This article demonstrates one way to build a fiberglass fan shroud. Cut the shroud away from the form today. Note how the laminate has a dull finish, with the fibers at the surface, but with no dry areas. Little did I know then that he would be THE “Master Fiberglass Technician” that would make a mold from the very first DTM shroud that Joe ever produced. Squeegees don't work well on fiberglass mat. 929 W Pulaski Hwy Elkton, MD 21921 Using PVA will make removing the foam much easier after the part is laid up. The fan shroud is designed to enclose the core area so that when the fan is spinning, air flows through the entire surface area. Unlike others on the market, this comes with instructions and the nuts, bolts, washers, and screws you will need to install it. P/N-N/A Material-Fiberglass Dimensions-28” For more information about this item call. Drill a hole in the rad core template that corresponds to the location of the fan's center. Build a waggy with SOA and 37's for $2500, two update pics.....dial up beware, large pics. the last two I bought both still had them, they looked factory and I know for a fact they were fiberglass and these rigs were 20-30 years old and the shrouds were still holding up. Bring some wet-naps. It is gummy and will not sand properly, making your buck a lot harder to shape than it needs to be. 1966 Ford Thunderbird Fan Shroud, For 19 High Core, 1 Piece Fiberglass Replacement Combined Cancer/Birth Defect WARNING This product can expose you to chemicals including Phthalates which is known to the State of California to cause cancer on birth defects or other reproductive harm. This page has been accessed 84,661 times. You are only limited by your imagination here. Commercially made rollers of many sizes and shapes are available from most fiberglass supply houses. Homemade Fan Shrouds Lets See Them Info Page 2 The H A M B. Shaping this foam also can be done with sandpaper, surform files, knives, and picks. ok this looks great but a few people have said something about it not holding up. Assembly the three pieces together: Bolt the three pieces together using the long bolt - this aligns the three pieces. I have the classic symptoms of needing a shroud (cools fine at speed in any weather, but overheats when not moving). It is very soft and offers little resistance to removal. Fiberglass is very messy, and the dust is quite a nuisance, as shown by the dust that has accumulated on our test dummy. As shown here, hold the material down with one hand while you stretch it over an outside corner with the other. Pick up the material from the wet out board and apply it to the part. I usually stretch the material, and wind up with a section of mat that I can reapply to the stretched, thinned out areas. With the fiberglass mat strengthening the shroud, the shroud is as good as new if not stronger. Exterior fabrication can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be if you follow these tips. Most of it just pops right off, but a blow gun can be used to remove the smaller flakes. This is a mistake and will only make a resin rich, inconsistent part. If the binder has dissolved, the mat will just fall apart when you try to pick it up. (joke from last weekend) The idea of the pusher fan as additional cooling when needed is cool also. Using a piece of thin plywood is a good way to start on any part that has a flat mounting surface. This will make it easy to shape the circle, as well as cut the box section down to its proper thickness. There is a good crack near the opening for the intake runner at cylinder #6. I simply tape the top off with some masking tape, then wax the tape with some mold release wax. The final step in shaping is to radius the square outside corners with sandpaper. Then, give it a little bit of time, and it will soak in. wear protective equipment when handling fiberglass or cutting fiberglass Problem is that my application is custom (summit alum radiator) AND my fan overhangs the radiator in 3 places, so a prefab or kit alum or stainless shroud just won't do it. I'm gonna lick everything you butt doesn't touch!!!! Please specify an application. Make a wood frame (square end for where the radiator would be and round where the fan would go) Cover it with aluminum foil so the 'glass won't stick Staple some stretchy fabric over it to have a basic shape Cover fabric on the outside with fiberglass cloth and resin (do couple of layers, about three around the edges) Once I have painted the buck with resin I can clay up any low spots with modeling clay, and then wax the resin. A hot melt glue gun makes gluing this foam fast and easy. I then spray a coating of polyvinyl alcohol on the waxed surface. In the first picture, the white streaks and crosses are the result of a slightly stressed part; this one was from the laminate being in the sun and curing too fast in that spot. Evercoat-Fiberglass Co. makes a material called Featherfill, Poly-Lux, Inc. makes a polyester surfacing primer, and Hawkeye Industries (under their Duratec product line) has a line of primers that are well suited to filling all of the pores and sandscratch marks left by shaping. Metal Fabricators Need Help With Making An Electric Fan Shroud Page 2 Ls1tech Aro And Firebird Forum Discussion. Stagger the layers so you don't create a big lump. As this is a one-off fan shroud, special fairing techniques are not employed in its execution. It is parallel with the radiator, and there are no hoses or other obstructions to deal with on this particular project. 1966-1967 327 Radiator Cooling Fan Upper Repair Shroud Fiberglass. Drill a hole through the center of the block of wood corresponding to the fan shroud depth. This 1961 Ford Galaxie radiator needs a fan shroud. Reproduction fan shrouds are professionally manufactured to OEM specifications using either fiberglass or molded ABS plastic for a factory fit and appearance. I like the Duratec surfacing primer the best, because you can build up to 0.040" in a single application. There is no more resin on those strips than is on the others, they were wetted out earlier and have soaked up the resin. For more information on the health factors associated with fiberglass, see this article's Related resources. How much clearance is needed around the fan to allow for engine or body movement? The air bubbles can be ground out, and filled. The primer was sprayed with a very old Devilbiss that I bought at a garage sale for $1.00. The fibers are almost floating on the resin, and the appearance is one of shiny, glossy, pure resin, with a very low reinforcement