock" model, so the dealer ordered it, and later put A/C in, used the original radiator, and discarded the shroud. hmm...I wonder why? I also wonder why My York A/C compressor doesn't have a bracket on top like the factory A/C's?

 

[Russ]

[quote author=Russ link=board=1;threadid=1561;start=0#msg9427 date=1113228845]
Interestingly, there were two types of A/C compressor brackets in '68 on small block V-8's. The earlier style was a cast steel arrangement that bolted to the side of the compressor. This style required a tubular stabilizer/brace that ran from the top of the compressor to a mount on the intake manifold behind the carburetor.

Russ
[/quote]

 

[68sunlitgold]

68MustangHCS,
As is in another post, a 289 I believe did not come with a shroud, there would be no need for it. Therefore they did not discard it, it never had one.

Doug