Bill Stewart Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 My 36 Roadmaster has an aftermarket fan on steering column that has soft rubber blades. The rubber is shot. I haven't found an acceptable replacement. Any ideas would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pont35cpe Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Most likely a Trico brand vacuum fan. There are several listed on ebay both the rubber type and the caged type which has a metal fan. Sometimes parts and pieces are listed. Or take yours apart and make new rubber blades and reassemble. Personally, I bought the caged type for my `36 40series coupe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stewart Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 Thanks. I didn't expect to find blades. I can make em if i can find the rubber. Seems like some rubber gasket material might work but the local auto suppliers don't even know what that is anymore. i am not aware of modern uses for that kind if stuff that might be a source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdarrunt Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 (edited) I use liquid polyurethane rubber to make some parts for real orphan cars we get in the shop. It is the same rubber used in motor mounts so it is tough. If your blade is complete or can be temporarily patched you can spray it with mold release (Pam cooking oil) and use it as a pattern to make a plaster of paris mold. For the center hole you can spray mold release on a wooden dowl or wrap a layer of Saran wrap around it or you can put the new blade on dry ice and then turn or mill it. The latter would be tricky on something with very thin edges where a slight bump could break them when frozen. A search on "liquid polyurethane rubber" will give sources and mold techniques. Edited October 26, 2019 by mcdarrunt (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary W Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 My '37 had this fan attached to the column. I haven't taken it apart yet to clean and repaint. It's on my list of things to-do. If you need to use it to create a pattern (that is, of course, if this is the correct fan you need), let me know and I can send it to you. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 9 minutes ago, Ben Perfitt said: This is what I had in a box of junk. It got mixed into a box that was supposed to be for 1918 Buick parts. Obviously it isn’t. Don’t know a thing about it other than it has rubber blades and has been in that box for at least 50 years. Great "air conditioner" for the period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 With perseverance, time, and money, you can get it running great. Remember my thoughts on these 100+ - year old cars. Drive it, break it, fix it, repeat. Also remember that the really old car ownership is not for the faint of heart or wallet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stewart Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share Posted October 26, 2019 Wow! Thanks for all the helpful ideas, offers to loan stuff for patterns etc. My fan is almost identical to Ben's. The hub and blades look exactly the same. I will contact Ben directly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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