<b>Building the <i>cool</i>.</b><br>
I have always like sanitizing the engine compartment on my rides while upgrading and maintaining them. While cleaning up the engine compartment on my beloved 242, I decided I wanted to get rid of the mechanical fan clutch and cooling fan. There's just something about the waterpump pulley having nothing but shiny new bolts hanging off the front of it and the quietness of an electric fan setup. Unfortunately, Volvo didn't make one for my particular model and all of the aftermarket or salvage yard fans always looked so "bolted on". Along with the requisite cooling capability (overkill is the only way), wanting it to look like it was supposed to be there was one of my main objectives. Working with materials I had laying around, short some trips to the parts store for "shop supplies", I managed to build up an electric cooling fan shroud assembly that fits the bill quite nicely.<br>
It started innocently enough by buying an electric fan assembly from a partner for what he gave for it at the Davis swap meet, a whopping $15 or so. The fan had supposedly come out of a Ford Taurus and had been in a 240 before. One end of the shroud had been lopped off and notched so it would sit it's side on the original mounting point on the bottom of the radiator. After turning it several different ways and trying to find out how to mount the top like the stock shroud it dawned on me, the easiest way to mount it up like stock was to use the stock shroud to mount it. I could just graft them together.<br>
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_discard.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_discard_tn.JPG" width="200" height="150" align="right" border="0"></a>
The first step was to cut down the stock shroud to about the depth I wanted the whole assembly to end up being. It would need to cut further but it's better to cut several small cuts than one cut too big. Next the donor fan shroud was laid on top of the stock shroud to see how much of which needed to be cut.<br> <a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_no_join.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_no_join_tn.JPG" width="200" height="177" border="0" align="left"></a><br> Trying to find a spot or direction that all of the edges would match up turned out to be a challenge in patience.<br>
With a lot of cutting and bunch of mini cut off wheels later, the edges looked close enough to call it a fit. Once the depth was determined the shrouds were both cut so none of the edges overlapped at all. Due to the differences in the curves between the two shrouds, there were large gaps where no material was left due to it's bend or angle.
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join9.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join9_tn.JPG" width="200" height="180" align="right" border="0"></a><br>
The fan assembly and blade was stripped out and the remainder was propped up on top of a suitable height base. In this case a Folgers coffee can with the stock shroud underneath it. Once the position was set just right and the two pieces aligned, all of the areas to have fiberglass laid were roughed up with some 80 grit paper to make the glass adhere well. The first layers of fiberglass cloth were laid over the four corners. The corners that had the largest gaps got a few layers on the first pass. After the first layers hardened it was time to survey the damage.<br><br>
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/test_fit3.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/test_fit3_tn.JPG" width="200" height="150" align="left" border="0"></a>
The now one piece shroud assembly was brought down to the car for a test fit. This allowed it to be judged for depth and to make sure it sat square to the radiator. Any mistakes in depth or alignment definitely need to be corrected now before the fiberglass was built up and everything was hardened. It turned out that minor adjustments and some small cutting was needed on one of the corners that had large amounts of plastic removed and the edges were a good distance apart. The adjustments were made and with another thin
layer of fiberglass, it was retested and lined up much better.<br>
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/drawing1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/drawing1_tn.jpg" width="200" height="120" border="0" align="right"></a><br>
<br>
The idea being, keep it as close to a stock fan as possible. This meant checking angles, bends and slopes with a lot of care. What the original edges looked like lining up was a little like this. <br> The areas inside the red boxes are the most important part of keeping
the shroud thin. The edges need to be cut back far enough to be able to
make the transition smooth.
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/drawing2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/drawing2_tn.jpg" width="200" height="120" align="right" border="0"></a>
What I needed the edges to look like when I was done was more of an even slope or curve to the edges of the shrouds finally did meet, or in this case, didn't meet. Knowing the fiberglass would be more than tough enough to hold the fan shrouds together even with the large gaps that had been left behind, I cut the shrouds back so the fiberglass would fill in the missing edges smoothly like this.
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join5.JPG" target="_blank"><br><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join5_tn.JPG" width="200" height="170" align="left" border="0"></a>
Once the first layer of glass set up on the outside of the shroud, it was turned over and generous amounts were laid on the same spots inside the shroud. I now had at least a firm foundation to start building on. As each layer hardened, it was ground down to leave as little as possible behind except where the material was missing or too thin. After just a few minutes of grinding on the fiberglass it was obvious that some areas had to be ground
away completely and built up higher in some spots and lower in others. All in all it ended up taking several layer on both sides of the shroud before some of the irregularities could be matched up. In several spots the plastic had to be ground down to make the transition smooth from one shroud to the other.