ratio. Some pics of the final part, ready to prime. Keep the hot melt glue away from where you will be sanding. Shop restoration car parts and accessories at Ecklers. Cut strips of 1 1/2 oz fiberglass mat, and lay them out on a piece of cardboard, ready to be wetted out. You do need to be somewhat swift with this part of the laminating process. This fan shroud has 2-piece fiberglass construction. correct me if I'm wrong but weren't the factory ones on the waggies fiberglass. Brush on only enough resin to cover the mat, and then allow it to soak in. The fan shroud was damaged when the fan made contact with the shroud. There will be an extra layer laminated around all of the edges to make the final part about 0.160" thick. I've got zero experience with fiberglass. A trick that professional 'glass guys use is to tear the edges of the mat. The fiberglass has a lot of micro cracks in the surface. Don't try to push it into any inside corners or stretch it over any outside corners just yet. Now that this part is primed with the polyester coating, it can be sanded and top coated with whatever paint system you like. The plywood that is still sticking out from under the foam will be used to form the flat mounting flanges. Once the laminate has cured, the part can be removed from the table. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Any decent body filler that will stick to fiberglass will work. I use polyester surfacing primer on all of my plugs and one-offs. Use a sanding block with 40 grit sandpaper to taper the edges of the plenum box down. Air bubbles look like clear voids, they are easily spotted when you put pressure on them as you can move them around. I made a small miscalculation in the fan tube size and had to add some foam around the edge. It is the resin shrinking and pulling the fibers apart that causes that appearance. The part is still left on the foam and plywood buck because it is easier to handle during the bodywork phase. Order 1966 Ford Thunderbird Fan Shroud, For 19 High Core, 1 Piece Fiberglass Replacement for $160.99 in our huge selection of parts. Then taped it to the radiator to see if it would work. I like Partall #2, aka "green wax". Step 2 We used a hot air welder to apply polypropylene strips to span and cover the hole. Learn how to repair a window channel, make a patch panel, chrome plate fiberglass … Hey guys in this "how to" I will explain how I built a fan shroud out of fiberglass, to house 2 electric fans (12 inches each) and mount on a Koyo aluminum radiator. Fiberglass lends itself beautifully for such a job. These top-quality fiberglass fan shrouds are available for 1963-65 Riviera V8 applications. Ok, boys, here's my foray into fabbing my own fiberglass fan shroud. The shroud was removed and it was determined that the shroud was made out of polypropylene. Notice in the picture how there are some areas of mat that are darker, and have become transparent. 10/26 You can also use the polyurethane insulating foam that is available from building supply stores. center of fan is 8 14" down from inside seam. once it has a few layers of fiberglass let it completely cure then cut the fiberglass mold in sections and remove the foam after it is all removed put all the pieces back together and fiberglass all the seams back together and let it cure next is a lot of sanding and smoothing then primer and painting. Then, fit and glue pieces of foam larger than your layout on the board. You wouldn't need the shroud if you just left the hood open a little bit. How will the shroud attach to the radiator? Saw this in person this weekend! Just clamp the shroud to the table, and lay up 3 layers of fiberglass mat. Nice write-up,'where do you get the fleece? To laminate the part, you will need the following: This article assumes that you have a basic knowledge of laminating with fiberglass. My First Attempt At A Fan Shroud Miata Turbo Forum Boost Cars Acquire Cats. The foam layers are hot glued to each other and to a 1/4" mdf backer board. This page was last modified on 22 August 2012, at 00:10. Post the year and model for everyone. Shrouds are sold per each. so, I figured it is time to learn how to fiberglass I took a bunch of measurements and ended up at 24 1/4" x 17 3/4" radiator inside seam. Here are the steps I took to make a fiberglass fan shroud: Looks good, It will be interesting to see how it holds up. On an exterior body part, air bubbles would not be acceptable. If you rely on a belt-driven fan for engine cooling, a fan shroud is a must to pull the air through the radiator. Don't do this in your house, or anywhere without adequate ventilation. You can also glue the foam down with an expanding urethane glue, such as Gorilla glue, or some of the expanding foam that comes in an aerosol can. The dust will migrate everywhere if you don't exhaust it, or collect it. This foam is available in thicknesses from 1/2" up to 6" thick at any fiberglass supply house. It's correct for 352 & 390 V8 With Heavy Duty Cooling Or Factory A/C. As mentioned before, this shroud is going to need to enclose the radiator where the fan swings 1" above the top. When wetting out mat with resin, many people work the resin into the mat while it is on the wet out board. Step 2: Shape the buck with sandpaper: Step 3: Notice the tilt of the foam. Here are the steps I took to make a fiberglass fan shroud: Step 1: Use 1" insulating foam to build the buck (form). Now the foam buck can be chiseled out. Without a shroud, air will take the path of least resistance, pulling air from over and under the radiator instead of through it. Follow all instructions provided with your materials in regard to proper catalyzation of the resin and storage and handling of your tools and materials. never used foam as a shape, just 2 pieces of masonite and streched the fleece over them to shape then resin and a few layers of fiberglass cloth. This tapers the thickness down at the edge, making a smoother overlap. That would be another good post- the fan and wiring. cans for mixing resin and holding acetone for washing your hands and tools. Going to take care of that tomorrow. Mdill, what would be a better material to use for making a shroud that is going to be subjected to such intense temp swings? Move slowly, applying enough pressure to roll the air out, but not so much pressure that you move the mat around or push all of the resin out. Even your fingers can shape this foam quite easily and rapidly. There are many other ways to shape your buck. Great job. We ship worldwide. 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