Electric fan shroud to radiator fasteners

[greatscot3]

Hey all

I've got a 22"x4 row champion radiator with a dual electric fan shroud for the radiator.
Does anyone here know what U-clip or kepnut would work to secure the shroud to the radiator?
Bolt size, and reach info for the U-clip would work great because I haven't any idea what to use.
Additionally, whenever I ask the people that sell the shroud and radiator, they haven't a clue either. It's like they have never done it before. One would really think they ought to know.

 

[CCKen]

Hey all

I've got a 22"x4 row champion radiator with a dual electric fan shroud for the radiator.
Does anyone here know what U-clip or kepnut would work to secure the shroud to the radiator?
Bolt size, and reach info for the U-clip would work great because I haven't any idea what to use.
Additionally, whenever I ask the people that sell the shroud and radiator, they haven't a clue either. It's like they have never done it before. One would really think they ought to know.



View attachment 62825

At Cold Case our shrouds have nutserts in the shroud to mount the fans. The legs slide into the grooves on the fan to mount to the shroud.

 

[CCKen]

Hey all

I've got a 22"x4 row champion radiator with a dual electric fan shroud for the radiator.
Does anyone here know what U-clip or kepnut would work to secure the shroud to the radiator?
Bolt size, and reach info for the U-clip would work great because I haven't any idea what to use.
Additionally, whenever I ask the people that sell the shroud and radiator, they haven't a clue either. It's like they have never done it before. One would really think they ought to know.



View attachment 62825

Looking at your photo. There is enough room to drill holes and use a bolt nut and lock washer to mount them.

 

[CCKen]

Hey all

I've got a 22"x4 row champion radiator with a dual electric fan shroud for the radiator.
Does anyone here know what U-clip or kepnut would work to secure the shroud to the radiator?
Bolt size, and reach info for the U-clip would work great because I haven't any idea what to use.
Additionally, whenever I ask the people that sell the shroud and radiator, they haven't a clue either. It's like they have never done it before. One would really think they ought to know.



View attachment 62825

Our shrouds mount to the radiator with pop rivets or self tapping screws.

 

[greatscot3]

At Cold Case our shrouds have nutserts in the shroud to mount the fans. The legs slide into the grooves on the fan to mount to the shroud.

CCKen

Thanks for your reply. My fans each have four ears with holes in the injection molding of the plastic to mount the fans directly to the face of the shroud. I match drilled the holes in the shroud for the fan to shroud mounting. That isn't a problem and I have seen people use U-clips in that position. I don't like U-clips there because they hold the fan face away from the shroud about 1/8".
I also got kits with the fans with the slide on feet you mention. I think these are for installing the fans directly onto the face of the radiator presumably when no shroud is used. I am not using the slide on feet. I am using the molded in "ears".
My problem is mounting the shroud to the radiator. If you look, they kind of painted that situation into a corner.
If you look at the bend on the radiator to shroud mount, you would have to either try to hold a nut inside that bend (possible for two, two are way too far from the edge) and put a very short screw through the shroud into the nut behind the bend, or you would have to try to get a very very short screw behind that bend with the threads projecting out towards the engine and try to put a nut on that. If you do that, there won't be enough threads sticking out to fully engage the nut and no room for any lockwasher.
U-clips might work but I need to find the correct reach, and the bolt or screw diameter. 1/4-20 would be nice. Kind of a dumb design. I would have put Kepnuts or weldnuts in that flange, then bent it over into position like it is.
I keep wondering why none of the manufacturers seem to know specifically what fastener to use. It might even have been nice if the shroud maker supplied them. Really huge leap to think someone might want to actually mount the shroud on the radiator.

 

[greatscot3]

Looking at your photo. There is enough room to drill holes and use a bolt nut and lock washer to mount them.

CCKen

Look at the pic of the radiator at the mounting holes. two are close to the edges, two are farther in from the edge. I could probably drill some more holes in the shroud and the radiator mounting flange to get the mounting holes closer to the edge to try to hold and put nuts on them but I think in this case a U-clip of some type would be easier. I need to find one of those that both fits the holes in the shroud and the mounting holes in the radiator flange.
I might be able to use a pop rivet but those are kind of a pain if you want to take them off.
You would be drilling out a pop rivet with the radiator core directly behind it.
Self tapping screws might work but hard to get the right length to secure two flat pieces of aluminum together without running it into the radiator core.

 

[greatscot3]

Our shrouds mount to the radiator with pop rivets or self tapping screws.

CCKen

Does your radiator and shroud look exactly like mine?

BTW, thanks for your help.

 

[CCKen]

• 

• 
• Our has an outer flange that the shroud mounts to. We use the slide in feet as well.

 

[greatscot3]

• View attachment 62845

• View attachment 62846
• Our has an outer flange that the shroud mounts to. We use the slide in feet as well.

CCKen
Thanks very much for your replies. Your method of fastening looks way better than mine.
I think what I'm going to do is drill some new holes closer to the top edge and slot all of them a little with a Dremel tool and get six beefy as possible U-clips.
I thought about using pop rivets and screws and nuts but in the end with rivets, I basically have to dump the coolant and take the radiator off to remove the fan shroud. With nuts and screws I have to try to get the nuts off from underneath with a tiny little wrench or a screwdriver. U-clips don't have that problem.
Maybe the U-clips will allow for more expansion and contraction. Any air gap I can close with foam sealing tape. I just thought maybe someone else here might have seen this too.

 

[CCKen]

Sounds like a good option. Good luck.