812 Cord Auxillary fan and Cooling

I am considering the addition of an electric push fan in front of the radiator, on a switch, to assist on hot days (especially since it seems to take over an hour sitting in traffic to cross the Boarder to come to ACD shows, now days).

My question is, when driving without this fan on, will it inhibit airflow to the radiator because the blades are stationary, in-front of the radiator ?

Bill McLaughlin
Cord 812 Westchester

Thank you gentlemen!

Tom P, If you also want a 6v fan ; Scotts cooling fans , 800-272-3267. (If you need water pump parts, see my web site, PortzCordz.com).

You might call Gail Shaw (707-569-9511) as he had some shrouds Tuesday.

Hi all.

1. Does anyone know of a source for SIX-volt auxiliary radiator fans?

2. Since my Cord is--(still!)--disassembled, this would be a good time to make and install a radiator shroud. Looks like I'll be having a conversation with my sheet metal foreman.

The Cord 812 S/C offered on ebay
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cord-812 ... .m14.l1308
has a shroud (two of the available pictures show it). The colour of the car is certainly not my favorite. Mario

To anyone interested in modern water pump repair parts , click on the link below to my web site (little house www) & then (For Sale) at the top of the page. Henry

I should add too that the pumps on the aforementioned three cars have been rebuilt with modern seals and seats. So should any Cord pump, when it's rebuilt.

John's caution is theoretically correct. A modern 15-pound pressure cap would be a no-no. But I know of at least three Cords, all driven long distances at highway speeds, that maintain 4 pounds of pressure on the cooling system with no leakage from seals or radiator. This after thousands of miles of driving.

And I'm still hoping to see a photo of peter812's shroud.

I'm not intimately familiar with the sealing system in the water pump, but most likely the seals were designed to accommodate the original no pressure cap. Adding a pressure cap increases the overall system pressure and most probably the differential across the waterpump seals. I would think that there is a high probability that this could cause leakage at the seal and potential damage to the seal that wouldn't occur without the pressurized cap. Since rebuilding the waterpump can be a relatively expensive proposition, it is something to be considered before you make the required modifications to add a pressurized cap.

May we see a photo of your shroud?

My 812 has a fan shroud--an authentic aftermarket item--and it has really helped.

I have a cord replica, so my car is a little different, but you should be able to mount an electric fan on the front of the radiator (pusher fan) or you could run one on the back to pull the air if you have the space. I had a fan similar to this until the bearing in the motor failed, but it worked alright (you can usually find this type of fan at auto parts stores). Because my fan is behind the radiator, when the aftermarket one failed, I went to the junkyard and pulled a 4-blade electric fan with a square shroud that all but covers the radiator. The shroud made a big improvement, helping keep the car cooler. I think that the first fan was probably better suited for auxiliary applications and should work for what you are trying to do with it. They also make several ways of controlling it, such as manual switches and also switches that are controlled by engine temperature. The generator should be able to handle the load on the system (don't take my word on that one, but I am pretty sure it would be fine)

As for the pressure in the cooling system, I have no clue what the original caps had as far as pressure. The idea there is to have a higher pressure than atmosphere to increase the boiling point of water. Coolant is also designed to help raise the boiling point depending on the mix ratio, will change by something like 20 degrees. By raising the boiling point, it means that the engine can get hotter before it boils the coolant out. Something else I run, that I don't know if Cords had, were coolant recovery tanks. They allow the fluid to expand into them as it gets hot then it will pull it back into the engine as the system cools down (this just keeps from having to re-fill it every time it gets hot and loses fluid)

Can I put an auxillary fan on a Cord 812 with generator. How effective and what other actions should I consider such as adding a low pressure radiator cap. Honey comb radiator in car now. No cap, just sits there. Thanks Josh, for the starting help cables and Optima work beautifully. Now on the to carburetor.