FAN BLADES

[bondobilly]

While removing paint off th e fan from my 56J I found a very tiny crack coming from one of the holes that attaches it to the water pump.

I purchased a 8 rivet fan from Ernie Loga at the National in South Bend, and also discovered I had a chrome fan but this one only has 4 rivets and is half the weight of the normal fans. The chromed one has the same pitch to the blades, the length of each arm is the same, but again it is half the weight. I found a company only three miles from me that does powder coating. So the question. Would using the chrome fan being half the weight cause any issues, or should I have the 8 rivet fan powder coated and use that one.?

BG

[Dwain G.]

At serial 6033140 the factory replaced the 4-rivet, 14 gage metal, fan with the 8-rivet, 15 gage metal, fan because of cracks developing at the rivets on the lighter fan. So I guess I'd toss the lighter fan in the scrap metal bin.

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Dwain G.

[rkapteyn]

I had a blade break off on a 56J that I drove as a beater 40 years ago.
The engine vibrated real bad so i broke off the opposite blade with little effort and made it home.
I also heard that a member was killed by a broken fan blade when he was revving the engine under the hood.
Cracked fan blades are dangerous and you should check yours and replace all 4 rivet fan blades.

[Lark8girl]

No crack is safe, and do not weld.
A "repaired" welded fan blade broke in a service department of a car dealership and it killed a tech. This is not a urban legand. I knew the service mangager who held the tech till he died.

Flexible fan blades are thinner and I have seen several of these with cracks.

husband of Lark VIII girl