<br><a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join_prime1.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join_prime1_tn.JPG" width="200" height="150" align="left" border="0"></a><a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join_prime3.JPG" target=blank><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join_prime3_tn.JPG" width="200" height="150" align="right" border="0"></a>
Once most of the transitions looked like they were molded instead of created, the first coats of high build primer were laid on any of the areas that had been worked on. This fills in many of the heavy scratches and shows where the panels are not perfectly smooth. Several heavy coats were sprayed on both the inside ands out.
From this point it was worked out like a bad body panel. The rough spots were smoothed out and bondo was used to fill in the low spots as well as building up areas that needed extra grinding to keep the blends smooth and rounded just like stock.
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_paint.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_paint_tn.JPG" width="200" height="199" align="right" border="0"></a><br>
<br>
After several grits of sandpaper and lots of elbow grease, a small amount of spot putty was used to glaze and smooth any of the exposed areas of the shroud. Once everything smoothed to a satisfactory blend and finish, a liberal coat of gloss black vinyl paint was sprayed onto the shroud inside and out. Several successive coats were sprayed on after each dried to give it back that OE plastic look.<br><br>
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_assembled1.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_assembled1_tn.JPG" width="200" height="206" align="left" border="0"></a>
After letting the paint set up for several hours the fan motor, blade and mounting hardware was reinstalled. The blade is a tight fit and the assembly fits onto the radiator as perfectly as the stock shroud. It allows no air past it and it almost looks as if Volvo had done it themselves.<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_assembled3.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_assembled3_tn.JPG" width="200" height="150" align="right" border="0"></a>
<br>All in all the project took about a week of spare time so your results may vary. The total cost with all the fiberglass, bondo, spot filler and paint ran about $50. If I could have picked one of these up for double that I would have jumped on it but once again my love of Swedish engineering and the lack of aftermarket support for them made my creativeness fill the gap.<br><br><a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_installed1.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_installed1_tn.JPG" width="200" height="227" align="right" border="0"></a>
I have always like sanitizing the engine compartment on my rides while upgrading and maintaining them. While cleaning up the engine compartment on my beloved 242, I decided I wanted to get rid of the mechanical fan clutch and cooling fan. There's just something about the waterpump pulley having nothing but shiny new bolts hanging off the front of it and the quietness of an electric fan setup. Unfortunately, Volvo didn't make one for my particular model and all of the aftermarket or salvage yard fans always looked so "bolted on". Along with the requisite cooling capability (overkill is the only way), wanting it to look like it was supposed to be there was one of my main objectives. Working with materials I had laying around, short some trips to the parts store for "shop supplies", I managed to build up an electric cooling fan shroud assembly that fits the bill quite nicely.<br>
It started innocently enough by buying an electric fan assembly from a partner for what he gave for it at the Davis swap meet, a whopping $15 or so. The fan had supposedly come out of a Ford Taurus and had been in a 240 before. One end of the shroud had been lopped off and notched so it would sit it's side on the original mounting point on the bottom of the radiator. After turning it several different ways and trying to find out how to mount the top like the stock shroud it dawned on me, the easiest way to mount it up like stock was to use the stock shroud to mount it. I could just graft them together.<br>
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_discard.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_discard_tn.JPG" width="200" height="150" align="right" border="0"></a>
The first step was to cut down the stock shroud to about the depth I wanted the whole assembly to end up being. It would need to cut further but it's better to cut several small cuts than one cut too big. Next the donor fan shroud was laid on top of the stock shroud to see how much of which needed to be cut.<br> <a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_no_join.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_no_join_tn.JPG" width="200" height="177" border="0" align="left"></a><br> Trying to find a spot or direction that all of the edges would match up turned out to be a challenge in patience.<br>
With a lot of cutting and bunch of mini cut off wheels later, the edges looked close enough to call it a fit. Once the depth was determined the shrouds were both cut so none of the edges overlapped at all. Due to the differences in the curves between the two shrouds, there were large gaps where no material was left due to it's bend or angle.
