5 replies to this topic

[mini1976]

Is this designed for a mini? Its a 4 blade fan with sprung loaded blades presumably so when spinning at higher speed the pitch is reduced to increase efficency (maybe?)?

Has anyone seen one of these before? Are they any good?
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[nev_payne]

Yeap I have one that very colour..just slightly better nik...

It's called a dowty aerofan. It has variable pitch blades, allowing the fan to increase the blade pitch when the engine revs higher. Dowty were specialists in the aircraft industry of the 60s and 70s...before they were swallowed up by Smiths Aerospace Group only a couple of years back.

The original box explains all the benifits:

- Increased MPG
- Faster engine warm up
- Quieter running

etc...

The last point i'm not so sure about - at high speed the fan doubles up as a lancaster bomber propellar - making an extremely deep tone hum in the engine bay. Aside form the proverbial rust that will eventually get to all of these -hard to come by - fans, they are very good and I'd recommend them to anyone...especially for that "classic" look to the engine bay.



This picci taken off ebay:



The fan was availible to 2 colours - metalic red, and standard mini fan yellow.

[Mini Mad James]

Wow those look cool

anyone know where i could get one of those from??

[nev_payne]

HERE

AND HERE


Remeber however - these fans do NOT need the spacer thats fitted between the standard mini fan and the pulley...thing - otherwise you will shave the cooling fins off your radiator

[mini1976]

Well i dont know if i want the one I started the post about, I just had no idea what they were as I had never seen one before. The one i have is in ok nick could just do with a paint if you want to make me an offer Mini Mad James. Otherwise I might have a play with it, see what they are like and then maybe pop it on ebay.

It does seam a cool idea though. Thanks for pointing out to take the spaces out nev_payne, you might just have saved me buying a new rad if i had had a go at fitting it, or at least some swearing at it for not fitting.

[Dan]

They're fairly easy to come by, most autojumbles will have at least one stand selling them and I think they are still being made by someone. Mine's the yellow type. They're a bit C**p really, I took it off and went back to a plastic one. Yes you need to make sure it will clear the rad but you also do need to use the steel plate that comes with it to spread the load of the bolts over the surface of the hub.

Dowty Engineering still exist making theatrical and movie rigging/grip equipment.