1936 Pontiac DeLuxe Tour with 1952 239 Pontiac straight 6

[Silverstreak36]

Hey all I'm wondering if anyone can point me to where I might be able to get a new rad fan mine was totaled recently? Thanks. I see tons but not sure what's compatible and not. 

[Bloo]

Good question. I have been wondering how that later engine works at all since it doesn't have the side engine mount bosses at the back that 36 and earlier Pontiacs used to control torque reaction.

 

Regarding the fan though, to the best of my knowledge a 36 fan won't even bolt to anything newer than an early 37 half-year water pump. It's probably better that way, as the 36 fan is a bit questionable. I just had mine magnafluxed and it passed. Whew! Finding another could be tough. You must have had something later, because the 36 fan probably wouldn't have worked with your engine.

 

In the 35-36 engine, the top of the water pump is level with the top of the head. In 37 the engine was redesigned, and the water pump redesigned to fit, and they went to a conventional radiator, no more crossflow. The top of the water pump sits about 2 inches higher than the head. It stayed like this on eights and sixes through 48. In 1949, they redesigned the engine again, and designed a new water pump to match. The top of the water pump became LOWER than the head by about 2 inches. How does that leave room for a fan without hitting the balancer? It probably doesn't, and they must have moved the fan forward. There would have been plenty of room to move it forward in a 49-54 Pontiac. There is no room to move the fan forward in a 36. It is already almost touching the radiator.

 

My best guess is they used some kind of 37-48 pump, there are 2 pump shaft lengths in that era, it would have to be the shorter one that fits all the eights and all except about 3 years of sixes from 37-48. The 37-48 water pump body does not natively bolt to a 49-54 block, but I hear you can drill and tap an extra mounting hole in the block and make that work. People have done that to get a 49-54 engine in a 37-48 car.

 

If you did that in a 36, the water pump shaft would be about two inches too high, instead of about 2 inches too low. The fan would clear the balancer without being moved forward, but I suspect it would hit something up high, and would probably need to be a smaller diameter than the 36 fan.

 

It's tough to guess what they would have used for a fan. Got any pictures of this fan and water pump? I doubt I have the answer but maybe someone would.

 

Edited April 22 by Bloo (see edit history)