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Cruise night can attract a large number of hot rods, muscle cars and new high-horsepower rides. As the crowd gathered, the cruising speed dropped sharply. If rubber-necked civilians are involved, a breakdown may occur. For the cooling system of high-performance vehicles, slow cruising may be difficult because the speed slows down and the air flowing into the radiator decreases. This leaves you with only two options: pull over or find a way out. Fortunately, there is another option for Maradyne high-performance fans.

The owner of this 65-year-old Mustang Fastback encountered an overheating problem during the cruise night. Due to the early changes in the cooling system, some problems were caused by themselves. However, the only time that really becomes a problem is when you enter a slow-moving lane. We usually see this in a crowded boulevard cruise on a hot summer night. Although the Mustang has an engine thermometer, its readings are hot and cold. We often see it linked to "H", you may know that this is not an accurate unit of measurement. To say that our concerns are magnified is an understatement.

This is a situation that requires a cooling upgrade. About seven years ago, the original radiator was replaced by an aftermarket aluminum model. However, the original shroud is not suitable, leaving a lot of space that the factory's 4-blade fan cannot affect.

The engine is a modified 289 K-code V8 that can produce 350 horsepower on a dynamometer. This setting will generate some heat in the iron block and iron head. A few years ago, the original radiator was replaced with an aftermarket aluminum model. The problem is that the factory guard is not suitable. This means that the original four-blade crank-driven fan can do all the work. We believe that the installation of electric fans is a positive measure to improve the weak cooling system. In addition, the fan sucks in more air than the factory unit and covers a large area of ​​the radiator.

Maradyne's 16-inch, 225-watt reversible fan seemed to be the perfect solution. 10 The blade device is made of glass-filled nylon and adopts a sealed motor design. It weighs 7 pounds, which is not much heavier than the steel fan it is replacing. Finally, the low-profile design provides enough space for easy installation.

We talked with Jim Kahl from Maradyne about his 16-inch fan.

"The part number MC162K is the flagship fan of the Champion series. The IP68-rated sealed motor can handle dirt and dust and can even be waterproof to 5 meters. It is only 3.19 inches deep and fits into a narrow engine space, while providing 2170 CFM and only 18 amps Current."

All parts were taken apart and placed on the table. Wiring diagrams and instructions are provided with the product.

The fan is ordered together with a wiring harness with thermostat and an aluminum bracket kit. Helping to install was Don Holcomb of Whipple Racing Products in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The first task is to remove the fan and repair the paint on the water pump pulley. After the pulley is bolted in place, the fan can be simulated to check the gap and evaluate the installation strategy. The Maradyne fan blade was also checked to make sure it was in the puller position and not pushing air through the radiator.

The first step is to remove the fan and gasket from the pulley. The pulley was decorated with satin black paint to match the engine, and then bolted to the water pump with shorter 5/16 inch bolts.

Maradyne fans were tested on the radiator to check the gap and coverage.

After-sales radiators have integrated mounting flanges with some pre-drilled holes, but the plastic mounting brackets that come with the fan are too short to reach these holes. Holcomb simulates universal mounting brackets, but they do not allow the fan to be flush with the heat sink.

The universal bracket is simulated, but there are too many alignment problems.

Fortunately, the speed workshop has a set of universal fan brackets that are long enough to reach the integrated flange on the radiator. After the plastic bracket is installed on the fan, a few holes need to be elongated, and two holes are drilled to match the space occupied by the plastic bracket. All that is needed are the four bolts and nuts that fasten the fan to the radiator.

Whipple Racing has stocked fan mounting clips that are much longer than those provided by universal brackets. They were tested loosely on an existing radiator bracket and then hammered onto the fan housing.

Drill or elongate holes in the existing radiator bracket, and then trim and round the bracket to obtain a clean appearance.

The fan is easily bolted in place with 1/4 inch bolts and nuts.

Installing the wiring harness is quite simple, because Mustang does not have air conditioning and does not involve multiple fans. The kit includes an adjustable thermostat with a remote sensing bulb. The thermostat can adjust the fan in a temperature range of 32 to 248 degrees Fahrenheit. The remote bulb should be inserted between the fins near the water tank on the inlet side. The tip of the bulb should not be exposed to high airflow areas to reduce the chance of false readings. Holcomb took extra precautions and installed a rubber vacuum plug on the bulb so that the air entering would not affect the reading.

Some basic docking connections are required to match the wiring harness to the fan leads, and pull a wire under the dashboard to connect the power cord. All butt connections are made with appropriate heat shrink connectors. The power supply is found on the fuse panel.

The wiring harness is laid in front of the radiator, and the thermostat is installed in a convenient location on the core bracket. The remote sensing bulb is inserted through the heat sink directly below the water tank. A small rubber vacuum plug is placed at the tip of the bulb to prevent the incoming air from affecting the sensor signal.

The wiring diagram covers various vehicle equipment scenarios, but Mustang is easy because it does not have A/C or multiple fans. All connections are insulated when needed, and the wires are plugged in and fixed as needed.

A few months before the installation, Mustang installed a replacement instrument panel lower wiring harness. This upgraded model includes a modern fuse box with additional terminals. The detection light is used to find the spare key terminal.

Holcomb uses No. 14 wire as the lead from the fuse box to the wiring harness. After the system was tested, the wiring harness connection was double-checked, and a lot of cable ties were used to ensure that the wiring was clean and not in the way.

Mustang does not have an analog thermometer, so use an infrared thermometer to set the thermostat to start the fan at around 175 degrees.

So far, the system has worked well. There are no temperature peaks during periods of slow traffic. The fan has a rated power of 18 amps, but this does not affect any other electrical operations. In general, it takes about three hours to install the fan and wiring harness using basic hand tools, drill bits, and power probes... it’s a good way to spend a few hours in the garage!

Final view of the new Maradyne fan installed in Mustang.

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