FMG Cold Case E-Fan Shrouds and Skid plates
 

Has anyone tried the FMG E-Fan shrouds for Cold Case rads?

They look nice, and are made to specifically use certain dual 14" fans, has psi relief provisions, and make one that is compatible with surface mount fans.

https://fastmontysgarage.com/collect...ld-case-shroud

FMG also has a YouTube channel where the guy tests e-fan flows, free-air and mounted.

https://www.youtube.com/@FastMonty

Results are on the main website here:

https://fastmontysgarage.com/pages/fan-cfm-test-data

Also, FMG makes skid plates for classics, that protect the oil pan & crossmember, and 'bat wings' that protect headers.

https://fastmontysgarage.com/collect...pan-protection


Would like to have some real-world data from someone who uses these before I pull the trigger.

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I talked with Mike about them for a bit, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I'm thinking about changing my big block cold case radiator for an LS version to gain the added efficiency of a dual pass radiator, then going with his 12" shroud.

I'm not running into cooling issues right now, so it's kind of a want only expense for me currently.

I'm using a Derale Shroud with twin Spal fans 4000cfm and a cold case rad. I recently switched to electric fans mainly for hp loss not for cooling. I had zero issues with a stock 80 maxi 3 core AC rad clutch fan and shroud. I was rather disappointed with the Cold Case rad..fit wise it wasn't great and made in China.

FMG did a test of the Flex-a-lite brushless fan against the SPAL brushed fan and they were close to identical, with the Flex-A-Lite have an advantage in not only cfm, but the fact it was brushless too.

EDIT: The Flex-A-Lite brushless is half the cost of the SPAL brushless too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQiJAYsLgd4

His shroud allows for the use of 14" fans where most only use 12" fans.

I thought the dual pass LS fans had narrower tubes? If that's so, then the wider tubes will win out.

I'm not having issues with the dual 12" Derale setup I use in both the 442 & GTO, BUT, the GTO does run a little warmer, and it certain demand situations does creep temps (like when AC is on). It's about a 10 degree diff.

Going to dual 14" fans would solve that issue on the GTO, and believe the diff is additional displacement (495ci vs 535ci) between it and the 442.

I don't have a space issue, but the brushless fans are around an inch lower depth/height. Could make belt changes etc more comfy.

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How did that work out ? Was there any power found at the track ?
I have no issues with a stock 3 core and flex fan with a filled block.
But, I do run 2 classes when I race and go a lot of passes on a good day so I bought a Derail 4000 cfm duel fans, Meziere water pump, setup and a big aluminum 2 core radiator so I can cool between rounds. Also bought a solar battery deal so I can run a charger without having to listen to a generator in my pit. Can't stand those things.
There is some controversy about any seen power difference being a wash because the alternator just pulls harder on the belts.
Still have the belt driven stuff in the car and probably will have it all season.

At least on the First Gen F-Body radiators, they state the LS version still has 1.25" tubes.

We're running 2 12" Spal brushless fans in a Derale Shroud in front of a LS swap Cold Case radiator in my son's 79 TA. It works perfectly, the engine stays at the temp we set in the Terminator X software regardless of the temps outside, A/C in use, etc. We could have also set up the fans using their proprietary temp sensor/switch, but there's more controllability through the EFI software. The Spal brushless fans sit inside the shroud somewhat, so if you're interested in going in that direction, you'd need to make sure FMG fans are thick enough. Also, we experimented with 14" brushed fans in a modified cold case shroud, but there was interference with the steering box. We could have made some other changes to make it work but it didn't keep the car as cool as we wanted so we bagged it. I suspect his shrouds take the width needed into account, but may want to double check.

Mike originally designed his shrouds around SPAL units and addresses that directly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeKLbAKBMtc

Still to be determined if it has picked up.

The brushless SPAL fans are so friggin expensive, it's even painful to shop them. And the SPAL brushed fans are about the cost of other brushless offerings.

Some of that though is due to the electronics, many brushless fans have a 'simple' PWM controller built in. All you need is a programmable PWM output to run them.

Being able to run a pair of 14" fans is certainly an advantage over a pair of 12", and the cost difference between is nominal.

Nice thing about that Flex-A-Lite fan is that it can run either off a voltage signal or a PWM signal. OE replacement type and many other brushless fans require a PWM input, as a reminder.

Overkill with a cooling system is a win-win, it's like that saying about condoms...


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Actually, comments I made referencing 'Flex-A-Lite' fans is really the Proform fan that FMG tested....

EDIT: This one:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pro-67035



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I'm running a pair of the Proform brushless fans and the FMG shroud. Fitment is very nice.

How loud are those things?

The brushless Spals aren't noisy from a mechanical standpoint, though when they're going full blast you can definitely hear air whooshing. The nice thing is that they start soft and ramp up slowly and run only as fast as needed to keep the engine at the specified temp, so you don't really notice the sound at all unless you're paying attention--kind of like on a modern car.

The ProForm fans have soft-start too.

Blade design has a lot to do with sound, and to move X air, the fans blades need to be X, and will make noise.

That vid FMG did comparing the SPAL to the Proform gives you a pretty good idea of how loud they are, but are comparable to like OE pickup truck fans. When on high.

