62Ranchero200
Famous Member
Greetings Ford Six Fans:
Background: I swapped a 250 into my '62 Ranchero. The 250 is longer than the original 170, and my options for moving the engine back were limited by transmission and crossmember issues. I slotted the transmission mount holes in the existing crossmember as much as I dared to push the engine back a bit, then cut into the core support and moved the radiator as far forward as I could, but clearance between the fan and radiator is still tight.
Apparently 250s all came equipped with power steering and/or air conditioning, because it appears that no single-pulley 250 harmonic balancers were ever made. Have neither power steering nor air conditioning (just a water pump and alternator), so I'm not using the second pulley for anything, but it does force me to use a 3/4" spacer to push the mechanical fan out so that the back of the fan clears the second pulley. Spaced out 3/4", the mechanical fan comes perilously close to the radiator core; in fact, on initial installation the tips of the blades hit the top of the bottom radiator tank, and I had to trim the blades by about an inch to avoid this.
If the second pulley could be machined off and the bonding ring (at the base of the pulleys) machined down, the mechanical fan could be pushed back towards the engine about 1/2", which would allow me to use a full 14" fan (at least: maybe even a 15" fan).
I retained Damper Dudes in Anderson, CA to machine the second pulley off of a 250 harmonic balancer. They did so and sent the balancer to me (see below).
They did an excellent and professional job, but there is still the bonding ring (at the base of the pulleys) that prevents having enough clearance to push the mechanical fan back.
If I have the bonding ring machined down until it's flush with the rough cast front surface, will this weaken the bond too much and cause failure?
Thank you,
Bob
Background: I swapped a 250 into my '62 Ranchero. The 250 is longer than the original 170, and my options for moving the engine back were limited by transmission and crossmember issues. I slotted the transmission mount holes in the existing crossmember as much as I dared to push the engine back a bit, then cut into the core support and moved the radiator as far forward as I could, but clearance between the fan and radiator is still tight.
Apparently 250s all came equipped with power steering and/or air conditioning, because it appears that no single-pulley 250 harmonic balancers were ever made. Have neither power steering nor air conditioning (just a water pump and alternator), so I'm not using the second pulley for anything, but it does force me to use a 3/4" spacer to push the mechanical fan out so that the back of the fan clears the second pulley. Spaced out 3/4", the mechanical fan comes perilously close to the radiator core; in fact, on initial installation the tips of the blades hit the top of the bottom radiator tank, and I had to trim the blades by about an inch to avoid this.
If the second pulley could be machined off and the bonding ring (at the base of the pulleys) machined down, the mechanical fan could be pushed back towards the engine about 1/2", which would allow me to use a full 14" fan (at least: maybe even a 15" fan).
I retained Damper Dudes in Anderson, CA to machine the second pulley off of a 250 harmonic balancer. They did so and sent the balancer to me (see below).
They did an excellent and professional job, but there is still the bonding ring (at the base of the pulleys) that prevents having enough clearance to push the mechanical fan back.
If I have the bonding ring machined down until it's flush with the rough cast front surface, will this weaken the bond too much and cause failure?
Thank you,
Bob