Position 3 Users, Please Help!

[LowR3V'in]

Does the alpina car have a clutch fan?
How did they do it?

^Serious question.

[Iain]

But would they have notched it today when electro fans are cheap, easy to source and work better than a clutch fan..?

If the car has to be THAT authentic, maybe you should not let anyone in the car who isn't caucasian? Appartheid was a big deal in Seth Effrika back in those days.

PS: watch out for a couple of LA policemen by the name of Riggs and Murtagh. I hear they have a thing against Seth Effrikans.

[george graves]

Oh. Is this to reproduce an Alpina? Sorry - I've been out of the loop.

I'd be REALLY surprised if alpina notched a subframe - but they been known to do some stuff that some people consider hacky.

[Iain]

Why does this always happen on this forum? All I wanted was answers not criticisms. You do your shit your way I'll do mine my way.

Probably because the kid with no motor swap experience who has a habit of being stubborn came on and asked a question and then argued against the answers given by people with good, relevant info.

Rather than copping 3 pages of incredulous badgering about why you're not running an electric fan you could have posted up a more comprehensive answer to the first time it was asked, negating any further questioning (even though it is 100% justified).

Notching the subframe or spacing the steering rack all to run a clutch fan is so far out of the ballpark of Righttown it's almost in Wrongville with Whatt18yahoo and his Down Syndrome E34. Good on you for building an accurate 333i replica, but there are times you should make concessions to the modern era, especially when notching anything is such a dangerous, tricky thing for someone who doesn't have any fab experience to do. People were trying to help you, dude. They were trying to use their experience to provide you with an easy, cheap and "better engineered" solution. That's not all that bad is it? At least you don't have 5000 people coming into your threads to call you a chicken fucker.

Sorry Andrew, I think this is 100% FUBAR.

[Danny]

I'm tellin you. The easiest way will be to notch the rad support and move the rad AND the motor forward.

[chadthestampede]

I just wish I'd have to spend less time explaining my reasons, and more time getting answers to the original questions I asked.

I think the problem is that no one has the answers. I don't remember ever seeing anyone on r3v running the clutch fan. So you might just have to try it out and see what works.

[Japandrew73]

What you are saying above are your opinions and not facts.... think about millions of cars that do not have fan clutches from the factory...are they all doing it wrong?

just my 2 cents.

No I completely agree with what you're saying. I don't mean any disrespect toward anybody here who used an auxiliary fan, I just want to choose an alternative route. I just wish I'd have to spend less time explaining my reasons, and more time getting answers to the original questions I asked.

[Jean]

Andrew, how can you say clutch fan is fool-proof and electric fans are a shortcut? How is notching a subframe doing it "right" or how is it better than notching or modyfing a less of an important part of the car such as radiator support (not radiator itself like you are thinking)? Quote - "I'm not going to be "cutting up" the subframe, I'm going to be notching it just as you said to do with the radiator, which I will not be notching."

It's the statements like these that cause people to give you a hard time on the forum.

What you are saying above are your opinions and not facts.... think about millions of cars that do not have fan clutches from the factory...are they all doing it wrong?

just my 2 cents.

[kronus]

Well it's not cheating, but it's the easier and quicker way. The way I see it, people use electric fans to eliminate the strain of 1-2 hp it puts on the motor and they put in an electric fan because they think it cools better (much like aftermarket exhaust). The viscous fan is pretty fool-proof, is known to cool the engine properly, and eliminates and kind of future cooling issue with an electric fan. I'm not only choosing position 3 just to use the fan clutch, I'm choosing it for the center of gravity as well. To each his own on the method of cooling though, my mind is set.

This is mostly wrong. People use electric fans in the e30 application because clutch fans don't fit. To get a fan to fit, you probably have to trim it, which cuts down on its cooling efficiency to the point where you're probably going to need an electric aux fan, anyway.

You're being stubborn for no reason here, which is why your thread went the way it usually does.

[Danny]

Wow.



Question Danny. What do you mean by that? For example. If I were doing 60 MPH, and I stood on my breaks. All the built up momentum, all that force, where does all that force pass through?

You know, I could be wrong, and if I am by all means correct me. But do the control arms not spread at least some of the force during cornering to the subframe? Also, just the amount of weight the subframe has on it would concern me. But like I said, I could be wrong. It's late and I've had a long day.

[george graves]

Well it's not cheating, but it's the easier and quicker way. The way I see it, people use electric fans to eliminate the strain of 1-2 hp it puts on the motor and they put in an electric fan because they think it cools better (much like aftermarket exhaust). The viscous fan is pretty fool-proof, is known to cool the engine properly, and eliminates and kind of future cooling issue with an electric fan. I'm not only choosing position 3 just to use the fan clutch, I'm choosing it for the center of gravity as well. To each his own on the method of cooling though, my mind is set.

Wow.

Well the problem with notching the subframe is it sees a substantial amount of force

Question Danny. What do you mean by that? For example. If I were doing 60 MPH, and I stood on my breaks. All the built up momentum, all that force, where does all that force pass through?

[LowR3V'in]

Gotcha.
So then I would think trimming the fan blade will do it.

Or notching the oil pan. Or spacers down subframe.
or JUST PUTTING DOWN THE METH PIPE! j/k :D

But if your really do meth, stop it.

[Danny]

Well the problem with notching the subframe is it sees a substantial amount of force and the notches would add weak points to said subframe.

The rad support would be overall easier to notch, considering the material that the two are made of.

Just a suggestion.

[Japandrew73]

How about this, instead of cutting up the subframe (an essential suspension component) why not notch the rad support in an effort to grant enough clearance to get your viscous fan in there?

I'm not going to be "cutting up" the subframe, I'm going to be notching it just as you said to do with the radiator, which I will not be notching.

Ok. But, why do you think a electric fan is "cheating" - or not right? I can't for the life of me find one redeamable reason why "your way" and "the retard way" are not one in the same.

Why don't you explain to use your thinking and maybe we would be inclined to help more.

Well it's not cheating, but it's the easier and quicker way. The way I see it, people use electric fans to eliminate the strain of 1-2 hp it puts on the motor and they put in an electric fan because they think it cools better (much like aftermarket exhaust). The viscous fan is pretty fool-proof, is known to cool the engine properly, and eliminates and kind of future cooling issue with an electric fan. I'm not only choosing position 3 just to use the fan clutch, I'm choosing it for the center of gravity as well. To each his own on the method of cooling though, my mind is set.

[Ray Smoodiver]

How about this, instead of cutting up the subframe (an essential suspension component) why not notch the rad support in an effort to grant enough clearance to get your viscous fan in there?

I would love to notch his moms bed post