Ok, folks, I've got Horrie back, from the auto-doc, today, and can, now, definitively report that a Jaguar "XJ" (2 1/2" -deep, o.a.) visquous fan clutch WILL fit-and-work, on our Dodge & Plymouth cars. The CHRYs/IMPs (& the 'big' Sotos) may, already, have O.E.M. fan clutches; why should THEY have all the fun???? I don't know if the big(ger-)dogs have room for the standard/modern readily-available 3" clutches, but if that "size" won't "fit' them (as it won't, on the Dods/Plys) , and if a replacement unit becomes necessary, then the 2 1/2" Jag-guy will work, for them, as well. My project was delayed by the necessity of re-coring H's radiator. If/when you do this mod to your ride, you should be prepared to have the following anciliary maintenance be performed: 1. Water pump check-out/replacement. My car's pump was fine, & anti-freeze contains pump-lubricant, but you might encounter a nasty surprize; if you do, now is the time to replace that pump; be prepared, not 'dismayed'! 2. Radiator check-out/clean-out. I thought Horrie's radiator was fine (it looked/acted that way), but, after arriving @ the local rad-shop, for a "rodding-out" operation, the guy looked @ H's naked (paint-stripped) body, & said :"enuf's enuf, after 48+ years, the core's tired. & beginning to corrode. So, a new alunimum 3-row piece was installed, that takes up as much 'room' as the O.E.M.'s 2-row core. 3. Fan belt check-out/replacement; what-the-hell, you're right "there", anyway. 4. Trannie flush/clean-out. I THOUGHT that my parts shop had procured a cast-iron transmission gasket; turns-out "it" was for the aluminum 727-guy. As the transmission is operating perfectly-well, I agreed to have my shop "flush" the trannie fluid, with the radiator removed, & with the engine running. HOW they did this, I dont recall, but, Horrie's now got 18 pints of new-fluid in him. 7-blade fan assemblies are plentiful, and one should be installed in this application, but the O.E.M. 4-blade fan will bolt-right-up, if you want to try to keep an 'original' under-hood appearance. If it doesn't work-out, with adequate air-flow, a 7-blade fan can be easily installed. As for tonite's test drive: WONDERFUL!!! I can't believe how much noise the O.E.M. fan had produced! Now, "you" just hear the exhaust note, and carb-air induction; and not a lot of 'racket', from under the hood. As for performance & MPG, he could, already, light-up his 3.36:1 peg-leg rear end, but his get-up-and-GO is certainly there! Mileage is TBD. As I had retrofitted a water-cooled trannie, I didn't want to mess-around with the plumbing, to the radiator's bottom tank, so I had my mech-shop, do the install on the fan clutch. But, if your car has an air-cooled trannie, or if the prospect of possible plumbing-leakages doesn't faze you, this clutch-installation project is truly a backyard-capable job! The O.E.M. fan bolts are, like, 4" long, so the radiator needs to be drained & removed, to effectuate the removal of the 4-blade fan, and spacer, from the water pump. If (AFTER!) the radiator & water pump check-out OK, and the trannie fluid is replaced, you just have to "do" the following: a): take the clutch to a general-mechanical shop, & have them "bush" the fan clutch's central orifice, so that it will fit tightly to the water pump's protruding-mounting-nub (no big deal), and: b): cut slots into the fan clutch's mounting holes, so that 1" bolts (available @ any parts-house) can be 'maneuvered' into/between the fan clutch & the water pump (REALLY no big deal ). I've got about 40 pics of the complete operation, as above-described, at my office, which has a different 'address: esierraadj@xxxxxxxxxxx anyone is interested in seeing "the details" of this project. I'll just 'reply' to your message, & attach the pics. BTW, as the pics are not captioned, naturally, you'll see: 1. Jag-clutch mated to MoPar 7-blade fan (with the front-edges of the fan lying behind the front-edge/surface of the clutch.) 2. "Bushed" inner orifice of the clutch, with view of its flange's mounting bolt-holes. 3. Views of O.E.M. 4-blade set-up (note the (APPARENTLY-good condition of the radiator) His old/dead water-injection resevoir is also seen. 4. Views of new fan clutch installed, with radiator removed. 5. Detail-views of fan clutch installation, with flange-"slotting" and mounting-bolts seen. 6. Stripped radiator, @ shop, standing next to new/replacement core, and detail views of 'hidden' corrosion @ cooling tubes, at bottom-tank, with prior cooling-tube repair evident---best to replace the core, NOW. 7. Newly-installed 3-row, aluminum radiator core, before-and-after gloss-black painting. 8. A SAD, forlorn-looking (really!) Horace, residing, alone, inside the mechanical shop, over the weekend , awaiting the return of the overhauled radiator.----TELL me, if I'm wrong (or, nuts!) 9. Fully-installed radiator and fan clutch assembly (as of 5/03/05!!!! As "Alumcan" has an intimate relationship with the FWDLK website/chatrooms, (& I know that he LURKS here!) I'd appreciate it, if he'd post my pics/story-info to that site, as this clutch installation information should be shared with as many people, as possible. Finally, I got Horrie's Jag-clutch @: Jagoutlet.com , San Luis Obispo, CA ; they DO have a toll-free phone number; ask for "Terry", my total cost was $47.18, shipped to Bishop, CA. Terry said that 'they' have "quite a few" of these clutches in-stock (gee, I wonder why; XJ Jags 'last' so long [LOL] ). Neil Vedder ************************************************************* To unsubscribe or set your subscription options, please go to http://lists.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=l-forwardlook&A=1 |