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Hi again.
I went back to take a closer look at your engine pics. Everything is there, including a friggin Flex Fan!! That ought to be about the only thing you chuck as far as you can........ away from the car. If you want to upgrade the fan, a clutch type with an 18" fan works very well on my car. I'll post the numbers later if you want them.
The flex fans have blown up and killed people and as yours is 51 years old, I certainly wouldn't trust it. The slightest crack in a blade could be all it takes. How do I know? I used to work at the factory where they were made. I've personally seen what damage they can do WHEN they blow up on test rigs. I mean a blade buried through 4" of oak. That'll get your attention.

This is a notice to all members, unless your car is a trailer queen and a concours high dollar car, get rid of them asap. You could clean them up, mount a clock in the middle and hang it on the wall, but get it as far away for your car as possible.
Being the original owner of my 72 Mach, somehow Ford corporate tracked me down 9 years, 6 states and 3 moves from the dealer where I bought it and they sent me a new, redesigned fan to replace mine.
I was astonished!
 
Being the original owner of my 72 Mach, somehow Ford corporate tracked me down 9 years, 6 states and 3 moves from the dealer where I bought it and they sent me a new, redesigned fan to replace mine.
I was astonished!
Similar story with me. My 72 Mustang was new purchased in Erie, Pennsylvania. About 10 years later Ford found me after several moves, living in an "off the grid" apartment in San Diego.
 
Being the original owner of my 72 Mach, somehow Ford corporate tracked me down 9 years, 6 states and 3 moves from the dealer where I bought it and they sent me a new, redesigned fan to replace mine.
I was astonished!
That's amazing and goes to show the severity of the recall.
I knew there was a recall on them. They were made by Canadian Fram in Chatham On. I worked for them in the prototype dept starting in March of 73, but for only a couple of years. That was the period when there was trouble with them, so anything after that, I was not aware of. By the time I went back to my old job in 78, hard to recall exactly, but I'm pretty sure flex fan production had ceased (I can check with guys I know who actually worked on that line). Personally, I wouldn't trust one even it were the revision type. I shudder whenever I see even those aftermarket things on any car.
In theory the idea was good, but in practice the slightest nick could develop into a crack and from there, well don't stick your head over a running one. Another failure point was in heat treating the blades, get it wrong and look out.
That's just my opinion based on what I've seen happen. So as said, if it's not a concours trailer queen, hang it on the wall as an ornament.
 
Similar story with me. My 72 Mustang was new purchased in Erie, Pennsylvania. About 10 years later Ford found me after several moves, living in an "off the grid" apartment in San Diego.
Interesting and goes to show anybody can find you.
 
I know many forum members love Ford corporate documentation....this is an actual photo of Ford's fan recall (from my archive) that they sent me in 1981 when I was supposedly " Off the grid"!
 

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Welcome, August, from the Tri-Cities in NE Tennessee! You have come to the right place if you're looking for advice and encouragement restoring your Mustang. Many of us have embarked on the journey you are about to, and some of us have completed that journey. Some of us started with complete basket cases, while others had a more solid platform to start with, but we all support each other, and are ready to help any way we can. I'd suggest starting a build thread in the Mustang Registry - Project build thread forum on this site to document your progress along the way.

All the best,
Ron
 
Interesting and goes to show anybody can find you.
Last night, I talked to a couple of my friends who worked at Fram back them. However, they were not involved with the fan department, so their knowledge was limited...... and memory!!.They did say they remember that an office was set up strictly to deal with recalls and claims for flex fans. Flex Fan production did go on further than I recall, but to be honest, we didn't pay too much attention to what went on "on the other side".
However, I think the letter you show goes to prove the point. This IS a case of "if it ain't broke, FIX IT"
If you don't mind, I'd like to download those images for my own reference.
 
Last night, I talked to a couple of my friends who worked at Fram back them. However, they were not involved with the fan department, so their knowledge was limited...... and memory!!.They did say they remember that an office was set up strictly to deal with recalls and claims for flex fans. Flex Fan production did go on further than I recall, but to be honest, we didn't pay too much attention to what went on "on the other side".
However, I think the letter you show goes to prove the point. This IS a case of "if it ain't broke, FIX IT"
If you don't mind, I'd like to download those images for my own reference.
Happy to provide this fan document Geoff.
Chris
 
read the post on flex fans. I am restoring 1972 mach 1 Q code. Looks like I have a flex fan. I did get extra clutch fan when I bought the car part # c8oe-b looks like came off 68-69 390 car. Trouble is it doesn’t fit the water pump shaft.enclosing a couple of picks. Any advice appreciated
 

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Hi again.
I went back to take a closer look at your engine pics. Everything is there, including a friggin Flex Fan!! That ought to be about the only thing you chuck as far as you can........ away from the car. If you want to upgrade the fan, a clutch type with an 18" fan works very well on my car. I'll post the numbers later if you want them.
The flex fans have blown up and killed people and as yours is 51 years old, I certainly wouldn't trust it. The slightest crack in a blade could be all it takes. How do I know? I used to work at the factory where they were made. I've personally seen what damage they can do WHEN they blow up on test rigs. I mean a blade buried through 4" of oak. That'll get your attention.

This is a notice to all members, unless your car is a trailer queen and a concours high dollar car, get rid of them asap. You could clean them up, mount a clock in the middle and hang it on the wall, but get it as far away for your car as possible.
Just got to reading this, any recommendations for a safer fan?
 
Just got to reading this, any recommendations for a safer fan?
See my reply to mjseakan.
When fitting these fans, pay attention to the positioning within the fan shroud. The use of afterkarket pulleys or incorrect pulleys for the car, might place the fan incorrectly thus severely affecting the air flow and READ the instructions.
 

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Somehow I missed following this thread. That article goes to prove what I said in my post.
If you've still got one on your car, get rid of it ASAP!
People could fit the 71 4 blade fan on the 351C, or do what I did and buy the Derale 17118 18" fan with a Haden 2710 fan clutch. I got mine from Summit racing.
Just picked up these parts today, any advice for installation?
 
Just picked up these parts today, any advice for installation?
Yes, follow the instructions. Placing the spring washers needs to be done as described. Check the threaded holes in the water pump flange are clean and good. I also used a drop of blue Loctite on the threads. If you find you need longer bolts, make sure they are grade 8.
If I remember, the fan needs to be 3" from the rad.
When tightening the belts and assuming you have a PS pump, do NOT pry against the pump canister. A good tip given by our friend Gil Hale is to use a piece of rope around the pump and pull it upward while tightening the bolts. I've not done it that way, I use the little square block on the pump casting and a wrench. New belts will need retightening after a while.
 

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