So I am getting ready to do a electric fan and water pump set up on my 70 Cougar and was wondering what set up I should go with. I’ve never done an electric set up like this so any advice would be great. Like what brand I should go with for the water pump and where I should get the fans from?
That stuff is going to need a lot of electrical power and will hurt reliability. Not recommended for long term street use. Generally the kind of thing that you would do on a dragstrip only car.
If you are going to do this, the first thing that you need is 100 amps of alternator charging current, and at least a Group 24 battery with big cables. To get the best possible reliability you need OEM level wiring abilities, relays to control the water pump and fan, and temperature controlled on / off for the fan. It never will be as reliable as having the stock water pump and a clutch fan.
A single 16" fan can foul on the standard water pump pulley unless it is a slimline. 2 x 12" fans fit better but there are vast differences in the amount of air they pull. A 100amp alternator is a must. SPAL have the best reputation but their fans are available as generics
Electric radiator fans have been standard equipment on new cars for many years now. They’re nothing new and have proven reliability.
I installed a dual electric fan Derale system on my '69 last summer after upgrading the cooling system top to bottom the year before-water pump, radiator, correct Cleveland t-stat, all hoses w/lower hose spring, radiator cap, and heater core. I did upgrade the alternator (125 amps) and power/ground wires as I also added fuel injection with requisite electric fuel pump at the same time. I tried a single 16" electric fan rated at 2,800 cfm but found it insufficient to cool my 351 Cleveland (swapped by previous owner) in traffic above 80F. It was also VERY tight to the water pump snout. The dual fan (3,200 cfm) cools the car easily at 95F in cruise traffic. The Ford five blade (non-clutch) mechanical fan, shroud, 20" radiator without recirc can on the car when I bought it were undersized for my usage. I could have used a dual relay system to control the fans with adjustable setpoint on the fuel injection hand-held (with digital temp display) but elected to use a PWM controller for soft start and variable fan speed. I’ve put about 1500 miles on the dual fan set-up and this year will be drving to Carlisle in May and the Hot Rod Power tour in June. My goal with the car is a solid driver and I’m happy with my results.