CFR Performance Electric Fan - Cool Breeze

Cfr Performance Electric Fan Install Complete

Here are all of the goodies we ordered to convert our ’70 Camaro from an engine-driven fan to an electric system. We picked up a 16-inch curved-blade fan (PN HZ-1009CU $54.99) and aluminum shroud (PN HZ-1009-31, $89.99) from CFR Performance. To control the fan, we ordered a Painless Performance F5 fan controller (PN 30141, $249.97) from Summit Racing.

Here are all of the goodies we ordered to convert our ’70 Camaro from an engine-driven fan

By now you should all know the benefits of replacing the stock belt-driven fan with an electric unit, but if not, here is a little refresher. The first benefit will be for all you power junkies out there, which is freeing up some horsepower—anywhere from 5-10 hp (sometimes more) than with a clutch fan. Since the fan will no longer be driven from the motor, all the power it took to turn said fan is free to move to where it counts: the rear tires.

The second benefit will be better cooling capabilities at lower speeds. Why, you ask? Well when you are sitting in traffic or at a light, it's up to the fan to pull air through the radiator, and since an electric fan is not dictated by engine rpm it has the ability to spin faster and pull more air than a belt fan spinning at idle.

One thing that has most enthusiasts a little gun shy when it comes to electric fans is the thought “I've heard the electric stuff fails, and I would rather stick with my tried and true mechanical fan.” That may have been the case back in the infancy of aftermarket electric fans, but thanks to better fans and smart controllers, the fans can last much longer and provide years of trouble-free service.

Our '70 Z28 has a big clutch fan hanging off the front of the motor and a huge plastic shroud that visually covers most of the front of the engine. We wanted to add a modern electric fan and controller setup and ditch the ugly stuff while staying within a budget of right around 400 bucks. One thing to note is we have already installed a high-output alternator to handle the added power consumption of the fan. The install is in this very issue, so make sure to check it out.

Cfr Performance Electric Fan Radiator Removed

1. The first step was to drain the cooling system so we could remove the radiator and shroud.

1. The first step was to drain the cooling system so we could remove the radiator and shr

For the fan, we looked to CFR Performance and the company's big 16-inch high-performance universal electric fan that flows 2,300 cfm @ 2,479 rpm. The unit features eight fully balanced curved blades driven by a reversible, sealed bearing, high-torque motor, and a durable plastic mounting ring. To make installation a snap, CFR also offers universal shrouds that are pre-drilled for the CFR Performance electric fans. No more push-through clips or ugly looking metal straps holding the fan. Plus, adding a shroud to the radiator allows for 100-percent cooling of the radiator core instead of the area directly in front of the fan.

To control the fan, we took a trip to Summit Racing and ordered an F5 single fan controller from Painless Performance. The F5 fan control system includes an underhood-rated, solid-state pulse-width modulation controller, 3/8 NPT threaded temperature sensor, large-gauge fan wires and a labeled vehicle integration wire harness, mounting hardware, 70-amp fuse, and connectors. This is one sophisticated piece that takes the mundane task of turning the fan on at the correct temperature to the next level.

The F5 will turn on the fan at a user-set temperature at 50 percent, and if the temperature continues to increase the controller speeds up the fans little by little until it reaches 100 percent. This not only increases the life of the fan but also will keep the engine temp more consistent instead of it going it up and down as the fan turns on and off. The controller also has parameters to turn the fans on to 100 percent when the A/C is engaged, turn the fan off at highway speeds (if your car is equipped with an electronic speedo with a VSS signal), and there is even a manual override toggle switch that allows you to turn the fans on or off for those times when you are working on the car.

2. Then we could remove the clutch fan assembly. We had to take a trip to the hardware store to get some shorter bolts to hold on the water pump pulley. These are fine-thread bolts, so learn from us and buy some before you start the job.
2. Then we could remove the clutch fan assembly. We had to take a trip to the hardware st
3. The fan and shroud are sold separately, so they need to be bolted together. The aluminum shroud is predrilled, so joining the two is pretty simple, however, no hardware is provided.
3. The fan and shroud are sold separately, so they need to be bolted together. The alumin
4. The shroud has two long flat areas along the top and bottom that have three holes drilled in them. This is where you will mount the shroud to the outer supports of the radiator core. This shroud is designed for radiator cores that have the outer supports flush with the core itself. Our radiator’s supports are not flush with the core, so we needed a small little spacer. Yes, we are drilling into the radiator here with some self-tapping screws. The outer supports are hollow and do not carry any coolant, but confirm this on your radiator before drilling anything.
4. The shroud has two long flat areas along the top and bottom that have three holes dril

