Are you describing an aftermarket flex fan or an OEM blade (blades attached to fan hub w/ rivets) that was generally used with a fan clutch (much later usage than period being discussed here)?

The only way a solid blade/hub would come apart is if there was a stress crack in the assembly.

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Just those plain jane solid steel fans used on myriad cars and trucks for decades. What happens is a fan blade lets go, maybe due to corrosion. It probably doesn't happen very often, but they can do tremendous damage or serious injury when they do. "Stress cracks" or other defects may not necessarily be visible to any casual or even not so casual inspection.

Please describe how a full metal fan comes apart.

The blades (if not solid stamped) are either riveted and/or welded together at the hub and either the rivets have to come loose, the actual hub mounting fails or a stress crack (hidden or visible) causes a failure.

Never seen an actual solid steel stamped blade come apart. Seen plenty of later design with flex blades come loose.

FAN BLADE - 3 BLADE STAMPED -



FAN BLADE - 4 BLADE WELDED -



FAN BLADE - REPLACEMENT TYPE ( BIRD VENDORS) - Blades Rivet to Hub
This was later FORD ASSEMBLY also (It is this one you can't stand to either side of with engine running).



Please don't take this as personal because I don't want to be directed to your bag of tricks ...

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I sincerely hope you get to feeling better soon or, whatever personal issues might loom. See also: Passive Aggressive. Jeeze Louise. We're all here for ya ...

Anyhoo for whatever reason, 60 or 70+ year old steel fan blades just fail now and then. We don't need an FAA level investigation to know this. Beware old fan blades, particularly when performing tune ups. This was my only point.

I sincerely hope you get to feeling better soon or, whatever personal issues might loom. See also: Passive Aggressive. Jeeze Louise. We're all here for ya ...

Anyhoo for whatever reason, 60 or 70+ year old steel fan blades just fail now and then. We don't need an FAA level investigation to know this. Beware old fan blades, particularly when performing tune ups. This was my only point.

Oh, I am feeling much better not having heard YOUR BAG of TRICKS being suggested for my evening feeding.

You made a general statement and I just wanted to know when you saw an early fan blade come apart. No big deal, take your pack off and stand easy. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. Reach down and pull that sucked in MARVIN out of your posterior.

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Fans can and do come apart, though rarely.  Many years ago, I was riding with a friend in his new 396 when there was a sharp noise followed by a large vibration.  The upward dent in his hood was the first clue, but one of the blades had separated from the rest of the fan.  We limped back to town which pretty much destroyed the water pump.  The dealer replaced the water pump under warranty, but not the fan and certainly didn't fix the hood.
Anyway, that's my fan story.
Don

... one of the blades had separated from the rest of the fan ...

What style fan was it? Did a riveted blade become separated or did a solid fan fracture?

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Ford had a big ? problem with the 3 blade fans in the 55 Tbirds coming apart.  The fix was an added reinforcement plate


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Ford had a big ? problem with the 3 blade fans in the 55 Tbirds coming apart.  The fix was an added reinforcement plate

Do you have any tech reference to the above statement? FORD replaced the 3-blade with a 4-blade in the service history. There has to be a SERVICE LETTER reference somewhere.

Is anyone here a member of CTCI? They seem to have much info but you have to be a member ($$$) to access it.

https://www.ctci.org/earlybird-technical-article-index/?selected_category_id=87

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