captainmorgan

I'm in the process of installing a Mark VIII fan in my '77. I know that others have installed this fan but the one I have is too thick. It sits on top of my sway bar. Is it possible to trim the shroud on these so that it will sit down between the radiator and the sway bar? Did anyone else have this problem with their fan?

Thanks,

Durango_Boy

You can use some washers or spacers to move the sway bar down a 1/4" or so. That should give you a little more room to work with.

b71vette

I would recommend using a plate the length of the sway bar bracket vs. washers so as to support in between the frame the rubber grommet that the sway bar sits in.

Durango_Boy

Yeah that would fall under spacer. Either way would work...one just a little better than the other.

SIXFOOTER

Yea, ya wanna do that with a spacer plate, putting washers under the ends would have the same effect as loosening the bolts.

78anniversary

Could you post pics please as you go? Ive got a Mark VIII fan also that I would like to install soon. Which controller are you going to use?

captainmorgan

I'm using the FK35 Kit from http://www.dccontrol.com/

carriljc

I have it attached to a Summit radiator....but it fits forward of the sway bar. I was going to grind off some of the fan plastic, but it fits so closely that I'm just going to let "wear" take care of interference...which is very minimal.

the link below has some pics where you can see the sway bar vs. fan location:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1747579

captainmorgan

I got the fan mounted to the radiator today. I ended up cutting the shroud down a 1/4" all the way around, although I might not have had to. Seems that I have plenty of room between the shroud and the sway bar now (about a 1/2"). I pop riveted a piece of 1/2"x3/4" aluminum angle to the bottom of the fan. This fit into the stock shroud channel at the bottom of the radiator tray. I pop riveted a piece of 1"x1" aluminum angle to the top. This fit over the top rail of the radiator very nicely. I also cut 2 pieces of 1"x1" angle and pop riveted it to the end of the top piece. These were used as added mounting, which used the stock upper shroud mounts.

Here are some pictures of the fan mounted.

Durango_Boy

That looks fantastic. GOOD job.

BillPk

Wrong. It works by pulling tight to the frame. Washers would be catastrophic.

Durango_Boy

Explain that one to my neighbor. He has a '75 with a sway bar lowered with a total of four washers. He's had it installed like that for the better part of a decade.

Does catastrophic mean it might case problems in ten years or so?

I'm not saying it's the best way but the whole point of the statement was that the sway bar can be lowered by spacing it away from the frame and most people that have done so that I know of have used washers.

If I were going to do it I would make plates to space it. You probably would too. But how do you tell people that have had no problems with washers that it's catastrophic when nothing bad has happened?

I don't recall hearing of anyone's sway bar breaking away and causing a horrible catastrophe.

Kid Vette

Washers would work fine if you want to make your sway bar ineffective.

BillPk

Perhaps catastrophic is a poor choice of words. It's plan old incorrect. The frame is used as a componet of the whole. Kid Vette is more correct. It renders it useless.
Using washers is still wrong/incorrect/bad advice.

ThunderMaker

Getting back to your fan install, did you consider upgrading the alternator to ensure that big fan doesn't kill your battery?

captainmorgan

I upgraded the alternator to a CS144. That is the CS144 in the pictures.

78anniversary

Thaks for posting the pics.

I'm Batman

Durango_Boy

I won't argue, in fact you're very correct. That still doesn't change the fact that people have been lowing their sway bars with washers for decades. Too many people to start pointing fingers.

Kid Vette