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join9.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join9_tn.JPG" width="200" height="180" align="right" border="0"></a><br>
The fan assembly and blade was stripped out and the remainder was propped up on top of a suitable height base. In this case a Folgers coffee can with the stock shroud underneath it. Once the position was set just right and the two pieces aligned, all of the areas to have fiberglass laid were roughed up with some 80 grit paper to make the glass adhere well. The first layers of fiberglass cloth were laid over the four corners. The corners that had the largest gaps got a few layers on the first pass. After the first layers hardened it was time to survey the damage.<br><br>
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/test_fit3.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/test_fit3_tn.JPG" width="200" height="150" align="left" border="0"></a>
The now one piece shroud assembly was brought down to the car for a test fit. This allowed it to be judged for depth and to make sure it sat square to the radiator. Any mistakes in depth or alignment definitely need to be corrected now before the fiberglass was built up and everything was hardened. It turned out that minor adjustments and some small cutting was needed on one of the corners that had large amounts of plastic removed and the edges were a good distance apart. The adjustments were made and with another thin
layer of fiberglass, it was retested and lined up much better.<br>
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/drawing1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/drawing1_tn.jpg" width="200" height="120" border="0" align="right"></a><br>
<br>
The idea being, keep it as close to a stock fan as possible. This meant checking angles, bends and slopes with a lot of care. What the original edges looked like lining up was a little like this. <br> The areas inside the red boxes are the most important part of keeping
the shroud thin. The edges need to be cut back far enough to be able to
make the transition smooth.
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/drawing2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/drawing2_tn.jpg" width="200" height="120" align="right" border="0"></a>
What I needed the edges to look like when I was done was more of an even slope or curve to the edges of the shrouds finally did meet, or in this case, didn't meet. Knowing the fiberglass would be more than tough enough to hold the fan shrouds together even with the large gaps that had been left behind, I cut the shrouds back so the fiberglass would fill in the missing edges smoothly like this.
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join5.JPG" target="_blank"><br><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join5_tn.JPG" width="200" height="170" align="left" border="0"></a>
Once the first layer of glass set up on the outside of the shroud, it was turned over and generous amounts were laid on the same spots inside the shroud. I now had at least a firm foundation to start building on. As each layer hardened, it was ground down to leave as little as possible behind except where the material was missing or too thin. After just a few minutes of grinding on the fiberglass it was obvious that some areas had to be ground
away completely and built up higher in some spots and lower in others. All in all it ended up taking several layer on both sides of the shroud before some of the irregularities could be matched up. In several spots the plastic had to be ground down to make the transition smooth from one shroud to the other.
<br><a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join_prime1.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join_prime1_tn.JPG" width="200" height="150" align="left" border="0"></a><a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join_prime3.JPG" target=blank><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_join_prime3_tn.JPG" width="200" height="150" align="right" border="0"></a>
Once most of the transitions looked like they were molded instead of created, the first coats of high build primer were laid on any of the areas that had been worked on. This fills in many of the heavy scratches and shows where the panels are not perfectly smooth. Several heavy coats were sprayed on both the inside ands out.
From this point it was worked out like a bad body panel. The rough spots were smoothed out and bondo was used to fill in the low spots as well as building up areas that needed extra grinding to keep the blends smooth and rounded just like stock.
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_paint.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_paint_tn.JPG" width="200" height="199" align="right" border="0"></a><br>
<br>
After several grits of sandpaper and lots of elbow grease, a small amount of spot putty was used to glaze and smooth any of the exposed areas of the shroud. Once everything smoothed to a satisfactory blend and finish, a liberal coat of gloss black vinyl paint was sprayed onto the shroud inside and out. Several successive coats were sprayed on after each dried to give it back that OE plastic look.<br><br>
<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_assembled1.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_assembled1_tn.JPG" width="200" height="206" align="left" border="0"></a>
After letting the paint set up for several hours the fan motor, blade and mounting hardware was reinstalled. The blade is a tight fit and the assembly fits onto the radiator as perfectly as the stock shroud. It allows no air past it and it almost looks as if Volvo had done it themselves.<a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_assembled3.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_assembled3_tn.JPG" width="200" height="150" align="right" border="0"></a>
<br>All in all the project took about a week of spare time so your results may vary. The total cost with all the fiberglass, bondo, spot filler and paint ran about $50. If I could have picked one of these up for double that I would have jumped on it but once again my love of Swedish engineering and the lack of aftermarket support for them made my creativeness fill the gap.<br><br><a href="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_installed1.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://beacon.dirmkt.com/config/steve/both_installed1_tn.JPG" width="200" height="227" align="right" border="0"></a>
Last edited:
