Is this possible??

[55coupe]

The 5 blade fans that I've seen and have are very heavy so I never used the one still hanging on the wall. Did yours seam scary heavy like 6-8 lbs? Are they hard on water pump bearings?

[E. Davis]

I think you can still buy 5 blade light weight fiberglass fans. I had one on an overheating International pickup and it worked great.

[studegary]

The 5 blade fans that I've seen and have are very heavy so I never used the one still hanging on the wall. Did yours seam scary heavy like 6-8 lbs? Are they hard on water pump bearings?

Yes, the factory five blade fans are very heavy. I never had water pump problems in all of the years that I owned that car. That car still exists and probably has the same fan. The balance is more important to the water pump bearing life than the absolute weight. Those fans move enough more air that they are worth it even if you have to replace water pumps every ten years. The fiberglass fans are not only lighter, but the blades are much smaller and flex (feather out). They are quieter, but move much less air than the steel units.

[55coupe]

Thanks for the info on 5 blade fans I guess it will just have to go on the car. Summers here in Sacramento can be warm.

[John Brayton]

FWIW, there have been dozens, maybe hundreds of 289"s installed in '53-54 C/Ks and successfully cooled by the OEM radiator, so that, in and of itself is not the problem.

1. Do a search and read up on the water pump problem. There have been rebuilt water pumps sold which didn't have the correct spacing of the impeller on the shaft.
2. Reduced air flow from the A/C condensor installation can cause overheating. If it were my problem, I'd add a large, heavy duty electric fan which had a shroud which covers the entire radiator. I've use the Dodge Viper fan and it will cool just about anything. I've got one new-in-the-box fan left on the shelf. If you're interested, PM me with your radiator dimensions.
3. Do you know from building it yourself that the '62 289" is stock 8.5 compression and has the correct ignition advance? I've seen cars overheat because the timing was retarded.

jack vines

Hi Guys,

Real life has had me running the last few days but wanted to get back to you and the other members on this thread.
Looking into the water pump question today (7/11). The existing one appears to be moving a lot of water but have no way to compare.
I'm also checking the spacing on the ac condenser and have not out-ruled a large fan. Jack, I'll send you a pm on that.
Gary's suggestion of a 5 blade fan would be an easy solution to implement.
The ignition advance is also being pursued, our mechanic suggested we replace the existing distributor with something more modern. I know we've had many threads on replacing and/or rebuilding distributors. Can anyone recommend a current source?

Thanks for all of your ideas and I'll post as I find out more.

Regards,

[Guest]

I have had a lot of experiance with the Flex blade fan and they are junk. A good machanical bleade fan to use is the steel 5 blade fan or the 4 blade fan used on many light trucks in the 70s.
Your problem is most likely airflow or water flow so lets try to figure out wich it is. First of all forget the part about the water going through the radiator to fast that is not going to happen with the modern aluminum radiators. In fact the faster the better to some extent. Thats why you see all of the hot rods running high flow water pumps.
How close is the fan to the radiator? Should be no more than 1"
With the engine cool remove the cap, start the car and watch to coolant flow. When the thermostat opens you should see the water moving rapidly through the radiator.
Make sure the front of the radiator is sealed off to the engine compartment. Make sure the engine is not pulling air from the engine around to the front of the radiator. Seal off the sides and the top. The air around the engine can be 400 deg. If this air is coming around and going through the rad you will not cool the car.
As previously mentioned an electric pull fan and a shroud on the radiator is as good as it gets. If you put a full shroud on the engine side of the rad and a SPAL 16" high performance electric fan you will move enough air to cool very high HP engines. you can get the fan at www.prchotrod.com or call us to pick our brain for more things to try to resolve this issue.

[John Brayton]

Hi All,

Moved the AC condenser closer to the radiator today. Vintage air recommends no more than a 3/16" space and we had 5/8". Also began looking for a "new" distributor as ours is worn and wont hold a setting. Went to NAPA and their distributor books referred to the 62 Studebaker as a 283????? Hope to find and install a distributor by the end of the week and see what help these two "adjustments" have made. Any help on the distributor is welcome!

Regards,

[55coupe]

John if your haveing a hard time finding a distributor call Frank Smith in Napa. He might have some left from past members parts stash or someone else close by. Frank is the president of the Karel Staple chapter.

[John Brayton]

Hi Guys,

We rebuilt the distributor and installed the 5 blade fan today. Had to grind a bit off of the fan blades as they would hit the shroud from time to time. Drove the car hard and it clearly ran cooler than before. We're headed for Reno with family for the next two days but hope to put the over heating issue to bed next week.

Regards,