trouble getting fan shroud on...

[GREASE FIRE]

when i bought my truck the fan shroud was not on it, but the previous owner still had it so i took it along. I have tried a few times to put it on but it never seemed to fit for some reason and i had too many other things to fix on this truck so i never got around to it. But now i need to so can anyone tell me if there are some tricks you need to know? it seems to me that the upper rad hose needs to come off (which is why i did not do that before since i had the truck's coolant flushed and added sca's so didn't want to lose the coolant). Does anything else have to come off as well?
it seems impossible to get it back on without taking stuff apart. any help would be greatly appreciated! my a/c doesn't work as well without it and it is so hot here.
thanks,
Paul

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Upper hose and engine fan need off before you can move the shroud, actually the fan and the shroud go in together.

 

[icanfixall]

The posting above is true but... You can install the fan and clutch with the shroud bolted to the rad support. Its tight but it works. Slide a piece of cardboard down between the rad and the fan before you loosen it. That may save the radiator from damage. The fan nut is left hand threads... It requires 165 lbs of torque and I usually apply some blue loctite to the threads. Do not use the red loctite. Its way to hard to remove the fan later but the blue is just right....

 

[hesutton]

Upper hose and engine fan need off before you can move the shroud, actually the fan and the shroud go in together.

X 2. That's the way I've always had to put them on/off. I never use loctite on the threads though. In fact, I'm the opposite. I use antiseize. The fan clutch can be a real PITA to get off and on. It requires a 1 7/8 wrench, and a huge pair of channel locks to get on/off without the special Ford tool. It is left hand thread (right to loosen and left to tighten).

Heath

 

[LCAM-01XA]

I have loctite on mine, the red kind at that - it comes off fine with just a propane torch (no oxy-acetylene outfit or even MAPP gas torch needed) and the wrench and an air chisel or a BFH, I wouldn't trust the thing one bit without some threadlocker in there. Threadlocker also doubles up as anti-seize, as once warmed up nice it allows things to come apart rather smoothly. But it seems this particular subject is all a matter of personal preference

 

[GREASE FIRE]

my fan shroud is a two-piece. Does that still mean there is no way to install it without taking off the fan?
thanks,
Paul

 

[Agnem]

Most guys never bother unbolting the two pieces, so maybe it can be done if you do. As for locktight and all that junk.... If you use the right tool, and tighten it to factory spec, then it's as good as it was from the factory. Of course a lot of guys don't want to spend $75 for the tool though, which leads to air chisles and such. I have the tool, and have removed and installed dozens of fans and never had one come off inappropriately.

 

[icanfixall]

While I tend to agree with much of the above posting from all I tend to lean towards the safety of loctite. When I remove a fan clutch off my motors I'm using the factory tools designed for this but... I'm also using a 36 inch snapon breaker bar and a 18 inch craftsman breaker bar. These large nuts are tuff to break loose even without the aid of loctite. As I recall the torque is something like 160 lbs. Years ago after I cavitated the shop that did the sleeve work "fastened" the fan nut so tight I nearly died getting it loose to replace the pump. Even with my long breaker bars it still took probably 300 + lbs to break it loose. Now I'm able to do what needs to be done and the added protection of the blue loctite allows me to sleep better. Its amazing how quickly my motor stops when the key is turned off. With 530 lbs of compression it stops right now as if its locked up. Kinda freaky to watch too. The thought of that heavy B29 fan breaking loose and spinning into my aluminum Rodney Red radiator is yesterdays worries.... I don't have a spare fan behind the rear seat either... The spare in in the shop...

 

[LCAM-01XA]

my fan shroud is a two-piece. Does that still mean there is no way to install it without taking off the fan?

I have a one-piece shroud, but from what I see around it, if it were a two-piece design (with upper and lower half that is) then fan removal don't seem like it would be needed. Removal of the lower radiator hose tho, and the transmission cooling lines, that would be required.

As for locktight and all that junk.... If you use the right tool, and tighten it to factory spec, then it's as good as it was from the factory. Of course a lot of guys don't want to spend $75 for the tool though, which leads to air chisles and such. I have the tool, and have removed and installed dozens of fans and never had one come off inappropriately.

Well that $75 tool costs right about three times more than I'm willing to pay for something I'll use right about once or twice in my lifetime - heck I only removed the fan cause I was doing preventive replacement on the pump, if I weren't so paranoid about it sometimes I'd still be running the factory pump now. The tool I use on the other hand is a kit that comes with several different-size wrenches, then you attach a long rod at the very end of those, and slide the end of the rod into the air hammer - thus you use the air tool's power instead of fighting huge breaker bars. Taking an air-chisel directly to the nut on the water pump shaft, I'll pass on that, seen it done and it's a hack-job IMHO, I'd rather use tools made for the job - granted not this exact (IDI) job, but that type (fan clutch replacement) of job. Now if I were like Ron or yourself with several IDIs to maintain all the time then yes, purchase of said tool would be a no-brainer

Its amazing how quickly my motor stops when the key is turned off. With 530 lbs of compression it stops right now as if its locked up. Kinda freaky to watch too. The thought of that heavy B29 fan breaking loose and spinning into my aluminum Rodney Red radiator is yesterdays worries....

Mine does the same thing, I got no idea what compression it makes but it stops dead in its tracks - and this is with the B29 fan bolted firmly to the water pump, darn thing shakes the whole truck when it comes to a halt

 

[icanfixall]

I have never worked on a rig with the two piece shroud but I'm guessing it can be installed by rotating it around the hoses and such. I'm thinking they only came on the extra wide radiators like Mel has on the moos truck....