BBC, Griffin Radiator, Dual Spal 11's - Making it work..

[Wildthing]

So. I have a 68 Camaro with a 427 BBC. A Griffin Radiator from Summit. A 'Home-made' Serpentine setup in which I adapted a 3rd Gen SBC serpentine system to work on a big block. (about 3.75" clearance between radiator and PS pump/water pump)... and a 'Long' water pump...

...off with the mechanical flex fan...time to move to electric...

No way a (first choice) Mark VIII or (Second Choice) Flexalite 'Black Magic' 17" fan was going to work on clearance due to water pump. I thought maybe on the (Third choice) Spal Dual 11" fans had a chance but clearance issues with the PS pump.

I bought this fan:
http://www.partsandpeople.com/article/1981

First, I cut the brackets off the radiator (for some reason the Griffin Radiator is about a 1/2" away from the radiator support wall) and moved it to the radiator support...still not enough room. Shifted the radiator 1.5" to the passenger side of the vehicle before I could get it to fit (My battery is in the trunk) with the fans mocked up.

Mounting the Spal's to the Radiator took some fab work. First they stood way off the radiator when centered and set on top leaving a substantial air gap top and bottom. I found some scrap Aluminum 'C' channel and ground out the ends until they nestled down over the end tanks of the radiator. This left the bottom of the 'C's a credit card thickness from the radiator fins. I then 'dropped' one end of the fan shroud off the tank so that it set next to the beginning of the fins. The other end I trimmed the end-plastic of the shroud until it set flush against the 'C' channel mounting points.

I used SS allen head screws I had laying around to attach the Fans to the 'C' channel. Not enough room for threads so I welded (TIG)aluminum blocks into the C channel below where I tapped threads for the SS allen screws. Welded and mounted (See pictures).

I bought this HD wiring harness for the electric fans off EBAY and it ROCKS! (I haven't installed it yet but it looks well made using Metripak connectors and everything, instructions are good.).
http://stores.ebay.com/Entropy-Technology-Corporation

Next step: Cut section from radiator support wall so entire radiator surface exposed (Since the rad. is shifted). Install radiator. Install wiring harness. I'll post pictures once it gets installed. There is not-a-lotta-space left...

[1969CamaroRS]

Another thing you might consider is loosening your front sub-frame to body mounts and pulling your sub-frame out as far as it will go then tightening everything back up. It might get you a bit more space, and if you are really close it might be enough to get your needed clearance.

[Denvervet]

Great job fabricating. I may cheat and use your idea a make one up for myself. I got a nice used Be Cool radiator but need a fan setup and hadn't bitten on one of their high$ setups. Can't wait to hear how well it cools too.

[Wildthing]

Here are some pictures of the physical install. I am uncomfortable with how close the fan is to the power steering. Under high load if my engine jumps more than an inch the front of the power steering will touch the back of one of the fans (Depending on how much the engine rotates as it rises).

I slotted the brackets on the radiator to get it to move more to the passenger side. I can probably slide it an 1/8" more...which might make all the difference in the world because of the engine rotation (ie the engine would have to rise a lot more because the rotation is what it would need to get into the back of the fan). Somebody tell me SPAL builds in a 1/4" gap on the motor housings (between the can and the motor coils)...

Here's pics...

[Wildthing]

Another thing you might consider is loosening your front sub-frame to body mounts and pulling your sub-frame out as far as it will go then tightening everything back up. It might get you a bit more space, and if you are really close it might be enough to get your needed clearance.

I would have to move the Radiator Support in relation to the engine. That may be a possibility if I cannot find another way to make this work...

At this point...I am thinking I will assemble it and see what happens... I think the motor has to move an inch (clearance) or so before the pulley hits the back of the fan motor. It is kind of a guess because I am trying to factor in the amount of rotation (and the center of rotation)

[Wildthing]

I realized the radiator wasn't as far over as I thought it should go so after some checking I realized there was a little web at the bottom of the radiator support that was stopping the radiator. ...cut it out. That got the radiator moved another 1/2". At this point, looking straight down on the engine/fan combo there is about a 1/4" of daylight between the fan motor and the PS pulley.

My calculations are that if the engine jumps 1.5" vertically then it will move horizontally 0.1" (Based on 12" radius of rotation, and assuming center of rotation position). No Problem, still have .15" of clearance.

All that's left is to wire it and fire it.