Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

We have discussed heating problems in my 56 earlier. It appears to overheat when forced to move slowly on scorching days. See the arlier post for details.

As insurance, I'd like to go to a fan that moves more air at idle. The flex-a-lite 1319 or 1519 appear to be the right diameter and look like they would mount with minimal fuss and feathers, possibly with a spacer to put them closer to the radiator.

Obviously they don't look original, and I doubt that I'll take full advantage of their 10,000 rpm rating....

I'd really appreciate your opinion here on how much low speed improvement I would get and whether the combination seems workable.

Any of the afermarket 'hot rod' blades are probably one as good as the other. The only catch is that the Packard V8 water pump hub has a rather large shoulder on it. So pay close attention to the adapter/spacer than comes with the fan. Most of the them are made for SBC's. My 6 blade hotrod fan did not come with a spacer so i had to buy one. could not find one to fit the Packard water pump hub so had to have it lathe cut to match.


BTW on the overheating. I'm guessing the engine is idleing somewhere about 400 - 600 rpm. Try setting the idles speed up to at least 750 rpm or even 900 rpm. It's a little fast yes, but mite keep the gauge at a lower temp.

What's an SBC?

Wouldn't the large shoulder be an advantage??????

SBC = Small Block Chevy.

The point i was trying to make about the Packard water pump hub flange was only to indicate that finding a spacer/adapter TO FIT mite be a problem without special machining or other excessive effort / resouces.

If u find such an adapter that bolts rite on with no CUSTOM or SPECIAL machining to the adapter/fan or water pump hub then i'd sure like to know the part number/cost and where to get one.

In one of the recent threads i posted a wealth of info about my personal testing on which aftermarket flex fan styles moved the most air (and were the quietest) during testing on my pontiac V8. i've tested about 10 or so fans on it so far.


This one cools my 327 now and it can idle forever on a warm day before it finally even gets up past 120 degrees to finally rest somewhere near 170. I haven't had it out on a scorching day yet, but we'll see how it goes. It hasn't been above abour 190-205 yet during test runs. I only have about 30 miles on it since completion.

Here's the general shape and style of flex fan that i feel is the best for general use (deep pitch, large blades, offset blades for quieter performance) The specifics are one a thread about someones 288 just not running cool:


summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G4918/

Pat, here is a photo of an after market 6-blade flex fan I have installed on my '55 Clipper. Its diameter is slightly less than the stock fan. The center hole in the fan is much smaller than the shaft on the water pump flange. I used some flat washers stacked together to space the fan. The four attachment holes in the fan are slotted to accommodate different bolt patterns, and are self-centering. I have not run the car yet. I wanted more air flow at lower engine speeds and less restriction at higher speeds. I may be more quiet too. This is a fan I took off of my '47 Custom Clipper when I installed a 5-bladed Packard fan. I do not know the manufacturer, but it is similar to what is on the market now.

(o{I}o)

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JW. how did u centre the fan to be concentric with the pump hub??? Also, u will probably find that the fan sets a good distance back from the radiator than the original fan.

BTW Packard produced a 6 blade fan for AC equiped cars. They show up on fleaBay once in a while.

PackardV8 --- The fan centers itself. There are four slots for attachment bolts that radiate from the center, not round holes; therefore, the fan is self-centering. Here is a photo of it as it came off of the '47 before I painted it. It was bolted to the pulley at the time, but I think you can see some of the slots. I wanted it Satin black so it would not be too obvious.

(o{I}o)

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I emailed flex-a-lite and to my pleasant surprise received a coherent reply, which suggested a model 1619, which is a steel oem type fan with six blades. Self centering. Am ordering; will let you know how it works.

I am installing ac on my 56 clipper and have had no problems with cooling but decided to add a shroud to better direct the flow i ordered on on ebay from welder joe will let you know about fit and results when it is installed it is in transit now the flex a lite is a good idea.