[techteacher5561]

Need some input wondering what was the original setup?

I read the recent postings by surfnuke, I’m kinda in a similar position, but I seem to have different problems/ pieces to work with.
Original 350 engine was AT now MT never had AC by looking at the dash. Replacing flex fan with a 7 blade fan and thermo fan clutch off a 70 GTO.

With the flex fan prior owner had the parts in the following order: water pump, fan pulley, 2" alum spacer, then flex fan, all held together with rather long 3" bolts 5/16 x 24NFT bolted straight through the face of the flex fan.

I've got everything apart for cleaning and painting, needed new water pump so now that that’s here and painted to match and I got the used fan and clutch in the mail I was mocking everything up last night. There’s no way to reuse the 3" bolts unless I disconnect fan clutch from fan.

So should a spacer be used with a stock setup?
(I think I need it, the flex fan never fit "into" the shroud with the spacer so I’m thinking that w/o it the stock fan won’t come close either)
Should I look for studs to connect the fan to the water pump?
Or is it normal to remove the clutch to use long bolts to attach fan to the water pump?

Thanks Howard

[johnta1]

The thermal fans usually just bolted to the water pump using studs, no spacers.

The setup probably will depend on what water pump you have.
They changed after 1969.

Your setup may need tweaking to fit right.

[gtohurstjudge]

There is no spacer with the fan clutch setup. Buy some studs
to go in the water pump and bolt the fan clutch hub directly to the water
pump with nuts screwed onto the studs you bought. this would duplicate
the factory setup.

[surfnuke9]

then the factory setup would leave the clutch fan outside (completely unshrouded) of the fan shroud.

No fan clutch that I found at any parts store listed a different length shaft.

As you can see from the attached, bolting the clutch directly to the water pump would leave the fan unseated in the shroud and about one inch outside of it.

[cuz68]

That looks about right to me, Is it running hot?

[gtohurstjudge]

I don't know what you have done but it looks like the flange
on your water pump is several inches further away from the fan shroud
than it is on any 68-72 A-body I have ever seen. On my 69 the flange on
the water pump is as close to the shroud as yours is with a spacer installed.

[techteacher5561]

is this possible? mine looks like surfnuke's , is it possible the GTO and Lemans/Tempest got different shrouds? I know the parts books say they all got the same,,, but maybe????

Howard

[gtohurstjudge]

I believe you are right about your shroud being different. As I
recall, the 68 GTO's I have worked on in the past had a shroud just like
the one on my 69, and didn't look anything like the shroud in your picture.
Just like my 69, they were one piece plastic with no metal finger guard on top
like yours has. the radiator sits in the shroud and the whole unit is installed
in the car as an assembly, and the rear of the shroud comes much closer to the front of the engine than the one on your car.

[techteacher5561]

GTOHJ, thanks for the info, I'd have posted sooner but the board was SOOOOOOOO slow everytime I tried I got frustrated and just logged off.

Howard