Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Mystery Bent Cooling Fan Blades

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Mystery Bent Cooling Fan Blades

    To trim the grass around the house and garage, I bought this antique Majestic lawn mower a couple weeks ago. The cutting blade was installed upside down, and while I was correcting that I noticed just how bent these cooling fan blades are. I don't see anyway this could have been an accident. It looks to me like this had to be purposely done. At least one blade is so tightly bent backwards that I'll have to heat it red hot before attempting to bend it back to the right curvature. All the other Power Products mower engines I've seen like this have had a larger diameter fan with smaller blades. It's just incredible what some people do to their equipment.

    I've always liked these little 2 stroke Power Products engines with their ball bearing cranks and needle bearing rods. I'd guess this mower is from the 50's, but will try to research it. I like how basic they are with no extra tin covers. No oil changes, just mix non detergent oil to gas 1:16 ratio. When I was in 11th grade I made one of these engines into a go kart engine and installed a dual carb manifold on it. I made a stupid mistake though when I ported it. I enlarged the ports to the max by cutting out the webs, and this allowed the rings to expand and catch on the top of the port edge. I then had to taper the top edge of the port so the rings would slide by.
    You do not have permission to view this gallery.
    This gallery has 3 photos.

  • #2
    Is it self propelled? :p
    3~ Tudor's & 1~ Coupe
    Henry Ford said,
    "It's all nuts and bolts"
    "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

    Mitch's Auto Service ctr

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Mitch View Post
      Is it self propelled? :p
      Yep, it's propelled by myself. Well, yesterday I got the blades red hot to bend them back to the right direction, then this morning I bent them to the right shape, sandblasted it again, painted the parts, and reinstalled them. Then I poured in a half tank of mixed gas, and it started on the first pull, so I used it to trim for half an hour. It sure runs nice, especially for something that probably hasn't run for the past 20 years or more. It didn't even smoke or go "ring, ding, ding, ding like a lot of 2 stroke engines. It just purred away as it cut the grass. The gas tank has rust inside from setting unused for so many years, so I'll remove it and clean it out later.
      Here's a picture of a parts Majestic on the left that I picked up a few years ago, thinking I'd restore it and use it. I still might, but all that's there is a stuck engine and bare deck, so I have some parts to find.

      PP 1.JPG

      Comment


      • Mitch
        Mitch commented
        Editing a comment
        So that fan just spins out in the open with no guard over it? Seems dangerous

    • #4
      On the left parts mower with the stuck engine, I sprayed Kroil into the cylinder 3 days ago, then yesterday I added some light oil and used my Milwaukee heat gun to get the cylinder hot. I was hoping the heat would expand the cylinder more than the piston, and break the rust bond, but it still won't budge. My next move is probably to make a spark plug with a grease fitting, then fill the cylinder with oil and pump the grease gun to see if the piston will move.

      I have an old Maytag washing machine engine with a stuck piston, and will some day try the grease gun on that also.

      Comment

      Related Topics

      Collapse

      • carolinamudwalker
        Radiator fan blades
        by carolinamudwalker
        Not sure I agree with a previous post about the reason aircraft went to more propeller blades. I logged over 2000 combat hours in a C-130 during Vietnam. This plane has an overhead wing with no ground clearance problems. In my time it had 4 blades, now it has 6 blades and engineers are working on 8 blades. I don't know how to post pictures of the 8 blades but if curious just Google C-130 PROPELLER...
        05-28-2019, 01:45 PM
      • 29er
        Balancing the Fan
        by 29er
        I've never seen a discussion about whether the fan should be balanced before it is installed in the car. I have a repro 2-blade aluminum fan, but the question is relevant to them all. It would seem that the fan, like all other spinning things (wheels, lawn mower blades, etc) should be balanced so that undo stress is not placed on the water pump. There's even a thread by Tom W over at that other Ford...
        06-11-2017, 05:38 PM
      • sideline
        Clanging Noise
        by sideline
        I noticed a clanging noise when backing up, not always but if I goosed the throttle to get it rolling.
        Looking under the hood for suspect areas I noticed a shiny spot on three of the four fan blades. The closest object for it to hit looked to be the top radiator hose clamp. I applied a piece of blue painters tape on it and sure enough that was the spot. I used a Dremel to grind a small amount...
        09-25-2018, 06:52 AM
      • Patrick
        Tale of an elusive rattle,
        by Patrick
        I've been chasing a rattle for a couple years but wasn't too worried about it. Can't make it happen when I'm trying to find it, it'll only do it most of the time when driving making it tough to find. I've thought it was the generator or headlight shell, so they were taken apart.

        I brought the monster in for its yearly check a couple months early and determined to fine that noise....
        08-26-2019, 03:06 PM
      • Jedmundcars
        Engine Cooling Fan
        by Jedmundcars
        Hi Guys. Quick question. I'm installing a new water pump on Clarabelle. She has a 4 blade fan on her that looks exactly like the pics I see of the later Model B, etc. I thought since I had to pull the radiator I might as well put the 2 blade fan back on. I read where after a certain year (33-34) they replaced that 2 blade with this 4 blade when they needed to be replaced. I guess because of breaking...
        08-09-2019, 06:25 PM
      • Mitch
        Original steel fan blade dangers
        by Mitch
        Original thread

        Many folks in the hobby are unaware of the danger that lurks when running an original style 2 or 4 blade fan. If your car has one replacing it should be a priority to prevent bodily injury or damage to the car. The suppliers sell a replacement aluminum 2 blade fan that is well balanced and safe. Here is a link to some more info regarding the construction and deficiency's...
        You do not have permission to view this gallery.
        This gallery has 2 photos.
        07-23-2017, 08:13 PM
      • Mitch
        Original steel fan blade dangers
        by Mitch
        Many folks in the hobby are unaware of the danger that lurks when running an original style 2 or 4 blade fan. If your car has one replacing it should be a priority to prevent bodily injury or damage to the car. The suppliers sell a replacement aluminum 2 blade fan that is well balanced and safe. Here is a link to some more info regarding the construction and deficiency's of the original style fan....
        You do not have permission to view this gallery.
        This gallery has 2 photos.
        07-23-2017, 08:13 PM
      • Jeff/Illinois
        Is a cracked fan blade........
        by Jeff/Illinois
        ............even worth trying to restore today with the good quality aluminum blades sold by Snyder's and Bratton's?

        I have one headed to the scrap pile if not. Also sounds like loose rust scale in the blade when you shake it.
        06-22-2018, 10:41 AM
      • Steve Plucker
        Aluminum Fan...Breaking...
        by Steve Plucker
        While on a tour this last weekend, one of the participants had a nice surprise...one of the fan blades made a clean break. Put a dent in the left side of his hood.

        Has there been other reports of this happening?

        Pluck
        06-18-2018, 09:39 PM
      • copgib
        Radiator Fan Blades
        by copgib
        I was wondering if I should change my 2-blade fan for a different type and wanted to get everyones opinion. Thanks
        05-10-2018, 09:00 PM
      Working...
      X