My daughter gave me a old Motor Guide magazine Feb 1957 and in it is a picture of the "New Mercury Power Booster fan saves 17 horsepower"...Did Fairlane use these too or are they just a Merc option?



Has anyone seen one of these fans?



Also in the magazine, they compare the 57 Ford vs the Plymouth; also talk about fuel injection and how Detroit is invading Stock car racing. Great little magazine for 25cents.



Happy New Years to all.

Gordie T           Long Point, Ontario

Gordie:

I saw one of those fans years ago, it was installed on a '55 T-Bird that was dragged out of a barn.  I was hired to get it running.  Don't know what ever happened to the car.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Was that an early version of the clutch fan? Or something different? Chuck in NH

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

Chuck:

It was some type of clutch fan, but unlike anything available OEM in the '60s.  I seem to remember it was strictly mechanical in its operation, not like the fluid coupling type of the '60s and later.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

According to the mag, "The fan, controlled thermostatically, has a hydraulic coupling element using silicone fluid".



It caught my eye as I didn't know they had these in the 50's.




Gordie T           Long Point, Ontario

The clutch fan was an option on the '57 312 Mercury engine.



The water pump was different. The hub on the front of the water pump was 4 inches in diameter. A silicon (?) filled, finned aluminum viscous clutch unit sandwiched a 6 3/4 inch diameter orange painted steel pulley in place on the pump hub. The clutch unit was secured to the water pump hub with 4 bolts. An orange 4 blade 18 1/4 inch diameter painted steel fan was mounted on 4 steel studs on the front of the viscous clutch unit using 4 lock washers and nuts.



The clutch unit provided a fluid connection between the fan blade and the water pump. The fan blade could be spun without the engine running. When the engine was turned off after running, the fan would free wheel and eventually come to a stop.



Regards,

NoShortcuts

NoShortcuts
a.k.a. Charlie Brown
near Syracuse, New York

Thanks...sounds neat but I wonder why it didn't spread to other cars...



Gt

Gordie T           Long Point, Ontario