2G FAL Fan died, Spal Upgrade using FAL shroud

[Detail]

Like many of you I purchased the 2G FAL 325 (flex-a-lite) fans back in the day and bolted them to a fluidyne radiator thinking it was going to be an upgrade and to make room for my FMIC piping. Unfortunately, my main (condensor) fan died after 14 years of faithful service and FAL wanted $150 for a replacement motor. Let's be honest, the FAL fans are not impressive and I could never run AC in the summer without overheating in GA.

Time for an upgrade!
So I went out and purchased a Spal 30102038 12in Puller Fan PaddleBlade rated at 1640 CFM after eyeballing if it would fit behind my J-Pipe. Turns out if you take your time with a dremel, you can actually get it to compression fit into the original FAL shroud! I'm pretty sure I can squeeze one in on the driver's side if/when the AC fan takes a dump. If you have FAL fans, this should be on your list of things to do. With the main fan only I can drop from 210 to 203 in about 1 minute or two of running at idle. Turning both fans drops the temperature to 190 very quickly.

Test fit:

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Cut the dead fan out:

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From the backside, align the fan so you only have to remove a small portion of the shroud and mark it:

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Cut the reliefs to allow the fan to push into the shroud. Note that the sanding attachment worked better than the cutting:

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All done. Note the new fan is simply compression fit from the back of the shroud. I did not use any bolts:

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Fits great!

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Now how do I program the Link to turn the fans on when I want them?

 

[Detail]

Came back a few years later and finished this up. Recently charged the AC and it was working but the car was slightly overheating at traffic lights in GA. Bought another fan (part number above). Trimmed it the same way as before and had to trim thew new fan itself in the middle of the shroud where both fans come together. They both fit! 3200cfm on full blast now! Again, both fans are simply behind the original shroud with a compression fit. We’ll see how long it hold up to that manifold heat.

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[Deanmausolf]

Hey man! I appreciate these pics! I'm a new DSM owner south of Atlanta and have to get new fans on before I drive it to far. Thanks again!

 

[donniekak]

Spal recommended I mount my fans directly to the radiator.