EDIT: This is the comparison vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_GvR8lCJoE


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They're expensive, but 2000CFM per fan with a load is friggin' impressive, man. I'd pull the trigger on 'em knowing I'd probably never have to worry about low speed or idle cooling issues again, even in the summer with AC running.

I've also seen them on special at the mid $400+ range, not that it's really any better. The investment IMO is a small price to pay to prevent an overheat or the stress of always having to keep my eyes glued on the temp gauge. Like you said, overkill with a cooling system is never a bad thing.

Just sucks that it's not only a matter of getting the fans, though. He recommends 6 AWG wire, which is absurd for a cooling fan, and a 200 amp alternator. Both fans together would be pulling nearly 80 amps if his tests are any indication.

On my previous setup I had a single 16" (If memory serves) which was full speed on or off so it was always loud. I think in comparison at full speed, the proforms are pretty similar but the variable speed really makes a difference when under light heat load.

I have the Derale 16826 fan/shroud kit (dual 12” fans 4000cfm total) on my TA. Cold case radiator and a mezeire HD waterpump. I’m very happy with the setup. 14:1 on pump E85. The fans aren’t overly loud (to me anyway) and it will hold at 170*-180* max in 90+* weather on the street.

Seems to have gone up in price a bit Check out this page from Summit Racing https://www.summitracing.com/parts/d...iaaegj-npd_bwe

Monty makes some nice stuff and I like that he gives real world test results. You probably can’t go wrong with his stuff.

Hey Team... love the comments. Those that don't know, I started with the full ColdCase radiator and fan kit, which I found insufficient. (The Cold Case 14" fans are actually 13") I started testing fans, and discovered that the Brushed 14" Spal, and 14" Proform Brushless have similar performance, and similar price point. I now have over 25 Shroud designs on my website, with new customer reviews weekly.

I will be coming out with a shroud for the Behemoth 14" Brushless SPAL, but as you know it's expensive. In this hobby, almost everything is "You get what you pay for". Finding that balance is the fun part.

As for the previously mentioned comment about the "Skid Plate" I designed for 64 to 72 GM A-Body's, it protects the Oil Pan, not the headers. It has saved my 69 GTO twice since installing it. Just did a video about the skid plate damage here; https://youtu.be/Q0DA63Rofos?si=c-vv8jUBctsGg_Ik

Any other questions, let me know on YouTube or through my website https://www.fastmontysgarage.com/

See ya!

Monty

You'll probably get a buyer for me once you do. Will you be making that 14" Brushless SPAL shroud for 70-81 Firebirds?

I'm running Mike's shroud on my 66 GTO and over here in the Australian climate we have some pretty hot summers. I ended up running the proform brushless fans with the proform PWM controller because the sniper won't output PWM. I just did a 400 mile round trip 2 weekends ago and the car was flawless! The car ran cool, looked cool. Awesome product!

Yeah I went with the slightly larger shroud on my bird, the 18927, and run the 16837 on the GTO. Same fans in all 3 of those. I have the 16837 in the 442 as well.

Like I mentioned, the 535 is borderline, and am thinking if stepping up to the FMG 14" shroud and Proform fans.

Mike - Some reason I thought the bat wings would help cover the headers some, guess I should have looked harder! So the bat wings are more for stability/strength? Glad to see you on here!

Protecting the headers would have been a bonus, since right now, for me, headers are disposable items! Heheh!


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I feel the same! My headers are border line trash as it is... way more important to protect the oil pans, as we'd have to fully remove the engine to fix that debacle, let alone rebuild it.

See ya!

It's plausible, here's a rendering and picture of my first try at the A Body Shroud, for a FrostBite FB304 radiator, it's beefy. This customer was ok with welding the corners, as my next design needs to avoid welding. The F Bird core is 1" narrower. So, keep that in mind for clearance on the sides of the radiator would grow 1/2" on either side.
Attachment 667602 [ATTACH]Attachment 667604[/ATTACH]

If I decide to switch from a factory style clutch fan & shroud in my 535ci 70 Formula to electric fans, this is what I’d go with.

At roughly $1350 for a set of Doug's these days, every scrape is a total cringe! Heheh!

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dou-d522?seid=srese1

I'm dropping back to the 1 7/8 ones, they fit better and tuck up better too.

So, just to comment, when you go to dual fans that are like 28a each to a 60a spike, you need a better alt, and you can only do like 140 MAYBE 160a alts on V belts. So it's serp and beefy alts. Soft starts are really the only way to go, and even so, you could probably draw 80a at idle. Or more.

Take that into account when you start doing to e-fans. This is the one thing where people fail and throw in the towel on with e-fans.


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Monty - great YT channel, watch it all the time.

If you have time, any thoughts on using a late model (say 2500 or 3500 Chevy HD truck) fan blade assembly on a Hayden clutch fan ?

I would guess they'd pull plenty of air.

I saw you measured airflow when you tested the electric fans.

Slicker "test" would be the matching ECM controlled clutch fan.

But, more curious on airflow...........

Keep up the good work - we appreciate it.

Bob

Would like to see the cfm air flow of a stock shroud & a 19" 7 blade severe duty clutch fan.

This, this, and this. It would finally lay to rest a lot of discourse between e-fans and mechanical fans.

My guess is that a mechanical when setup properly will outflow all of the electric fans.