has this happend to you wtf

Has this happend to anyone my fan blade ate my radiator! Ok this is the second time I thought my motor mounts were bad (they were) I replaced them thinking this caused the notor to lurch forward into it.Been driving it for a while no problems.just finished the clutch 3 days ago only been driving it around town then crunch it ate it big time. the first time it only cracked the upper hose inlet just had to be resoddered this time it has to be recored.I was thinking of moving it forward and inch and putting a stock blade on it to solve the issue of it happing again but I want to know why I dont want to just put a band aid on it if there is sonething else wrong

You water pump isn't going out is it?? Do you have a flex fan on it??

Mine ate the rad in the 64 Chevy right after I said "check this out"... I replaced the old mtr mounts and a year later tore them in two again eating my rad. I keep my foot out of it now.

Later,
Rip

The first time it it hit the upper inlet with a small amount of evidence of it moving in to core a a couple of small nicks. I assume its the stock radiator, the holes to mount it all match up, it is not a stock blade, but its the one that came with it when I bought the van. I dove this from S.CA to the SF Bay aera and for months till the first it did it. It dose it when I'm changing gears I think. This time ( after I had changed the motor mounts) it didnt jump up just forward A LOT it bent one of the fan blades and I have this cool circle in my radiator.I wouldnt call the fan a flexi one the blades are real stiff and has been on the van for years. This last time I was at a stop light putting her into first making a right turn and kinda gunning it a little there was traffic I was just trying to merge I dont think I was to aggresive,and then there was this great grinding noise I thought oh *@!%$#@ what now, it cant be the clutch its not the radiator till I pulled over, lifted the coffin lid saw the stream and mist she was dead

Transmission mount was replaced when I did the clutch I am talking about the rubber dounut I could not find a replacement so I got one that was bigger stuck it on my drill press and shaved it down enough with a file to make it fit I had to pound it in with a mallet so there is no slop there. This van did not come wit a 9" rear but the guy I bought it from put one in would this have any affect? Also the front was in the guys words "shaven" I dont know how this done it looks like all the leafs are there.

Dont think my water pump is going out.

On Chevy when the water pump bearings starts to go, the fan will starts to wobble some. Would think it get worse under load. Like taking off from light???

Water pump. No the fan is pretty stable. The genneator went out and it was a wierd european one so I made new lower and upper brackets wich entailed taking off the fan and pully to mount the upper bracket so I am pretty sure its not that it seemed pretty solid removing and replacing.

It looks to me to be stock its the 170 the radiator looks stock and it looks to me like everything is as it should be. This is my first van the only I have to go off of is old manuals other peoples pics of the engine and seeing them at the junk yard

I'll go out and measure it

The blades are one inch from the radiator

I am thinking of going back to the yard today where I saw the new econoline and pulling off the fan, radiator,and pully since I think now that I might need them,well maybe on tueday.

There is no spacers between the fan and the pull but the pully has a second space for another belt. I can move the transmission a little I dont know any better but it would seem normal to me no slop just a small amount of movement

It rubbed the radiator bad enough to bend one fan blade that made a nice circular grove into it.

I went out again to really try and move it just in case I was being to light with her its nice and tight very little transmission movement the new bushing is doing its job I would say. the one I pulled out was not really whole when I did the clutch

This might be a long shot, but when you dropped and replaced the drive shaft to do the clutch, was there plenty of free motion to get the caps back in the saddle on the yoke?
I'm just wondering if the rear end isn't trying to shove the whole engine tranny unit forward on acceleration. I have had rear axles slip the center pins in the leafs on a chevy Nova before ,, makes a mess of things. I do not know how a ford is set up.

there was plenty of free play when I removed the drive shaft to do the clutch so I dont think its forcing the engine forward there but I am far from experienced in such matters. this is the first time really working on somethingout side of changing plugs and oil.I'm kinda leaning toward the idea of the fan being to close.Its not the stock blade which has allways bugged me and it might not be the stock pully extending to far forward along with blade.

Donvian was on to something as allways he asked if there were spacers between the pully and fan. It turns out the pully was acting like a spacer it has a place for two belts. The stock one is an inch less in depth, no second space. Didnt compare fans yet. So hopefuly thats all that is wrong, I'm still thinking of spacing the the radiator out a little just in case.