84 Crewcab...AKA..Patches

Yesterday I made a plate to slip into the ashtray for my manual on/off switch for the fans. I did not want to rely wholly on the coolant temperature switch. ;)

Here is a link to that thread....

http://www.1stgen.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=17265

here is a pic of it installed in the truck...



And a week or so ago I installed the coolant temperature switch below the T-stat housing...since I have a NV4500 I did not need that location for the engine coolant lines to the water/oil cooler for the tranny.

The switch is on and 200* and off at 185*, and is a ground to the block as it's switch. It was 3/8" NPT, and I had to get an adapter to fir the block since it is 1/2" NPT.

 
Made up a plate to mount the 85 Amp constant duty solenoid, and 30amp circuit breaker behind the battery using a couple existing holes in the fender.



Then pull the fan and shroud and get the new electric fans in place. But first I had to find a couple small bolts, and drill a couple holes in the fan frame. Then a slight bit of round file work to make the bolt sit nice and flush.



 
Then it was wiring time. Not that I don't like wiring, but it's a tedious job to do it right. I mechanically crimp each connector, then solder it, then add dielectric grease, then shrink tube. And then there is my large size to deal with...big body and hands, and long arms does not equate to easy working conditions under the dash. ;)

So a couple hours of wiring and it was all done. I Ran the wire from the Temp switch up along the upper rad hose...fiber tape, and then a zip tie to hold the tape....see how this stands up to the heat and vibrations?

Wired the fans individually into a 4 gang wiring block I had...so each has it's own power and ground, and can be unplugged easily.





And you can see all the room I have between the fans and the front of the motor.. :)





There is about a 1/4" gap between the fan frame and the rad, I'm going to see how it cools with that gap left open, but thinking it might pull air from around the frame a bit more then I'd like.....but we will see. But I had planned on running some foam weather stripping from the hardware store to make a tighter seal, and allow the fans to pull air "only" through the rad.

So that's about it...will report back on any MPG I gain, or cooling issues I find....good or bad.
 
I don't think you'll have a problem with the 1/4" air gap. Myself, I would have done a couple of things different. First I would have looked for slightly larger fans to cover a little more radiator. Next, I would have welded in a center mount between the 2 fans. Because, I'm just anal that way. :toot:
 
I get the switch in the ashtray. I've installed a three core custom aluminum radiator in the Valiant, which left no room for an engine fan. I've had no end of trouble with thermostatic switches in the radiator to cut on the electric pusher fan. My wife drives the car, and while incredibly intelligent, she won't think to reach for the fan switch in case of thermostatic switch failure. I've been trying to source a reasonably priced, but reliable switch to autonomize the process, but inevitably find a slightly heat soaked car in the drive when she gets home. I'm growing tired of our dependence on subpar electronics and mechanical bits.. I'm willing to pay more for better, but sometimes the thing you know you need is just astronomically priced for the basic quality you expect from an everyday item.

No political rebuttals, please.. We've all been in a Wal-Mart once in our lives, at least.
 
TheIronSausage said:
I've had no end of trouble with thermostatic switches in the radiator to cut on the electric pusher fan.
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Most fans draw more current than the switches can handle. You need to wire them through a relay system. Many other high amp accessories on cars are relayed, why not the fan(s) too? :huh:
 
68R/T said:
I don't think you'll have a problem with the 1/4" air gap. Myself, I would have done a couple of things different. First I would have looked for slightly larger fans to cover a little more radiator. Next, I would have welded in a center mount between the 2 fans. Because, I'm just anal that way. :toot:
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The fans are really only there as a fail safe.....I only plan on running them from fall to spring, then back to the tried and true clutch/fan and shroud for the warmer months. ;) I was going to do that, but once it was all mounted it was quite stable...so i decided to leave it. :)
 
68R/T said:
Most fans draw more current than the switches can handle. You need to wire them through a relay system. Many other high amp accessories on cars are relayed, why not the fan(s) too? :huh:
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Very common issue...people don't seem to realize the amp draw of electric fans and run them through a little sensor....that was the reason for the high amp constant duty solenoid...simple low amp trigger and the solenoid directs the power....switches stay safe. 5 years ago I probably would have wired it up the wrong way....so I'm learning...slowly but surely....:D
 
Cow I've been watching your work on the Soto, kerosene burner and family wagon, and I see skills that most of today's mechanics couldn't even comprehend. Today's mechanics knowledge is pretty much limited to "plug it in, analyze, replace", because that's what they were taught from a book. You're learning from experience, and it's very apparent that you have gobs of horse sense and logic. You also show that when you tear into something, you've already thought it through from every angle. That's the methods that were used by old school hot rodders, the same people that influenced detroit. To top it off, there doesn't seem to be any aspect of any vehicle that you're not afraid to dig into. :clap:
 
TheIronSausage said:
No political rebuttals, please.. We've all been in a Wal-Mart once in our lives, at least.
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:silenced: ........ :D

Is it "political" to suggest that buying crap and having to replace it several times instead of buying quality once is false economy? :toot: I make a very good living "fixing" client's decisions to buy the Chinese knock -off of a product to save a few bucks. $500.00 moving lights spring instantly to mind.

