Custom Radiator Shroud (1 Viewer)

[warpdriv]

Hi Everyone,

I need to build a shroud for my 80 and had some questions.

What materials are you building them out of?
Should the fan blades be fully in the shroud?
Can you please post up your pics of your custom shroud?

Thank you.

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

I haven't built one for my truck, but they are commonly made of sheet metal.

I think that the shroud should enclose half of the blades.

 

[cruiserjunkie]

There was a good thread in the 40 section on doing one in fiberglass

 

[SNLC]

I had one made up from aluminum for an FJ60 with a ramjet v8. It came out sweet.

Yes, keep fan blades half inside the shroud. Also keep enough clearance around the blades to allow for the motor to move and flex. Otherwise on big bumps and such the blades will contact the shroud. To much gap though and you will not get the air draw you want.

I have some pictures of the shroud but they don't seem to be uploaded. I will upload later and post the pictures.

 

[spotcruiser]

Fiberglass. A little messy to build, but not difficult. Keeps the engine temps right where they need to be.

 

[MANUCHAO]

Im in the same boat. I gotta build one for my 60 as I went with a mechanical fan a few months ago....

I know nothing about fiberglass so im thinking of building mine out of aluminum... with a cheap metal breaker from HF....

 

[Bret]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/675551-fiberglass-fan-shroud-2.html

Try this, lots if you search.

 

[warpdriv]

Just pulled the trigger on this http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-380457-sh


I'll post up some pics when I install it. Thanks for the responses.

 

[spotcruiser]

If you can operate a paint brush, you can do fiberglass. It's really that easy.

I know nothing about fiberglass so im thinking of building mine out of aluminum... with a cheap metal breaker from HF....

 

[MANUCHAO]

spotcruiser do you have any more pics on how you went about building your shroud ?

Would be helpful if you post items / products used ......

Thanks,

Frank

 

[Dynosoar]

Hey Frank,

Check this sight out. This is how I plan to make mine.
http://www.cadvision.com/blanchas/54pontiac/FanShroud.html


Dyno

 

[spotcruiser]

The problem with the internal mold shown in the hot rod link is that the mold tends to flex a lot and it doesn't provide for a good mounting flange. My friend John Rudzitis came up with an external mold method that uses a single sheet of 3/4" particle board. It's sturdy and works great. The fiberglass work is the same as the hot rod version.

Writing it up is more complicated than making the mold, so I'll try to do that tomorrow. Here's a few photos of the mold.

1. John assembling the mold parts and applying thin plastic as a mold release.
2. The back side or cylinder of the mold.
3. Pushing a spacer down to stretch and hold the spandex (t-shirt material) down into the mold.

 

[spotcruiser]

A few more photos with the glassing on-going.

1. Glassing done.
2. Side view of mold.
3. Unmolding shroud.

 

[spotcruiser]

Shroud removed from mold. Trimmed to fit rad and sanded smooth.

 

[peesalot]

I used my stock tin shroud , tin snips, and rivets.

 

[bkfj40]

Shroud removed from mold. Trimmed to fit rad and sanded smooth.

that's pimpin!

 

[MANUCHAO]

Aight... I started work on my shroud, hope this pics help any one thinking of doing this.

I bought $50 worth of foam and started to mold it.....

My fan sits about 6" away from the radiator so I needed to buy really thick styrofoam to reach the depth needed .

Here are some pics of what I did today..

I used a drywall hand saw to cut / mold the foam....
Next is putting the resin and fiberglass mat/mesh...but that's for another day..

 

[MANUCHAO]

BTW... for those that have used resin and fiber glass. how much hardener needs to be mixed with the resin and how long does it take before it starts to harden?

Thanks,

Frank

 

[spotcruiser]

Typically, 10 drops of hardener per ounce of resin and it's open for about 30 minutes. Do it in small batches. You can accelerate it by adding a little more hardener or heat and you can slow it down by adding a little less harder or working in the cold, but don't vary the formula much or you might end up with a mess.

The product you're using should say how much hardener to add.

BTW... anybody knows how much hardener needs to be mixed with the resin and how long does it take before it starts to harden?

Thanks,

Frank

 

[MANUCHAO]

Yes, that is what the instructions call for but, I felt that 10 drops per ounce was too little an amount....
Thanks for the quick reply and confirmation... I'll try to start doing this tomorrow...