5. With the fan/shroud assembly installed, we slipped the radiator back in the car and moved on to the controller portion of the installation. The controller uses an OE-quality thermostatic sensor that we tossed in the side of the passenger head. Painless recommends putting the sensor in the head; if you don’t have provisions in the head, then the water neck or intake manifold will do.
5. With the fan/shroud assembly installed, we slipped the radiator back in the car and mo
6. We mounted the controller on the passenger side of the core support, but more on that later. With the components in place we had our wire guy, Lucky Costa from Mobile Tech, string the wires according to the Painless schematic. For the connections that will reside near a heat source, like the main power feed wire, Lucky soldered on the terminals.
6. We mounted the controller on the passenger side of the core support, but more on that
7. Since our battery is in the trunk of this car, the main feed wire will be hooked to the 12V post on the starter. Lucky routed the wires up the back side of the inner fender and then behind the fender for a nice and tidy look. He also put some wire loom over the wires, one thing not included in the Painless kit.
7. Since our battery is in the trunk of this car, the main feed wire will be hooked to th

8. All the other terminals were crimped and then hit with a heat gun to compress the shrink tube. All the terminals, wire, and shrink tube are provided in the Painless kit.
8. All the other terminals were crimped and then hit with a heat gun to compress the shri
9. Here is where we put the control box. The box is a solid-state piece, so it’s pretty dang rugged, but it does have two potentiometers on the side that you will need to access with a small Phillips screwdriver, so keep that in mind when choosing a location for yours. Also note the nice large ground spade right next to the box.
9. Here is where we put the control box. The box is a solid-state piece, so it’s pretty d
10. The controller comes with a three-position switch that gives you full control over the fan if you need it. The three positions are Off, Normal, and On. With the switch in the Normal position, the controller will be running the fan; Off will shut the fan off no matter what the controller is telling it; and On turns it on, again no matter what the controller is telling the fan. You don’t need to wire this switch into the system if you don’t want to; the controller will function just fine without it.
10. The controller comes with a three-position switch that gives you full control over th

11. These are the wires for the VSS and A/C hook-ups. Since our car has no A/C and a cable speedo, we won’t need these hooked up for our application at this time. They were just rolled up and tucked out of the way. The A/C control would have turned the fans on 100 percent when the A/C was engaged, and the VSS would have shut the fans off at highway speeds.
11. These are the wires for the VSS and A/C hook-ups. Since our car has no A/C and a cabl
12. The other end of the main feed wire comes up to the 70-amp fuse holder we installed right next to the controller box. One more power wire was made and hooked between the other post on the fuse holder and the positive side of the fan.
12. The other end of the main feed wire comes up to the 70-amp fuse holder we installed r
13. There are two heavy-gauge wires that come out of the control box. One is the ground we mentioned earlier; the other runs down to the ground side of the fan motor. Here, Lucky is securing the wires with a zip-tie. The last connection to be made for the controller is the keyed power source, but unfortunately we didn’t snap a picture of that. Lucky found a good spot right at the horn relay to hook up this wire.
13. There are two heavy-gauge wires that come out of the control box. One is the ground w

14. With all the connections made, we hooked up the battery, hit the manual switch, and the fan turned on with a nice whoosh. So, we shut it off and filled the radiator with coolant.
14. With all the connections made, we hooked up the battery, hit the manual switch, and t
15. Then we fired up the car and let it come up to temp so we could adjust the potentiometers. car reaches 180 Since we have a 190-degree thermostat in the engine, we set the Fan Start On to 170 degrees and the Fan Full On to 210. When our car reaches 170, the fan will come on at 50 percent power, and if it reaches 210, the fan will spin at 100 percent power. Because the unit is adjustable, if these settings don’t keep our temp consistent we can just adjust the settings till it’s perfect.
15. Then we fired up the car and let it come up to temp so we could adjust the potentiome
16. Here is what the system looks like once it’s all in. We have to say it looks pretty tidy. With the stock shroud out of the way we can see more of the motor, and with the clutch fan gone the motor definitely seams snappier. When we blip the throttle, the R’s come up noticeably quicker.
16. Here is what the system looks like once it’s all in. We have to say it looks pretty t