Midyear fan color

[Jeff S.]

What is the correct gloss level for the black finish on the cooling fan? Couldn't find it mentioned in the judging guide ...

Thanks

[Bill I.]

Re: Midyear fan color

Jeff, mine is Black semi gloss. Bill

[Rick S.]

Re: Midyear fan color

Jeff,
It was suggested to me several years ago by a Corvette restoration shop owner that I get the fan powder coated because of the abuse they take. I took his suggestion and have never regretted it, it still looks great and is easy to clean off the bugs!!
Rick

[Ridge K.]

Re: Midyear fan color

Jeff, I have a NOS fan still in the GM box from around '69 or '70. As stated by another poster, it's black semi-gloss.
Can post a pic if you need it.
Hope this helps, Ridge

[Jack H.]

Re: Midyear fan color

The usual way for professional painters to specify gloss level is in percent or degree with 100 being 'full gloss'. But, that's a technical approach that requires measuring equipment. So, the Judging Guide books try to use simple English terms (gloss, semi-gloss, flat) which makes for interpretation differences.

Some of the JG's add helpful text along the lines of 'not so glossy that you can see your reflection'. I'd say the gloss factor of paint on the fan assy lies in the 80% range...

[Jeff S.]

Re: Midyear fan color

Jack

I understand that, but as I mentioned in initial thread, I can't find a JG reference to gloss, flat, semi, whatever. Perhaps I missed it; using 4th edition with fan described on page 102.

[Gary B.]

Midyear fan color

Jeff,

I agree with Jack. Probably in the range of 80% or 85%. The '66 JG calls for gloss black, but I think that 90% gloss or higher will simply be too glossy.

I'm in the process of spraying my fan and I'm using semi-gloss black from a rattle can, but then I will use a cleaner/wax to increase the gloss slightly.

I've also heard several people say that the gloss on a fan that is painted with regular (non-powder) paint will not stay glossy on a car that is driven.

Gary

[Jean C.]

Re: Midyear fan color

Gary,
I can back that up. After driving my '64 with a freshly painted (gloss black) fan on two national road tours of around 3000 miles each, I was always dinged at judging for the fan being "too flat" or some similar note on the judging sheet. My explaining that it was glossy when I left home didn't have much impact with the judges and rightfully so. I figure black gloss powder coat is the way to go for a driven car so I'll give that a try and see how it holds up.
Best regards,

[Jack H.]

Re: Midyear fan color

Interesting...

The '63-64 JG states, "In both 1963 and 1964 all non-air conditioned cars use a gloss black steel five blade fan..."

The '65 and '67 JG books state, "All cars use a semi-gloss black steel 5-blade assy..."

There's no reference to gloss level in the current '66 JG book.

The '68-69 JG reverts back to the sort of text used in '63-64, "Gloss black paint was often poorly and incompletely applied."

Then, you get to the 'enlightened' era with the '70-72 JG book: "Fan was gloss black, but not so glossy to show reflection. Paint was often poorly and incompletely applied..."

What's interesting here is that other than the geometry/style of rivets used to attach the blades to the center spyder, the base 5-blade fan was essentially the same from '63-70!

So, descriptive text DOES vary with the specific car division/NTL responsible for writing/maintaining the JG book...

[Gary B.]

'66 fan gloss; I stand corrected

As Jack notes, the 4th edition of the '66 TIM&JG does not specify a gloss level for the fan. Interestingly, the 3rd edition says it should be semi-gloss. In any case, in my experience the judges looks for something that is on the glossy end of the semi-gloss range, or the low end of the high gloss range, if that makes sense.

Gary

[Rick S.]

Re: Midyear fan color

Well, by going by Jack's and Gary's description, there is a vague area as to the level of gloss in the midyear fans. Here are 2 photos of my 67 fan taken after Chapter flight judging where I did not receive any deductions on the fan blade. I offer these photos only for others to critique as to the level of gloss and not to being correct. The fan was powder coated to "semi-gloss" level as specified by me to the powder coater. He did not indicate to me what percentage of gloss he coated them at. As I previously stated, powder coating was suggested by a well known Corvette restorer and NCRS person for durability reasons.
Rick

[John H.]

Re: Midyear fan color

I'm always amazed at fans being described as "gloss black"; they came into the plant raw/oiled, and went through the same degrease/phosphate/dip-prime system as all the miscellaneous engine brackets and body metal reinforcements, wheels, etc. There were no facilities in any Chevrolet assembly plant in the 60's to paint ANY individual parts "gloss black" except in the main body paint system.

As a Chevrolet production foreman in the 60's, I watched tens of thousands (more like hundreds of thousands) of engines come down my Engine Dress Lines, and I never saw one that had a "gloss black" fan blade.

Photo below is a close crop of a 3MB GM image I have of a '66 L-79 going into a frame on the St. Louis Chassis Line; does that fan blade look "gloss black" to you? Not hardly.

[Rick S.]

Re: Midyear fan color

John,
I know it would be hard to judge a part from a photo but what is your opinion, as far a level of gloss, for my fan?
Regards,
Rick

P.S. Werner was my source

[Jean C.]

Re: Midyear fan color

Thanks John. "been there done that" works for me every time.
Cheers,

[John H.]

Re: Midyear fan color

John,
I know it would be hard to judge a part from a photo but what is your opinion, as far a level of gloss, for my fan?
Regards,
Rick

P.S. Werner was my source

Rick -

I'd call it "semi-gloss", although there were wide variations depending on which supplier's black primer was in the Flow-Coat system that day; certainly none were "gloss black".