powdercoating fan, lessons learned.

[vash]

just wanted to post this for others.

it was trickier than i imagined. and yes the powdercoater covered the edges of the fan. that and the added thickness around the housing created a rubbing issue. i filed off the edges edges, and test fitted it. free and clear! after installing everything back into the car, i noticed it rubbed worse than before. so off it came. i filed until clean virgin fan material was seen and then test fitted it. WTF? it still rubbed, then it dawned on me! the lesson is; you need to use all the nuts that attach that inner shroud thingy on to pull the alternator and fan EVENLY into the housing. that way your have a clear picture of clearance. i probably didnt need to file the last time. second lesson, file carefully lest you hit the visible side of the fan with the tool. bummer. also be careful about dropping those tiny nuts, they appear to enter another dimension, and will never be found again. and just how long and strong were the fingers on those original porsche engineers? every fastener is just barely in reach. bottomline, my fan looks sweet, my alternator is working, and i have become a pro at removing and installing that sucker. pictures later, it got dark last night.

cliff
p.s. i am seriously on the fence about schitcanning my AC and backdating the heat. alot of extra work with all that around.

[arcsine]

Dump the AC and backdate. You will be glad you did.

[Andras Nagy]

Hi Cliff,

I know the following advice is too late, but perhaps it will help others.

When I had the powdercoater do my fan, I specifically mentioned to him that he should avoid coating the tips of the blades. He did that by spraying the powder at right angles to the blades, being careful not to get any on the tips. He said it was easy not to get the tips.

So you could have saved a lot of effort, but just think, now your're done and it looks good, right?

[juanbenae]

this thread is useless w/o pictures.

[Andras Nagy]

Okay k911sc (without a name?),

You forced me to show this picture again. Hope I don't outstay my welcome.

[bob tilton]

yeah where's the pics cliff? let's the picture quality of that nikon D70.

[MichiganMat]

Lets see that fan Vash!!

[89 Speedy]

[ZOA NOM]

You call those fans?

THIS is a fan!

[juanbenae]

mine is actually painted not PC'd. its about 500 miles in and so far its got only minor chipping. i baked it between coats of paint. i got more time than money and a cheapo blast cabinet, so i will redo if needed.

cliff, where's my proppers for inspiring your "new look" fan???

ditch the AC you puddy. you are cool enough just plain

[vash]

i am so gonna kick your fans outta here just as soon as i get home and fire up my camera!

[3.2 CAB]

I think it looks great!!! Job well done.

[flatsixcrazy]

Hey Andras and Zoanas
those fans look awsome . Are they powder coated or polished?. Andy

[juanbenae]

rick will we see you saturday?

[donstevens]

Is this a "who's got a bigger fan" thing?

[PatrickM]

Here's mine. It's powdercoated as well. Both the fan and the housing. I took this when I was backdating my heat.

[Andras Nagy]

Hi Andy,

My fan was powdercoated along with all the other sheetmetal, valve covers, chain covers, etc. The powdercoater had a nifty color called "chrome", which is really a powder paint, but when baked, looks like what you see.

[ZOA NOM]

Powdercoated, without rubbing issues the first try.

About 85% yes Toby.

[Superman]

Someone need a picture of a fan? I can oblige:



And yes, remove AC and backdate. One of the best decisions I have made, ever.

[Superman]

Oh, and yeah. Porsche should have placed a plug connection behind the alternator cone, so those nuts can be dealt with on the bench.