Radiator Fans to Accessory Clearance

Was hoping I could get some responses for what radiator + fan combo people are running and what the clearance is to your accessories.

I took the cheap approach and re-organized my truck accessories into the f-body position. This leaves me with a f-body accessory drive layout with 3/4" less fan clearance than a true f-body accessory drive. I know fan clearance is usually pretty tight with these swaps as it is so I have to be extra cautious as I approach this.

Thanks everyone

I am using the Renegade Hybrids radiator which is made by Ron Davis. Its a very thick core, i would guess .5" thicker than a standard 944 radiator. I am using the f-body accessory drive and i found the main issue with clearance is with the f-body water pump pulley if you are using a single fan.

I tried a few different Spal slim model fans, check this page on my build for details. The slim fans are not very good at pulling air through a thick core like the Renegade, so it took a few tries to find a fan that kept things cool at idle.

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If i had to do this again i would of had a custom radiator made locally and probably converted everything from barbed to AN fittings. The Renegade radiator was $$$ and required cutting out the upper radiator support. Fitment is okay, but i was never totally satisfied about the hose routing. I think the custom route could have been done for about the same money and allowed me to do a cleaner hose run. With the current setup i have to cut up a few different hoses to make it work.

Is this track or street car? I think for a mostly street car you could probably get away with stock radiator and fans.

In my experience, I simply picked up a new OEM turbo radiator with the OEM dual fan setup and it works great, even on the track. I'm only running about 380 hp at the crank, so that may have something to do with it, but going stock removes any clearance issues and it's also affordable. I found my OEM radiator for $360. I should also note that I was skeptical of this option at first since I was running a turbo radiator already, but the key is that it's new and not used. Without 30 years of gunk in there, they cool at a lot better!

jpkinerk wrote:In my experience, I simply picked up a new OEM turbo radiator with the OEM dual fan setup and it works great, even on the track. I'm only running about 380 hp at the crank, so that may have something to do with it, but going stock removes any clearance issues and it's also affordable. I found my OEM radiator for $360. I should also note that I was skeptical of this option at first since I was running a turbo radiator already, but the key is that it's new and not used. Without 30 years of gunk in there, they cool at a lot better!

I've been trying to pick up a turbo rad for a decent price but have been unsuccessful. $360 for a rad is pushing my budget....

But good to know that there are no fitment issues there.

I am using the Renegade Hybrids radiator which is made by Ron Davis. Its a very thick core, i would guess .5" thicker than a standard 944 radiator. I am using the f-body accessory drive and i found the main issue with clearance is with the f-body water pump pulley if you are using a single fan.

I tried a few different Spal slim model fans, check this page on my build for details. The slim fans are not very good at pulling air through a thick core like the Renegade, so it took a few tries to find a fan that kept things cool at idle.

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If i had to do this again i would of had a custom radiator made locally and probably converted everything from barbed to AN fittings. The Renegade radiator was $$$ and required cutting out the upper radiator support. Fitment is okay, but i was never totally satisfied about the hose routing. I think the custom route could have been done for about the same money and allowed me to do a cleaner hose run. With the current setup i have to cut up a few different hoses to make it work.

Is this track or street car? I think for a mostly street car you could probably get away with stock radiator and fans.

Jon, I found your post on your buildlog and a conversation you were in over on Rennlist.
I think I can fit a 3" thick radiator with dual 2.4" thick SPAL fans. If the renegade radiator is 2.75" thick as you estimated in your build log then I'll have the same exact clearance as your finished setup. (.25" thicker rad, .75" less clearance due to accessories, 1" slimmer fans")

I was hoping to fit dual 12" fans but will I have to do dual 11"?

I'm looking at the plethora of 24x15.5x3" radiator options from Griffin.

Another thing is you can mount the radiator core further forward in the frame, this will give you a lot more space on the backside for a larger fan. Ideally you want a fan with paddle blades which are most effective at pulling through a large core. I would also go two smaller fans also, this way you can utilize the Fan 1 and Fan 2 option with the PCM. 1 fan for low load, 2 fans for high load. Dual fans also will mean you wont have to contend with clearance issues at the water pump pulley.

My biggest gripe with one large single fan is it pulls some big amps when it kicks on, enough to dim the headlights temporarily. I redid all the wiring to be extra beefy and even went through the trouble to source a heavy duty fuse holder and relay. I even thought about wiring in a soft start relay, but then i am adding a ton of complexity into a simple circuit. Another thing is the slim, straight blade fan i am using is LOUD! It sounds like an air raid siren under the hood when the fan kicks on; and yes, you can hear it over the 4" exhaust lol.

This sorta adds to what i was saying about the Renegade radiator. For the work it took to make it fit, which was cutting out the top of the radiator support and making a custom mount for the top, the fitment is tight because it tries to fit in the same position as the original radiator while being considerably thicker. If i went custom rad i would have had it mounted a minimum of 2" further forward giving much more space to run a more effective fan.

Sounds good Jon. I'll play with the factory NA radiator I have laying around to get an idea of what i would have to do to move it forward. Would also give me a good idea of what I would have to do to fit the size radiators I'm looking at.

The paddle blade fans are all too deep without moving the radiator forward.

i am toying with the thought of removing the front frame member, build a new front tubular unit for
structure, and make it wider, This way i could lay the rad forward on a angle. Then i thought a nice hood vent system to direct the hot air out. Do a split chute meeting at the top, then i could run my fresh air intake straight out the middle with a nice opening for it.