I used to buy jeans and t shirts at Wal*Mart because given the physical nature of building staging structures plus loading truss, rigging and other pointy stuff onto trucks at 4 in the morning destroyed clothing long before it would have a chance to wear out on it's own... None of that stuff fit comfortably, but I would be damned if I was going to tear a hole in a $50.00 pair of jeans the day after I bought them. Work boots came from places who offer better quality that Wal*Mart, because I soon learned that the pain in my feet made long days much, much longer...

I have literally drawers full of shitty Princess Auto (Harbor Freight) tools, because I knew that in my lifetime I would use that set of front-end suspension tools maybe twice. Stuff that is used more frequently comes from better vendors. Just makes sense.

But yeah.... what our esteemed aged sage says: Putting a relay in line would solve your problem with switches.
 
No, I meant political as in "Well if only leader X stopped taxing blah blah, out sourcing, economy, blah blah, goddamn right 'Murica! Blah blah"
 
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68R/T said:
Cow I've been watching your work on the Soto, kerosene burner and family wagon, and I see skills that most of today's mechanics couldn't even comprehend. Today's mechanics knowledge is pretty much limited to "plug it in, analyze, replace", because that's what they were taught from a book. You're learning from experience, and it's very apparent that you have gobs of horse sense and logic. You also show that when you tear into something, you've already thought it through from every angle. That's the methods that were used by old school hot rodders, the same people that influenced detroit. To top it off, there doesn't seem to be any aspect of any vehicle that you're not afraid to dig into. :clap:
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Well thank you for the kind words, really means a lot to me to have your say them!:bravo:

Hope to one day amass enough knowledge to be bestowed the term...knowledgeable old codger...and follow in the foot steps of another well known by that term...aka...68R/T...;):)
 
thrashingcows said:
Hope to one day amass enough knowledge to be bestowed the term...knowledgeable old codger...and follow in the foot steps of another well known by that term...aka...68R/T...;):)
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By the time you double your age you should be there. :shifty: But then the difficult part is remembering the details of what you did 40 - 50 years ago. :doh:
 
TheIronSausage said:
My wife drives the car, and while incredibly intelligent, she won't think to reach for the fan switch in case of thermostatic switch failure.
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This is why, back in 1991, I bought those little dry-transfer letters and replaced the "temp" light lens in my '81 Toyota Tercel with a blank one that I'd custom-lettered. My then-fiancee (never married her) only had to see a bright red light that said "TURN ON THE FAN, SHIT FOR BRAINS" once before she started paying attention to the gauge.

Yes, it was more effort than simply making it fully automatic, but the reaction was worth way more than the time I spent. :D

Any decent parts store will have a spec catalog of fan switches that thread into the intake near the thermostat that will run a fan relay. I know both NAPA and Wells have online resources with the same information. I thought I had them bookmarked but that must be on one of the other three PCs.

Putting a sensor in the radiator is a fool's errand. :naughty:
 
Well after a week of going to and from work I have to say I like the electric fans...not that they have come on a single time yet. ;)

I am shocked at how cool the motor runs with no fan in place, also how it's that much smoother too as well...especially at higher RPM's...even with my fluidampr.

I let the motor idle for almost 15 min, after I got home from work one evening, and it never did turn the fans on. The temp rose only slightly above the regular "dead center" on the factory gauge. I turned the fans on manually and it took about 2-3 min to bring the temp back down to normal.

Only thing I have seen that is a tad bit of a negative is that it seems to take longer for the turbo EGT's to cool down before I shut the truck off. Turning the electric fans on before I pull into the parking lot at work, then park and let it idle for a min or two seems to bring the EGT's down fine.
 
Been wanting to change the standard 1st gen chrome power side mirrors on my doors for a while. Didn't want to move the stainless tow mirrors and arms over from my original 84 doors...didn't wan the extra holes in my doors.

So I had been trying to come up with something that would give me better mirrors for towing, and not mess up the current mounting on the door. Well I finally came up with something.

First here is a pic of the OEM side mirror and the new style I wanted to put on.



And the little arms used to hold these onto the stainless tow mirror brackets...



What I found was that the OD of the tow mirror 90* bends, and the OD of the shaft, the chrome mirror uses were the same...Bingo! That was the info I needed.

I tried to come up with something that would be a simple drop in, but couldn't find anything. So went to plan "B"....lets make what we want.

First I measured the depth of the threaded portion on the 90...then gave an extra 1/4" and marked that out....that will be where my cut will go.



Then a bit of cutting on the chop saw...

 
Then I cut some 3/4 round bar...BTW the OD measurement was .75"...;) I made the top portion of the arm 7" long...had to cut two different size pieces since the 90's were different lengths. And then made the lower section 8".



Then off to do some welding...



And after some quality time with the flapper disc on the 4.5" angel grinder...Love those flapper discs!!



Then I decided I would smooth out the surface a bit....mixed up some old body filler and gooped it on.

 
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